Re: [LiteracyForAll] No child left unfed/no unnecessary testing: bumper stickers

[MONICALUCIDO@comcast.net]

This is what I have stated to many in our group and on this list serve. This is truly a war on the MEDIA front. We need visibility and a simple message, as Dr. Krashen suggests. Elaine is right in the sense that we are dealing with an issue that has many facets of complexity and revealing that picture to regular folks in a meaningful and EMOTIONAL way, is going to be tough. But now we have the time. Although the damage to schools will continue while NCLB waits in limbo, now lies an opportunity to connect with parents. They are the key. The more we discuss--SIMPLY!----the nature of what is happening and what WILL happen, the more people will respond. There needs to be face to face interaction, along with the current publishing of editorials and radio show programs. In Fresno, what I wanted to do, was set up a microphone stand downtown in the mall and send out fliers inviting teachers (even parents) to come and speak about the damage and pain they face every day so people can SEE it.
 It would probably get coverage and thrust what is in the darkness into the light. We must recognize that our fellow, fearful instructors are people with feelings that need to be shared. If a few of us stepped up to the mic first, I think others would follow. We need to step on the snake's throat while it is off balance. Slogan: "No Excuse for Test Abuse"

Joe Lucido
Educators and Parents Against Test Abuse
Educator Roundtable
 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Susan Harman <susanharman@igc.org>
> >> one that addresses the complexities of the reading and learning 
> >> process.
> I think the issue is public or private schools, way bigger than reading 
> and learning. So...
> No Corporation Left Behind
> Phonics helps you read nonsense; reading helps you read books.
> NCLB is failing our schools.
> Don't privatize?organize!
> Save public schools?repeal NCLB.
> Susan
> 
> On Wednesday, December 19, 2007, at 03:14 PM, Georgia HEDRICK wrote:
> 
> > Don't forget to look at:
> > http://www.cafepress.com/boycott_nclb--It's not for profit but for 
> > knowledge. Wear a tshirt to school, people.  Spread the word. It's all 
> > I can offer right now and change anything on site instantly at a need.
> > The phrase "TESTING ISN'T TEACHING" is worth being a button or sticker 
> > too.
> > And I can make buttons, all sorts of designs thanks to Ken Goodman.  
> > Only costs the postage.
> > Whatever art you want, I can do.  gh
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Susan Ohanian <susano@gmavt.net> wrote:
> > 'No Child left unfed' will resonate now as stories about empty Food 
> > Pantries spread across the country.
> >  NO CHILD LEFT OUT IN THE COLD: GIVE THEM HEAT,  HOUSING AND HEALTH 
> > INSURANCE
> >  KEEP THE HEAT ON:  NO CHILD LEFT COLD AND HUNGRY
> >
> >  Stephen Krashen wrote:
> >>
> >> Yes, but ... It might be useful to have some bumper sticker slogans. 
> >> I can think of two, so far:
> >> NO CHILD LEFT UNFED. This is Susan Ohanian's idea. Brilliant because 
> >> it shifts thinking to the underlying issues.
> >> NO UNNECESSARY TESTING. This one says we understand the value of 
> >> assessment, and sends the message that ONE of the problems is 
> >> excessive testing.
> >> I would like to find ways of expressing some other core truths in 
> >> just a few words. I suspect that a short list might cover all our 
> >> points.
> >> YES, it is true that they might ignore anything we do. But they will 
> >> surely ignore us if we don't do
> >> anything.
> >>
> >> --- Elaine garan <elainegaran@hotmail.com
> >>> With all due respect to Jim Crawford whom I admire enormously-- I 
> >>> don't think it's a question of our side not offering or articulating 
> >>> an alternative to NCLB. I really don't. I believe that we have but 
> >>> what "they" want is a bumper sticker alternative rather than one 
> >>> that addresses the complexities of the reading and learning process.
> >>> Even if we did offer an aliternative, in 25 words or less, do any of 
> >>> us really believe that it would be acknowledged much less accepted 
> >>> by the other side? They have all the cards including simple-minded, 
> >>> simple solutions to complex problems. They do not want to face or 
> >>> deal with the underlying causes of the problems facing schools. They 
> >>> are trying for a simplistic, corporate-based, academic solution to a 
> >>> problem that is human, social, economic and complicated .
> >>> Of course, they would not accept the brilliant alternatives offered 
> >>> by whole language and contructivist approaches. Those approaches 
> >>> cannot be reduced to a slogan or a bumper sticker or a few sound 
> >>> bytes that Spellngs can spout off in a press release. It's not that 
> >>> we have not
> >>> articulated an alternative! Geez-- we've been shouting into the 
> >>> abyss for years.
> >>> Case in point-- a few months ago a journalist interviewed me about 
> >>> the usual and the usual suspects. I said that what this all comes 
> >>> down to is the misuse and manipulation of the research. I then 
> >>> explained how and why. His response is that all of that is true but 
> >>> it's too complicated to ever have an impact on Congress or the 
> >>> public. In other words, if someone throws out a big lie, the public 
> >>> and the media are too lazy and too simple-minded to delve into the 
> >>> complexities that lead to the truth. Sad, sad, sad but true, true, 
> >>> true.
> >>> We do not suffer from sound alternatives to NCLB. Not at all! The 
> >>> problem is 1) we lack a forum, 2) we are not simple-minded or 
> >>> simple-sounding enough, 3) you cannot sell what we advocate, 4) you 
> >>> cannot buy us
> >>> That is a quadruple wallop (there are probably more points I could 
> >>> make if I gave it some more time, but we're complex enough as it is 
> >>> so what's the point?
> >>>
> >>> From: KGoodman@u.arizona.edu <mailto:KGoodman%40u.arizona.edu>
> >>> Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:30:23 -0700
> >>> Subject: Re: [LiteracyForAll] Ken Goodman on politics and NCLB
> >>>
> >>> In Saving Our Schools I outlined how movement conservatism is 
> >>> organized with the methods and morality of a long range political 
> >>> campaign. In their campaign to privatize education they have been 
> >>> able to control the policies of both the republicans and the 
> >>> democrats. The Reading
> >>> Excellence Act was passed under the Clinton administration. Andy 
> >>> Rotherham who presents himself as a neo-liberal was the author of 
> >>> the Kerry education platform which strongly supported
> >>> NCLB. The money and political clout of the campaign comes from the 
> >>> National Business
> >>> Roundtable and various conservative foundations. That makes it 
> >>> possible to use NICHD, and various scientific groups as covers for 
> >>> the National Reading panel and the Snow group reports and to control 
> >>> the press treatment of NCLB and related aspects of the campaign. 
> >>> There is no
> >>> difference between neo-liberals and neo-cons in their attitudes 
> >>> about public education .
> >>>
> >>> The key thing to understand is that in movement consevatism a small 
> >>> very smart, well-connected, highly funded, totally amoral and very 
> >>> intelligent group orchestrate and control a campaign
> >>> which uses many disparate groups who don't even know they are being 
> >>> used by the campaign- in fact they are led to believe that they are 
> >>> using the campaign. The campaign has been able to manipulate the 
> >>> legislative process at both the state and national levels. They use 
> >>> the institutions
> >>> of democracy to effecitvely destroy democracy. What they have done 
> >>> in education has used the same methods as the attack on civil 
> >>> liberties and the perversion of the Constitution under Bush
> >>>
> >>> That's why I believe that our attempt to counter the campaign to use 
> >>> NCLB to privatize education has been remarkably successful. WIth all 
> >>> their power and money we brought about a stalemate
> >>> on renewing or worsening NCLB. But we can't out lobby them. We can 
> >>> win arguments But our appeal to sense and reason can't overcome 
> >>> their political clout and their amoral ability to lie and distort 
> >>> the reality of NCLB and other aspects of the attack.
> 
> >>> To actually defeat the campaign we need to organize massive 
> >>> resistence on the part of parents, professionals and students. We 
> >>> have to convince Congress and the presidential candidates that 
> >>> continuing in the direction NCLB has taken the schools is dangerous 
> >>> politically for them.
> 
> >>> It is possible that we have already had some success in forcing 
> >>> Presidential candidates to take a stand on NCLB- there certainly is 
> >>> a strong contrast between the rhetoric on education of the 
> >>> Republications and the Democrats. That probably doesn't reflect real 
> >>> differences in how they would treat education if elected as much as 
> >>> it reflects a growing belief that NCLB us increasingly unpopular and 
> >>> that taking a stand against it is good politics. Resistance can 
> >>> convince Congress what reason can't.
> 
> >>> Ken Goodman
> >>>
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> Direct questions about the list to listmom@interversity.net