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Re: [LiteracyForAll] No child left unfed/no unnecessary testing: bumper stickers
- To: ca-resisters@interversity.org, Ginny Blaisdell <vblaisdell@snet.net>, philip kovacs <philipkovacs@educatorroundtable.org>
- Subject: Re: [LiteracyForAll] No child left unfed/no unnecessary testing: bumper stickers
- From: Susan Harman <susanharman@igc.org>
- Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:10:43 -0800
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- In-reply-to: <122020072106.15593.476AD96D000CFD5E00003CE92216557996B1BBB7BCAAB4BEBCB7B2B1B3@comcast.net>
I love this idea! During vacation would be an ideal time. Can you do
it? Can anybody else?
Susan
On Thursday, December 20, 2007, at 01:06 PM, MONICALUCIDO@comcast.net
wrote:
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 S
EE 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
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