CHICAGO STRIKE ECHOES GROWING NATIONAL HIGH-STAKES TESTING RESISTANCE

Randi on the NewsHour. Why no Karen Lewis who can really defend the strike?

The strike is bringing so many issues to the surface. I know some people at AFT and UFT HQ are sweating it out.

“You have a situation where the teachers feel totally and completely disrespected,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the parent union of the striking teachers. In this case, she said she blamed Mayor Emanuel for an aggressive push to extend the length of the school day and for a promised raise that was later rescinded. “He created the seeds of a lot of frustration and mistrust,” she said.

Yeah, it's about respect - we ain't got none in NYC. The longer day  - Randi already gave that one away. A promised raise that was later rescinded by Bloomberg-- oops, where did that 4% raise everyone but teachers got go to? Wait a minute. Is Randi saying the same conditions exist here in NYC for a strike? No, Chicago has Rahmbo and we have mild-mannered Bloomberg.

Teachers also clearly saw the strike as a protest not just of the union negotiations in Chicago but on data-driven education reform nationwide, which many perceived as being pushed by corporate interests and relying too heavily on standardized tests to measure student progress....a teacher, said he believed the city was ultimately aiming to privatize education through charter schools and computer programs that teach classes online.

Shhhh, Randi, don't tell anyone what it's really all about.

FairTest                                            

National Center for Fair & Open Testing

for immediate release, Tuesday, September 11, 2012

CHICAGO STRIKE ECHOES GROWING NATIONAL HIGH-STAKES TESTING RESISTANCE;

EDUCATORS, PARENTS AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS SEEK

ASSESSMENT REFORMS NOT DRIVEN BY STANDARDIZED EXAM RESULTS

The Chicago teachers strike is the latest example of the growing national resistance to failed, top-down, test-driven educational policies, according to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest).  

“Across the nation, parents, teachers, and school leader are rising up to say ‘Enough is enough’ to so-called reforms based on standardized exam misuse,” explained FairTest Public Education Director Bob Schaeffer. “From Texas to Long Island and Washington to Florida, people with first-hand knowledge of the damage being done to academic quality and equity are pushing back against the out-of-touch politicians and their funders who insist on doubling down on strategies that have not worked.“ Schaeffer is the author of “Resistance to High Stakes Testing Spreads,” the cover story in the current issue of District Administration magazine.

FairTest Policy Analyst Lisa Guisbond added, “The Chicago strike is the tip of the iceberg of teacher frustration with policies that blame educators for problems largely caused by the impoverished settings in which their students live and the city’s own misguided polices. Instead of punishing front-line teachers, policy makers at the city, state and federal levels must be held accountable for their failures to create conditions in which all children can learn." Guisbond recently wrote "New School Year: Doubling Down on Failed Ed Policy"

FairTest Executive Director, Monty Neill concluded, “The attempt to improve Chicago schools through increased use of high-stakes tests over the past 20 years has been a colossal failure. The damage is worst in classrooms serving the city’s neediest children. Mayor Emanuel’s scheme to evaluate classroom educators based on their students’ test scores, a technique independent experts say is severely flawed, is certain to make the situation worse.” Dr. Neill will be a speaking on a panel on “How do we measure teacher performance?” at the “Schools for Tomorrow Conference” on Thursday morning, September 13 in New York City. 

FairTest initiated the National Resolution on High-Stakes Testing, which was cosponsored by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries, and Chicago Parents United for Responsible Education (PURE), among other groups. So far, more than 400 organizations and 12,000 individuals have endorsed the Resolution.