They Want Your Rug. Ask TPS.

What does it feel like to have the rug pulled out from under you?  All of us know this feeling to some extent.  And when you thought the rug was your rug – and someone claims it is not, what do you do?

I have had the rug pulled out from under me many times in my life. But I have never experienced a school closing as a teacher or a parent.  I wonder - what would I do? Now I sit here in Denver seething, then crying, then seething, then wondering who I can punch or what choice words I might email to the judge who upheld the closing of The Project School or the dictator mayor who first recommended it.  Who the hell are they?  What the F&%$ do they know about TPS and the fearless and dedicated parents and teachers? Nothing.

This isn’t their rug – and they took it – without warning, without due process or any intelligent reasoning for its closure – two weeks before school starts.

Now where will the TPS family sit and gather as a community? Their rug is gone. Teachers, parents, children now reeling.

And what do we do about it?  Don’t tell me we need to dialogue with those who negotiate with children’s lives.  Don’t tell me I need to vote for candidates who represent the lesser of two evils in the hopes that this will get better.  This isn’t getting better. This is getting worse. We have children going to schools with 75 to 1 student/teacher ratio, other children attending schools in former banks next to pawn shops, children re-routed on the school bus to find their home in motels, children segregated in schools that look more like prison and parents hoping they get their CHOICE of school for their children, yet the reality is there is only choice for a few.  And we are paying for all of this – we pay for the destruction of our schools and our communities.

I am told TPS is planning to open their doors this August and commence the 2012-2013 school year some how, some way.

And while TPS attempts to pull their community back together, we have got to be louder – locally and nationally.  We have to be more strategic. We have to fight against common core, high stakes testing, value-added measure, turn around and charter/choice.  Spend your time wisely. I have grave concerns regarding time spent analyzing the “test” – why analyze? We know the tests don’t improve student achievement so move on – I don’t give a rat’s ass what these tests look like – we don’t need them. Opt out of this insanity.  I have concerns as we flurry around signing petitions, posting on FB – are we just rats in a cage – do they watch us with amused fascination, then yawn and walk away?  I have serious concerns when anyone asks me to venture into dialogue with corporate reformers in the hopes of coming to some sort of “agreement.”  Don’t be fooled. These people already have agreed to a plan – it’s simple - dismantle public education and profit as quickly as they can before we figure out we are being screwed.  No need to waste your time blabbering with them.

They know what they want.

They want your rug.

If they don’t have it yet, they will come for it soon – and they will yank it hard – because they don’t care about your well-being or your fall as your head hits the ground – they care about their ideology, their money and they protect their own.

In solidarity TPS,

Stand tall and I look forward to the day that I can walk in your doors and sit with you, on your rug, with your beautiful community.  See you this school year.  United Opt Out National is headed your way.

Eye. On. The. Ball.

Do not get distracted. 

We are looking at four key things we need to shut down: high stakes testing, value-added measure, common core and charter/choice - they lose if we shut these down.

Keep your eye on the ball. 

That is the advice I’ve received from a good friend this week whose opinion I trust implicitly.  At United Opt Out National we issued a statement. We revised the final paragraph for clarity. I haven’t commented on any of it personally because I felt that the statement by United Opt Out and the revision which followed said what needed to be said.  I have made some strong connections this week and am grateful for the many discussions that have ensued on blogs, Facebook and through those who personally reached out to me. 

That being said,

Keep your eye on the ball.

We cannot remain passive as organizations which profess to support us advocate for or remain silent in the face of high stakes testing, value-added measure, common core and charter/choice.

It is important to question those who compromise and protect their individual piece of the pie while children suffer, the teaching profession is erased and our country’s public education system is dismantled.  I will not stand by idly while educators assume Obama has their back.

Keep your eye on the ball.

It is important to continue to educate everyone on how to opt out of corporate education reform.  We must not be afraid to share with parents the opt out avenue – worrying about AYP ensures a slow and painful death – do not be afraid.  Tell the truth.  A mass opt out shuts them down. Send that message and share with your community the many ways to opt out of corporate education reform.

We must inform the public that these four things: high stakes testing, value-added measure, common core and charter/choice together are strangling us and will kill us.  Together they create a seamless road to our destruction, therefore all four must go and it is our job to make sure that everyone understands this and takes action however they can.

Keep your eye on the ball.

We can accomplish this.  Our paths will cross as we do this individually and in groups.  Some of us, such as myself, tend to be more extreme and more impulsive – sometimes I hit it just right and sometimes I miss the mark, learn from it and adjust my stance.  This is how I work.  It is who I am. Others are good at working from within – all of these positions are vital to our push forward – we each have our own strengths. Use them.

If the vulture has landed it is our job to target those areas and support those in danger however we can – we must all ask – how can we help?  If the vulture is circling we need to point upwards and make sure our neighbors see it and are prepared. If the vulture is in the distance and cannot be seen, we need to place images in front of our neighbors that help them recognize what is headed their way so that a plan can be put in place to stop them from landing.

We must be ready to attack and we must in mass refuse – however we can – to engage with the lock-step four: high stakes testing, value-added measure, common core and charter/choice.  We must opt out of these four items however we can.  When a door hanger is left on your doorstep, such as the one here, you must know the vulture is nesting in your backyard.

Do not get distracted.

Fight hard.  Do not be afraid to speak your mind.  We are running out of time. The way I see it, the next election will give us two things – a slow torturous death or a bullet through the head.  And to avoid either, we are going to have to fight harder than we’ve ever fought.

My children, your children, will inherit this and I want them to know I did everything I could to fight it with the strengths I have been given.

I will continue to hit hard – it is who I am and it is what I do best – take your strength and push forward as well. 

No distractions.  Eye. On. The. Ball.

Opting Out in Suburbia

My oldest son is headed to a public school next year in a suburb which has felt very minimal consequences from high stakes testing.  He previously attended a Waldorf school where high stakes testing simply doesn't exist. I am now joining the ranks of opt-outers and have begun my journey by putting it all on the table before we even start the school year.  Not only will it be interesting to see my son's transition into public school, it will also be interesting to share my own feelings about opting out now that I am also required to take action as a parent.  Here we go folks. My first letter. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Hi Mr. ------------,

I thought it would be easier to email you since it said on the website that you respond more quickly to email :)  My name is Peggy Robertson and my son, Sam, is planning to attend -------- next fall - he will be in 8th grade. He has been enrolled at the Denver Waldorf School since the age of four, so this will be quite a transition for him!  I was hoping to visit -------- next week before you close for the summer and would love for Sam to get a peek in the school to get a feel for it.  Do you have any availability next week on Thursday morning?

I also thought I should give you a little background about me - I am a former public school teacher and I am one of the founders of United Opt Out National, the movement to end corporate education reform. If there is anything I can do to support you at --------- please let me know.  I will be opting Sam out of state testing (TCAP and MAPS) as well as any pretest booklets to prepare for these tests.  I wanted to let you know upfront so that it didn't come as a shock once Sam is enrolled. I know that Littleton is having minimal consequences from high stakes testing compared to the rest of the country, but I believe, as many parents and educators do, that if we halt high stakes testing (tied to teacher evaluation, school closings, holding students back a grade due to one standardized test score) we could begin to preserve and improve public schools and end the privatization that is occurring right now. 

Thanks Mr. ------- and I look forward to meeting you! Sam is so excited to attend --------.  Let me know what you think about next week and have a great morning.

Peggy Robertson

Administrator for United Opt Out National

www.unitedoptout.com

www.pegwithpen.com

Thank You Wisconsin

In two days an election will occur that will ripple through my core and bring me to tears, no matter what the outcome. If we win, my emotions will be through the roof.  We owe so much to the people of Wisconsin. And so today I want to say thank you - as I grab your shoulders and look you in the eye with intense gratitude - thank you Wisconsin - my children thank you - our country thanks you. On election day I will get on the phone and call Wisconsin voters for several hours to remind folks to get out and vote.  It’s a small gesture, and not enough to thank those in Wisconsin who stood up for all of us across the country in a fight to save our democracy.

I owe much to Wisconsin.  Madison woke me up and with that awakening came a roaring from inside that could no longer be contained – years of anger with being silenced as a public school educator – years of watching our society look down on teachers while I smiled gracefully yet had no strategy for response – these years came to an end.

My first blog post “Are You There, Mr. President? Madison is Calling” was shared by Anthony Cody at Living in Dialogue - and after that I shut a door and opened another.  No longer could I sit back and watch from the sidelines.  No longer could I be content not understanding what was going on.  No longer did I blindly trust.  No longer did I assume I didn’t know enough, wasn’t smart enough or articulate enough to speak the truth.  Suddenly I realized the power I possessed – I was a teacher – I know how to teach and I can support others in learning how to end this madness called corporate education reform. We teachers often underestimate our talent, skill and knowledge - and society continues to try to keep us down.

While many called me obsessed (and still do), I recognized that I could no longer worry about what others thought about my intense focus on saving public education.  There was no time to doubt myself, it was time to act. It was time to be brave. I owed it to the children of our country who were suffering and whose voices to this day continue to be ignored.

I am often asked – has this changed me? Yes.  Am I hardened and cold with hatred flashing in my eyes?  Sometimes.  But mostly not.  Mostly I am scared and forever in awe that this is truly happening to our country while we continue to eat, sleep and watch our children grow. It seems unreal.  It drives me to write and put on paper what I cannot see in the faces of those around me – where is the urgency? Where is the face of anger and disbelief seen on those who have been robbed?  I am told everyone is so busy. The economy is so bad. I agree. But I also believe that if mainstream media focused on the dismantling of our democracy and the privatization of our public schools – if they shared the truths that education activists know – I do believe then, an uprising would be inevitable.  Every day we get closer and every day the resistance grows.

So, I do have great hope on Tuesday. But, I admit, I am scared. I am surrounded by many who have no interest in seeing Dictator Walker out of office. I am surrounded by many who hate unions and teachers and who believe this testing madness is good.  It is hard to continue this fight in an environment filled with those who do not understand that their democracy is crumbling.  So, while I am scared, angry and forever trying to grasp this reality that seems like a science fiction novel, I am also continually reminding myself to be patient with those who do not understand what is happening. I will continue to educate and create awareness.

This Tuesday, I will wait and watch, much like I did over a year go, when the people of Madison stood in the capitol chanting day and night - demanding to be heard.  I watched for days on end from my computer while intermittently turning on the TV to find nothing - nothing.  This memory of nothing to this day chills my soul - this country owned by corporations - telling the people of our country nothing.    

Today I send Wisconsin gratitude,  hope, love and the belief that together we indeed can end the privatization of our country and the dismantling of our democracy. 

Let us hope for one step forward. Yet, if there is one step back, I will be waiting. Ever so patiently.  Please turn to find me, and when you do, grab my hand tightly – and together - we will all walk forward once again. 

Sell Outs.

I just read a government document entitled Transforming the Teaching Profession which is signed by – among others – Randi Weingarten (AFT president) and Dan Van Roekel (NEA president).  I read this document and was highly impressed by the vague wording that made it sound like a kumbaya moment – yet, for those who know the true meaning, it’s more of the same garbage which hinges everything on teachers, standardized test scores and throws in a few lines about student health and nutrition at the end.

I shared the document on Facebook and commented, including Randi directly in my comment so she could see my thoughts. I wrote, “And signed by those who negotiate with children's lives - Randi Weingarten and Dennis Van Roekel. Love the vague wording. Just spit it out and call it what it is. The layman would need a secret decoder to understand it. But no worries, as they say, ‘It is in this spirit of collaboration that we offer this joint statement on elevating the teaching profession to improve the education of our students.’ ”

Randi wrote back, “Actually it is similar to what the countries that outcompete us do- its a value statement”

I wrote, “Yes, and it is clear to me what is valued by those who signed it. Yet, as I stated, I don't believe it is clear to the rest of the country. Lots of vague wording that really translates to a focus on standardized test scores with minimal if any attention to sheltering children from poverty. Stephen Krashen says it best.” http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2012/04/stephen_krashen_pulls_the_rug.html

Let me give a few examples from the document.  This statement comes toward the end of the document – rather telling simply in its placement at the end:  Further, we must be prepared to get the best teachers and principals to the highest-need students (including low-income students, minority students, English learners, and students with disabilities), and to ensure that all students have access to the other resources (such as technology; instructional materials; and social, health, and nutritional services) necessary to support their academic success.

Yes – first teachers who supposedly can overcome anything and then.....the other resources. 

So, in order of importance concerning “the other resources” we have:

Technology

Instruction materials

Social, health and nutritional services.

Wow.

And last but not least we have a discussion regarding communities – you know - those communities they are destroying as organizations charged with protecting children embrace corporate education reform ideology?  

Here’s the “Engaged Communities” piece at the end of the document: Finally, no community can flourish unless its children are safe, healthy, well-nourished, and well-educated; and no school can be a strong pillar of a thriving community without deep community responsibility for and ownership of the school’s academic success. Thus, recognizing that the fate of communities and their schools are inextricably linked, we must make schools stronger by educators embracing community resources, expertise, and activities; and we must make communities stronger by anchoring them around highly effective schools.

It really sounds lovely, especially the whole flourishing part. This final piece is going to be damn hard to put in place with kids scattered all over the map as they jump on a bus headed to a charter school.  It’s going to be really hard for teachers to engage with their communities when they are fired and replaced by SCABS – also supported by those who signed the document - as noted in the section titled Top Talent, Prepared for Success (where they discuss embracing alternative pathways to entering the teaching profession).  Can't imagine where all these community resources are going to come from considering all of our tax dollars are spent on high stakes testing.  And what ownership? Really?  They've stripped communities of all ownership.

The introduction to the three page document makes the focus and the need for collaboration clear – and it doesn’t include protecting children from poverty.

Improving student learning and educational equity require strong, consistent, and sustained collaboration among parents, teachers, school boards, superintendents and administrators, business leaders, and the community. And such improvements require that we all take responsibility for the academic and social well-being [underline added] of the students in our charge. It is in this spirit of collaboration that we offer this joint statement on elevating the teaching profession to improve the education of our students.

Academic and social well-being? Kind of hard if you’re hungry, tired or sick like the 21% of our children currently living in poverty.  What about them? How about physical and mental well-being?  Quit feeding the children high stakes tests while placing student and teachers in institutions ruled by fear – try that for starters.

Can you imagine how different things would be if they would write value statements about protecting children from poverty?

These are the kind of documents that make me want to spit nails – BS documents that are signed by those who are charged with protecting children.  Sell outs. Get them out of office and get in some real leaders who don’t negotiate with educators’ and children’s lives. And visit us at United Opt Out National to join our new Don't Negotiate campaign.

John Sherman Visited The Project School. David Harris Didn't.

Today I am sharing a post that few would see otherwise; it currently resides on the Facebook page of The Mind Trust, a nonprofit planning to dismantle and privatize the Indianapolis public school system - they would tell you different.  

I share this - and will continue to share such posts - because mainstream will not.  In this fight to save public schools we can share the truths, educate the masses and together rise up and say NO to corporate education reform.   

At United Opt Out National we make noise - with intent - we get loud - so that someone might say - what is that noise? And why are you doing that? We respond - we are glad you asked.  Let us tell you why.

The Mind Trust has recommended the closing of The Project School in Indianapolis. The CEO, David Harris, makes the recommendation without ever stepping foot in the door of The Project School.  He bases his recommendation on standardized test scores, which do not tell us about authentic student learning - they do tell us one thing – which children are living in poverty.  Read my previous blog to learn more about David Harris and The Mind Trust.

In this post today I share the words of John Sherman, who recently did indeed visit TPS to study poetry with students in fifth and sixth grade as part of his Individual Artist Program grant from the Indiana Arts Commission. 

Here is his post:

I have just spent four amazing sessions at The Project School, working with 5^th and 6^th graders on poetry, as part of my Individual Artist Program grant from the Indiana Arts Commission. I am so impressed with the dedication and hard work of the school’s teachers and parents, the excitement of the students to discuss poetry and other artistic forms, and the quality of work they created as a result of our time together. There is intellectual fervor at The Project School. The young people, as well as many of their parents and faculty with whom I also interacted, were so engaged in our discussions not only of poetry, but, through the use of my posters of my poetry and photography, of many wide-ranging topics from Stonehenge to Anne Frank to African culture to the civil rights movement in this country, and I was pleased – and amazed – at how well informed the children were.

Unfortunately, intellectual fervor is lacking at the Mind Trust. “Trust” is hardly the word I would use for this organization whose goals I find suspicious, whose lack of basic knowledge of the classroom (I am a former classroom teacher in public and private schools), whose demands that  teachers be held accountable for their students’ performance – deliberately ignoring a multitude of external factors -- is a willful disregard for the truth. Who is really behind The Mind “Trust”? (Perhaps we should put “Mind” in quotes, too, as the severe lack of intellectualism and common-sense doesn’t indicate much of a “mind.”)

What is its real agenda? It has fooled a lot of people in this community – and other communities, as well – into thinking it has our children’s best interests at heart, yet even a casual review of its demands should cause every citizen to raise his/her eyebrows at the ignorance expressed by the Mind Trust’s claims and statements; more to the point, we should all be repulsed by its agenda that will provide a lot of money for the wrong people – while pretending to be so worried about the education of our children, something that is truly not a concern of this organization.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if the media would conduct investigations of the Mind Trust, and expose it, rather than give it so much uncritical attention, so we could move forward with real educational reform that lacks hidden agendas.

 Follow the money!

 John Sherman

www.shermanandcompany.net

Feel free to visit The Mind Trust Facebook page and let them know what you think. Join us. Make some noise.

 

Mind Trust's David Harris: His Next Step Will Be Over You

As a former public school teacher who knows a lot about authentic assessment, I am always fascinated to read directives given by the likes of Mr. Harris, who hasn't taught - yet can suggest a school closing based on standardized test data - data that quite honestly, is worthless – if indeed you wish to know about real student learning.  Mr. Harris, CEO of Mind Trust, recently stated that The Project School (as well as three other schools) in Indianapolis should be closed, based on their low test scores. 

The research on test-based incentive programs shows that these mandates do not raise student achievement, yet, this prized standardized test data continues to be used to determine the success or failure of our public schools. Standardized test data does tell us one thing - which students are living in poverty. At TPS approximately 71% of the children receive free or reduced lunch.

The Project School is a charter school, but it is an “old school” charter school - the kind of charter that existed before profiteers co-opted the concept. One can be quite certain that high stakes testing is not a part of the TPS philosophy (note the word PROJECT – not bubble sheet).  The mission of The Project School reads as follows:

"The mission of The Project School is to uncover, recover and discover the unique gifts and talents that each child brings to school everyday. Our school works collaboratively with families, community members and social service agencies to solve real problems, as well as create art for public spaces. Students graduate from The Project School as stewards of the environment with the will, skill, capacity, and knowledge to contribute to the greater good."

Assessment components at TPS include:

• Literacy Assessments—conferences, interviews, anecdotal records, authentic student work, Reading Miscue Inventory
• Math/Logical Assessments—Investigations assessments, formal and informal teacher created assessments, instructional rubrics
• P3 Ongoing Assessment—formal and informal teacher created assessments, instructional rubrics
• Formal Standardized Assessments—ACUITY, ISTEP+
• Student Exhibitions
• Museum of Authentic Work
• The Culminating Event
• Electronic Portfolios
• Student-Led Conferences
• Project School Progress Report
• Intensives

Quite honestly, out of all the assessments listed above, the formal standardized assessments are the least valuable and certain to represent the narrowest view of what the students at TPS know. 

Corporate Education Reformers who are privatizing public schools these days use standardized test scores because it is efficient and allows them to fail schools with a cut and dry approach – look at the data – not the learner.  If they bothered to look at the multitude of assessments of REAL learning, it would be much more difficult to fail schools. Imagine the growth you could demonstrate by looking at authentic student work, conferences, anecdotal records and exhibitions - all found in the list of TPS assessments.  However, Mr. Harris has never set foot in the door of TPS so he wouldn't see any of that.  The real strengths, needs and next steps of the students at The Project School are unknown to him.

Corporate education reformers spout directives with no knowledge of teaching and learning. I believe Mr. Harris has a degree in political science and is a former attorney. Go figure. Same game, new name.  Mr. Harris is a cookie cutter corporate education reformer.  He couldn’t evaluate a reading miscue analysis or decipher the value of anecdotal notes if he tried.  He doesn’t know the learners at TPS  - their hopes, dreams and day to day struggles.  The educators at TPS know these things, but their authentic teacher evaluation of the students does not count in the world of high stakes testing.

I admire TPS because they have attempted to focus on real learning and real teaching in the face of high stakes testing.  While many schools have caved and resorted to focusing solely on test prep, TPS has continued to follow their mission – that takes guts in today’s fear-based public school system, thanks to cookie cutter prototypes such as Mr. Harris who are charged with the overhaul of a school district.

Egos are big in this fame game played by corporate education reformers.  Protecting the children of the 99%  is not. Children's lives are unnoticed and ignored. How frequently do you see the story of a community destroyed by high stakes testing on the front page of your local newspaper?  Who reports the stories of these children whose lives are disrupted due to school closure?  Who shares the children’s feelings when their future is thrown to the highest bidder?  

No one in mainstream media reports these stories. Instead you see the bravado of corporate education reformers who squish schools like bugs and smile for the camera.

So, if Mr. Harris gets his way, what will happen to the children at TPS?  Does anyone care?  Will it fuel the school to prison pipeline?  Where will the children go to school?  Will they join a new school community focused solely on test prep?  Will they all be sorted and thrown in different schools, no longer attending school with their neighbors?  Will the TPS community of families slowly fade as parents head in different directions to take their children to school?

If I know the parents of TPS like I think I do, I believe Mr. Harris is in for a long fight.  And I intend to publicize what mainstream media will not. 

Perhaps Mr. Harris is suggesting shutting down schools to make room for new charters headed to Indianapolis.  Perhaps these new charters require less overhead – such as Carpe Diem.

Six Carpe Diem schools are indeed headed to Indiana. ALEC loves them. See chapter five of their latest report card.  Six schools will soon arrive, focused on ALEC’s love of technology and lack of teachers. This isn’t innovation – this is mind-numbing education delivered via computer with a few teachers (4) left to fill in the regimented gaps.  ALEC wants good little worker bees – not movers and shakers like those found at TPS.

Our country which prides itself on innovation is developing a generation incapable of thinking critically, conceptually or creatively.  If Mind Trust were truly inclined to help the children of Indianapolis they might just take that charter school incubator money and funnel it into wrap around services at schools for children living in poverty.  They might look at these schools which are considered failing and really dig deeper than a bubble sheet by looking at real assessments, such as those shared on the TPS website.  If Mind Trust were really about preserving and improving public education they would consult and respect the educators who know the community, culture and needs of the learners.  If Mind Trust cared about the children of Indianapolis they would listen to the parents who love TPS and are proud of the accomplishments of their children and their school.  If you wonder why they don’t, well simply look at the money trail.  Real learning, real teaching and protecting children from poverty do not create profit. 

The likes of Mr. Harris and Mind Trust do.