"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Wednesday, July 08, 2015

When the "Resistance" Embraced Defeat and Called It Victory

The Congress is beginning debate on the new ESEA, which is a conglomeration of the same age-old racist testing accountability practices, with new assurances for a dramatic proliferation of corporate reform charter schools and intensified segregation.  If Congressmen were honest, or if pigs flew, the new version of NCLB should be called the Corporate Education Expansion Act. 

These most worrisome realities have not stopped the corporate unity caucus comprised of Badasses, NPE, AFT, NEA, and Fairtest from glomming onto an amendment by Jon Tester to accept a reduction of federal testing along with a blank check for ALEC-owned states to create their own versions of NCLB on steroids.

This Tester amendment, when finally added to the god-awful new ESEA, will be celebrated among all elements of the "resistance" as proof that unified efforts work, if you just keep sending your checks in to continue support of corporate education reform Ravitch-wrapped in the threadbare rhetoric of opposition to same.

The only remaining organized dot of real resistance to segregation, high stakes testing, and CorpEd comes from United Opt Out National, which is holding its annual action in Philadelphia next February.  At present, it seems Maria's block of dress-up-and-go-to-lunch BadAss Teachers are being urged to buy up the limited number of seats for the meeting.  Makes one wonder if Randi and Lily will be there to don Opt Out t-shirts, as Randi did when she showed a couple of years ago to buy the BadAsses in Texas.

If you are serious about doing whatever it takes to end segregated schools, CorpEd, and standardized testing, get your ticket now. 

Transcending Resistance, Igniting Revolution UOO 2016 Conference - Join us!

 Purchase your UOO Activist Handbook for the Education Revolution NOW! 

No comments:

Post a Comment