U of Memphis President David Rudd Sells Out Education Students and Faculty to Wall Street Hedge Funders

Rudd

I'm imagining coming in to work tomorrow morning to find out the president of my university has cut a deal with some Wall Street investors to give space in our department to sell a corporate freak show packaged as a teacher education program. 

Oh, didn't notice because you are out of town for the holidays or a conference?  That's the way President David Rudd planned it.  From the Commercial Appeal:

Relay Graduate School of Education, a partner in a new undergraduate teacher training residency the University of Memphis plans to offer, has filed an application with the state to offer 11 master’s degree programs starting next summer.

The university offered Relay free classroom and office space, at least initially. Instruction would be provided by a program dean whom Relay intends to hire, plus four or five adjunct professors.

The Commercial Appeal obtained the 448-page Relay application through the Freedom of Information Act.

Relay’s approval is central to the university’s plan to offer an alternative certification program geared to undergraduates entering their junior year. The university and the philanthropists envision attracting bright, dedicated students from other majors on campus and from schools around the nation who would be interested in teaching in the city’s high-need schools.. . .

My advice to U of M education students: Get your signs made and your speeches written: December will be about more than shopping.  

 

TCR Reviews The Mismeasure of Education

 A clip:

. . .The Mismeasure of Education is a conceptually wide-ranging, empirically detailed, and methodologically innovative approach to addressing persistent challenges of education reform and the current climate of high-stakes testing. Charting a new course away from determinism (biological or socioeconomic) is not easy, yet Horn and Wilburn's account reminds us that we're not driving on an already-paved road, but rather making the road as we go along.

Seeds

-->

Seeds

From what we attribute

To joy’s part of time’s terrain,

Measured and imagined; 

We disinter from this plot

Our moldering potential

For dishonoring disaster—

Defiance undiminished, 

Rise.

Conservative Revolutionaries and Revolutionary Tories

As someone who spent most of her career on the wrong side of the education history that she wrote about through the rose-colored glasses of a pampered conservative, Diane Ravitch has found real solace, I think, in acknowledging the truth laid bare by the facts that she could no longer deny.  The acknowleged truth, however, will set you free or give you real solace only when it is acted upon.

The American colonists found solace, for sure, in knowing that King George was a bully and a tyrant, but it was only when they began dumping tea into Boston Harbor that their knowledge and truth began to set them free.  Making speeches or encouraging people to make noise was not going end the oppression by the smug and greedy Royalists.  Ravitch, it seems, has not yet reached the point of understanding that.  Maybe she won't.

So far she has been content to bask in the self-congratulatory glow of someone whose new knowing is entirely removed from any doing, and her speeches carry the clear insinuation that King George's men are good people who just don't understand that they're wrong.  That's a Tory's position, not of someone who stands at the forefront of a democratic revolt.

Her blog post this morning offers an example of Ravitch at her most tepid, while providing no rationale for maintaining her false distinction between "good" non-profit charters and "bad" for-profit charters.  Her lead sentence:

Peter Greene explains why an all-charter district or state will never succeed. 

After a brief intro, Ravitch shares a clip from Peter's good post, which references another good post by Mark Weber.  Both are bloggers I respect highly.  And both, along with Ravitch, are right, of course, if "never succeed" means the failure to provide a functional system where all kids have decent school achievement.  

If, however, "succeed" means making billions of dollars for corporate reform schools, then we have to acknowledge that the charter industry has been wildly successful.  Which do you think feels better to the charter industry--our definition of their failure or their definition of what it means to hit the jackpot?

Here are a few other questions that I would post at Ravitch's blog if she didn't have me blocked already:

Are we supposed to take some consolation in the fact that CorpEd charterizers will continue to need a handful of public schools of last resort, where recalcitrants and low scorers are booted to from schools of choice that have de-chosen them?  Does anyone believe that CorpEd is not aware of this small flaw in an, otherwise, perfect plan to collect and cash in on every public school student?  Is there some kind comeuppance for CorpEd that follows from our ability to make the point that they will "never succeed?"  Is there some significance to having public education dismembered and devoured by a non-profit corporate charter monster that leaves a few twitching parts, rather than a for-profit corporate charter Frankenstein that does the same thing?  

My point is this:  Ravitch has known these charter facts for a long time, much longer than she has been riding the fence of anti-deform and longer than she has engaged in public dissembling to protect the enemies of public education that she ostensibly disagrees with.  Knowing, too, the facts have been the corrupt bastards she worked with during her years in Washington as servant to the kinder and gentler fascist, GHW Bush.  So what is she going to do about it all now, besides continue to post her same tired remarks that make suffering teachers feel good until they return to the pressure cooker of their classroom? 

What is she going to do with all that inside knowledge and corrosive information that she has about the inner working of the ed conformers, sleazebags, and corporate welfare kings?  Is she going to write a real book, or is she going to continue to mine all the free research she can find from bloggers who do her work for her, until she has enough to assemble into another lucrative piece of bombast?

The strides being made in Memphis and elsewhere that have led to KIPP, Aspire, and Green Dot backing out of lucrative contracts have not been made by "raising your voice," as Ravitch suggests but, rather, by concrete, unwavering demands and hard facts rubbed into the faces of the pretenders, profiteers, and corporate drones.  It has been done by parents and teachers and students willing to put their asses on the line because they know it's now or never. 

Where will Ravitch's Network leaders be when the declaration is made and the war is waged?  Will they be signing books, having another conference, singing songs, speaking into gold-plated bullhorns, making more excuses for the frozen resistance?  Or will they be making tea and receiving guests over on Tory Row?  

Why Does Diane Ravitch Continue to Support Charter Schools?

About 1 in 6 charter schools is the for-profit variety.  By a wide margin, most of the damage, destruction, and abuse is being done by the 5,000 or so "non-profit" charter schools. The vast majority are more segregated even than the public schools they replace, and most of the punishing "no excuses" abuse is committed in these "non-profit" chain gangs.  And most of the public money intended for public education is being sucked up by the corporate welfare artists and ideologues whose aim it is to dismember government and to devour each piece as they go.    

And so it is a puzzle to many people why Diane Ravitch continues to disparage only the small minority of charters that are openly "for profit."  Is it because her conversion from the deform agenda is incomplete?  Is it because her union supporters still stubbornly support charters, even though their members are being replaced daily by the charter business?  Is it because one or two of Diane's friends own boutique charter schools that purport to be the kind the John Dewey would support.  Please!

St. Diane was in Nashville last night doing the same speech she has been doing since 2011, with a few new riffs that she has ripped off from the blogs.  In sticking to the tired script that stupidly assumes that CorpEd are just well-intentioned bumblers, she continues to leave openings to the charter welfare kings who point out, accurately, that they are beyond Ravitch's criticism.

See below, from Joey Garrison at the Tennessean.  By the way, when Ravitch was asked what actions she would recommend to fight the education conformers, she said, "Be noisier."  Really?  Is that it?

On Wednesday, she said “so-called reformers” do not object when millions of dollars in public funds are diverted to consultants, investors and entrepreneurs. She also said she believes for-profit charter schools — which aren’t authorized in Tennessee but are in other states — should be banned.

Though acknowledging there are “some good charters,” she accused some of making sure low-performing students don’t attend them. And she said public school teachers today are seen as “public enemies,” pointing to evaluation systems, like the one in Tennessee, that measure teachers in part by test scores.

“Reformers say their plans will elevate teaching as a profession, but their plans are destroying teaching as a profession,” she said.

A coalition of like-minded public school advocacy groups — Tennesseans Reclaiming Educational Excellence, the TN BATs and Momma Bears of TN — sponsored the event Wednesday.

Ravitch’s remarks, met with applause throughout, came at at time when education has never been more debated in Nashville and in Tennessee.

The Tennessee Charter School Center was ready with a statement: “Based on all credible data, Nashville charter schools are among the highest performing public schools in Davidson County. Ms. Ravitch’s divisive rhetoric and criticisms of the national charter school movement do not reflect what is happening on the ground in Tennessee.  . . .

Suck It, Green Dot!

Goes to show what concerted public protest can accomplish.  The task is not over, but just begun.

From the Commercial Appeal moments ago:

Shelby County Schools will keep Raleigh-Egypt High School next year, a major change for the community, which has been protesting since late October the state’s plan to take over the school next fall.

Green Dot Public Schools was the charter assigned to the takeover. . . .

Opt Out Movement Growing in Philly

from the . . .Notebook:

In a sign that the movement to opt out of testing is gaining traction, the Philadelphia City Council Education Committee on Wednesday heard parents, teachers, and education advocates decry state and federal officials' emphasis on high-stakes standardized testing.

"Standardized tests negatively impact students living in poverty, English language learners, and children with special needs, of which Philadelphia has many," said Alison McDowell, a District parent who has led Philadelphia's opt-out movement and helped organize the hearing with Councilman Mark Squilla.

Of particular concern to the crowd gathered in Council chambers is the requirement that, beginning with the Class of 2017, Pennsylvania's students must pass Keystone exams in literature, Algebra I and biology to graduate from high school.

This could have a profound effect on families, not just in Philadelphia, but statewide; recent data show that many students are not scoring at a proficient level on the exams, especially biology.

"What is the value of this test? Is this test an adequate tool? We paid all this money for it. Do we really think half the students in the state who are passing their courses should not get to graduate?" said McDowell.

"It's a colossal waste of classroom time," said Robin Roberts, a District parent who opted out of testing last year, instead using the days to take her children to the city's museums.

If students can't pass the Keystone exam after two attempts, they can elect to complete a project assignment to be overseen by their teachers and then graded by other teachers from outside districts.

Families can choose to exempt their children from state testing on religious or philosophical grounds. If 5 percent of students within a district opt out of the tests, a district's test score results would be nullified.

State Rep. Mike Tobash, R-Berks, testified that the Keystone graduation requirement should be decided at the local level.

"We believe that school districts should have more autonomy," said Tobash. "They should be given the option."

He added that the tests themselves (not the graduation requirement) are federally mandated through the No Child Left Behind law.

Tobash confirmed that it cost the state $65 million to $80 million to develop and implement the three existing Keystone exams. The state is planning to develop two more, in civics and writing.

Donna Cooper, executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, submitted testimony saying that the opt-out movement has "inherent wisdom," based on the idea that schools often base instruction on "test prep rather than holistic instruction."

CorpEd Reeling in Memphis as ASD's Barbic Threatens the Impossible

The corporate school takeover model in New Orleans that has failed everyone except for corporate socialists is not going down so well in the attempted replication in Memphis.  The lawyer/superintendent, Dorsey Hopson, who was put in charge of coordinating the giveaway of Memphis schools to the corporate welfare kings and queens of the charter school/real estate industry, is finding his task a bit more complicated than delivering the closing argument that he anticipated would win the day for the corporate reform schools.  

At this point, parents, teachers, and students in Memphis don't know which liar to believe less, as Hopson and ASD superintendent, Chris Barbic, bob and weave and blame one another in order to avoid getting hammered by citizens with hard questions.  Parents want to know why some their schools are being given away, at least the ones with better facilities--the ones that the profiteers want to confiscate for their charter school prison programs.  

Parents and teachers want to know why SCS plans to crowd hundreds of their children into surviving public schools so that a handful of charter school students can occupy entire school buildings, one class at a time. 

They want to know why, if there is an education crisis in Memphis, that KIPP and Yes Prep and the other corporate reform schools are given four years to get a whole school up and running.  

They want to know which politicians are getting paid commissions for every child handed into into the charter chain gangs.  

They want to know why a segregated straight jacket model of school is being imposed only on their children. 

They want to know why they are being manipulated and disrespected by being talked down to by the paid corporate lackeys from the dissemblers from Stand for Children and the Uncle Toms and Aunt Thomasinas from BAEO.  

They want to know why the SCS superintendent is calling their schools "bad" based on junk test scores that reflect the low income of the neighborhoods.  

They want to know why caring, mature teachers are being replaced by white corporate missionaries who learn to teach on their children before moving into new jobs in the Central Office.  

They want to know why SCS has replaced every educator in Central Office with people without leadership or school administrative experience.  

They want to know why investment banker and school board member, Chris Campbell, is so prominent in this giveaway of public resources.

They want to know why the Governor allows the corporate hoodlum, Chris Barbic, to strut around the communities and make such ridiculous and mean-spirited threats:

“I think it’s important to remind everyone that a lot of things we are doing are by choice.  If we wanted to, we could take over all 85 schools next year." 

Meanwhile the confused and deep-into-the-weeds, Dorsey Hopson, seems to think that his best route is make more appearance and tell more lies more prominently in the community.  He has spent the last year and half surrounding himself with more Huffman-like drones from TFA, and now he has this to say in the Commercial Appeal:

"The last six to seven months have been tied up in building an academic team," Hopson said, adding that his focus now will be on community engagement.

"We are going to go out and have discussion about the schools, and about the data and what it means. I am going to ask board members to participate and really make sure the community knows if the data at your school is low, that means you are not attending a good school.

Can a person put in charge of so many children's educational fate really believe that people are as stupid as he pretends they are?  

Philadelphia Teacher Carol Heinsdorf Where Have All the Libraries Gone?

Just in case you savvy reporters out there would like a copy of testimony tomorrow in a big story, too bad you are too busy covering Honey Boo Boo

This testimony of Carol Heinsdorf, member of APPS (Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools) and the PSLA (Pennsylvania School Librarians Association) Legislation Committee, has been accepted as written testimony in the Basic Education Funding Commission hearings. This is a strong advocacy plea for improved school library programs with certified school librarians for the School District of Philadelphia. SDP is the 8th largest school district in the nation with 214 schools and this school year, 2014-2015, has only 11 remaining school librarians. Many of the talking points and cited research can be used in other school settings.

This document has also been posted on SchoolLibraryAdvocacy.org.

Basic Education Funding Commission Testimony

Philadelphia, November 18/19, 2014

Testimony of Carol Heinsdorf, representing Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools (APPS)

My name is Carol Heinsdorf. I am a retired certified librarian having been employed by the School District of Philadelphia for 26 years. I hold a Master’s degree from Drexel University and am a Nationally-Board Certified Librarian (http://www.nbpts.org/library-media-ecya). Today I am representing a grassroots organization called Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools (APPS) of which I am a member serving on its Research Committee.

APPS (http://appsphilly.wikispaces.com) is an organization of parents, community members, and school staff—including teachers, school nurses, certified librarians, counselors and safety staff—dedicated to the preservation of public schools. APPS supports full and equitable funding that provides students with the high-quality education to which they are entitled. APPS believes that public schools are the foundation of a democratic society.

As a school librarian, I witnessed the gradual erosion and deprivation of educational opportunities for students of the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), the eighth largest school district in our nation. In 1991, there were 176 certified librarians serving students in SDP schools. Today is a different story.

A recent online article appeared about Houston Elementary, an SDP school in the Northwest part of the city. There had been a clerk in the library as late as 2004, but more recently, there had been no library activity for at least the last two years. A small group of retired parents began accepting donations to try to reopen the school library last year. It's open for three half-days throughout the week with volunteers checking out books to students. However, there is no heat, so when it is too cold, the library is closed.

Testimony of Carol Heinsdorf to the BEF Commission, 11/18/2014 1Community member and library volunteer Elayne Blender stated in the article, “I feel embarrassed that our kids have to get second-hand things, but at least they are getting them. We cannot take the place of a trained librarian who knows what they are doing. We are just trying to be a Band-Aid. (Roshania)"

Is this what we really want for our children? When did we become a Third World country dependent on donations, hand-me-downs, out-of-date information, and lacking basic conditions like heat?

This erosion of school library programs has dramatically increased over recent years.

• During research for a Pennsylvania State Board of Education study in 2011, it was discovered that 128 schools in Pennsylvania did not have a school library, representing 6% of all school buildings in the state. Of those 128 schools, 103 or over 80% were in one district–the School District of Philadelphia. Most of those libraries had been closed for three or more years, due to staffing and budget cuts and the need to use the library space for other purposes. (PA School Library Study, p. 2)

• In 2012, there were 43 certified librarians in SDP serving students in only 17% of its schools.

• This school year, 2014-15, there are only 11 certified librarians left in SDP--4 of whom are known to be teaching in their school libraries. Even if all 11 certified librarians were teaching in school library programs, they would still only be serving 5% of SDP schools and its students.

Why is this loss of school library programs so devastating to students in SDP? In recent years we have learned a great deal about the impact of school library programs on student learning and standardized test scores. In 2012, a Pennsylvania research study was released that examined the scores of the PSSA Reading and Writing tests on the availability of school library programs and certified school librarians. Here are some relevant findings.

• Students perform better in both Reading and Writing PSSA tests when their schools have full-time certified librarians—specifically, students are more likely to have Advanced scores and less likely to have Below Basic scores than students in schools without librarians.

• The PA study was the first study of its type to examine test scores of sub- groups of students. The 2012 study found that school library programs with certified librarians have an even greater impact on students who are economically disadvantaged, Black, Hispanic, and students with disabilities. Although both Reading and Writing scores are better for all students at all the tested grade levels in schools with a school library and

Testimony of Carol Heinsdorf to the BEF Commission, 11/18/2014 2

certified librarian, the tested sub-groups of students benefit more proportionally than the general school population. For example,

o African American students in schools with certified librarians are two times as likely to earn Advanced Writing scores as those in schools without librarians (Lance and Schwarz, p. 15).

Almost 60% of SDP students are African-American and multi-racial and could benefit from school library programs.

o Hispanic students in schools with certified librarians are three times as likely to earn Advanced Writing scores as those in schools without librarians (Lance and Schwarz, p. 15).

Nearly 20% of SDP students are Hispanic and multi-racial and could benefit from school library programs.

The Pennsylvania study was not the only study of the impact of school libraries on student learning. Statewide studies in 24 states have verified that school libraries staffed with a trained librarian who teaches students and works with teachers to develop information and research skills have a steady and consistent effect on student learning and achievement regardless of demographic and economic differences among students (Kachel).

Despite all this research, Pennsylvania has NO requirements for either certified librarians or school libraries for its public school students. Whether a school provides these basic educational necessities is entirely dependent on each school district and sometimes, as in SDP, dependent upon each building’s principal to fund them. Yet, nursing programs, barber and cosmetology schools, and juvenile facilities and adult prisons are required to have full-time professional librarians and collections of a required size. (Zelno, p. 4)

How could certified librarians and well-stocked school libraries with access to the Internet and computers improve student achievement among SDP students?

• 87 percent of SDP students are considered economically disadvantaged. Students living in poverty have less access to books and other reading materials in the home and less access to public libraries. Yet, research tells us that access to books is as strong a factor in school success as poverty (Krashen, Free Voluntary Reading, p. 7). The more students read, the better they will perform in reading comprehension, writing style, vocabulary, spelling, and grammar (Krashen, The Power of Reading, p.17). School libraries provide a wide range of reading resources to match students’ reading abilities and interests.

Testimony of Carol Heinsdorf to the BEF Commission, 11/18/2014 3

• Over half (55%) of 3rd graders in SDP are not proficient in Reading according to the 2012 PSSA tests (2011-2012 PSSA). Research tells us that students who don't read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma than students who are proficient readers (Double Jeopardy). Certified librarians guide and inspire students to read and help students to develop a habit of reading and inquiry.

• 9 percent of SDP students are English language learners. Students who are learning English have special requirements for reading materials in native and English languages, high/low reading materials, and materials that reflect their cultures; certified librarians are specifically trained to address these specialized needs.

• Despite public perception, not all students have smartphones or up-to- date computers, access to the Internet, and know how to navigate the Internet safely. According to a 2013 U.S. Department of Commerce report, 46% of households with reported incomes of $25,000 or less cannot afford home Internet service (Exploring the Digital Nation, p. 20) and 53% of urban households in that same income group do not own a functional computer (Exploring the Digital Nation, p. 27). School libraries provide these necessary technologies with a supportive guide in the certified librarian to teach and assist students.

Some people expect the Free Library of Philadelphia to fill the gap left by the loss of certified librarians and school libraries in SDP. And, while some valiant attempts have been made, regularly scheduled trips to a public library are problematic on many levels, including travel time and distance, safety, availability of public library staff, and the loss of instructional time if scheduled during the school day, which also requires permission slips and chaperones. In an informal survey conducted several years ago, it was determined that only 12% of public school students visited the local public libraries in Philadelphia for afternoon programming (Malloy). The fact is that certified librarians are trained and tasked with educating and teaching students to meet academic standards and educational competencies; public librarians are not. Certified librarians are educators with a specialization in instructional resources and technologies, and work with teachers to ensure that students achieve academic targets.

In conclusion:

The bottom line is that school library programs and certified librarians positively impact student achievement. The research is clear and compelling. The highest achieving students come from schools with certified librarians and well-resourced school library programs. And students who are the most at- risk—those in poverty, English language learners, those with disabilities, and

Testimony of Carol Heinsdorf to the BEF Commission, 11/18/2014 4

those struggling academically—benefit the most by certified librarians and strong school library programs. School libraries are the great equalizers in providing print and technology tools with a trained professional, the certified librarian, to guide and teach students.

All students deserve an equal opportunity to learn and have the resources to do so. To deny our students access to quality school library programs, which can only be implemented by qualified, certified school librarians, is to force our young people to incur a deficit in learning opportunities--a hardship and disadvantage that could position them behind millions of their school-aged peers throughout not just Pennsylvania, but globally.

It is my hope that you will seriously consider requiring all schools to have a well-resourced school library and a certified school librarian for all students as essential components for learning. Thank you.

Cited References

2011-12 PSSA Math and Reading Results - All Students - District Totals

Pennsylvania Dept. of Education.

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/school_asse ssments/7442

AASL Urban Schools Task Force Survey Report. American Assn. of School Librarians, January 8, 2011. http://www.ala.org/aasl/files/researchandstatistics/AASL Urban Schools Taskforce Report_v2.pdf

Hernandez, Donald J. Double Jeopardy: How Third Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation. Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2012. http://www.aecf.org/resources/double-jeopardy/

Kachel, Debra E. School Library Research Summarized: A Graduate Class Project. Rev ed. Mansfield University, 2013. http://paschoollibraryproject.org/content.php?pid=289948&sid=238295 6 - 8355127 [Note: South Carolina just completed a 2014 study yet to be published.]

Krashen, Stephen. Free Voluntary Reading. Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited, 2011.

Krashen, Stephen D. The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research. 2nd ed. Santa Barbara: Libraries Unlimited, 2004.

Testimony of Carol Heinsdorf to the BEF Commission, 11/18/2014 5

Lance, Keith Curry, and Bill Schwarz. How Pennsylvania School Libraries Pay Off: Investments in Student Achievement and Academic Standards. PA School Library Project. HSLC, Oct. 2012. http://paschoollibraryproject.org/research

Malloy, Janet, President, Association of Philadelphia School Librarians. Letter to Dr. Lori Schorr, Chief Education Advisor, City of Philadelphia. May 10, 2008. http://apsl.wikispaces.com/file/view/Lori Schorr.pdf/530913848/Lori Schorr.pdf

National Telecommunications and Information Administration and Economics and Statistics Administration. Exploring the Digital Nation: America’s Emerging Online Experience. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, June 2013. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/report/2013/exploring-digital-nation-americas- emerging-online-experience

Pennsylvania School Library Study: Findings and Recommendations. Pa. State Board Of Education, September 2011. http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/research_re ports_and_studies/19722/school_library_study/941391

Roshania, Neema. “District, Community Work to Restore Heat to Volunteer- Run Library at Mt. Airy School.” Newsworks. 3 Nov. 2014. http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/74664-district- community-work-to-restore-heat-to-volunteer-run-library-at-mt-airy- school?linktype=hp_topstory

Zelno, Sandra L. Testimony Presented to Pennsylvania House of Representatives House Education Committee on School Libraries in Pennsylvania, August 22, 2012, by Sandra L. Zelno, School Reform Associate Education Law Center. http://libraryschool.libguidescms.com/content.php?pid=244879&sid=20 81529 - 11271546

Testimony of Carol Heinsdorf to the BEF Commission, 11/18/2014 6

Philadelphia Hearing on High Stakes Standardized Testing Wednesday

Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools

Tomorrow Philadelphia teachers, parents and students, the community, will be ringing the Liberty Bell
in front of the Education Committee of the Philadelphia City Council at City Hall.

Democracy in action. Education for Democracy. Democracy for education.

Pennsylvania Education Crisis Highlights - November 18th, 2014

Philadelphia Links

Standardized Testing Hearing in Philadelphia

Wednesday, November 19th, 3pm, City Hall Room 400

A public hearing on the impact of standardized testing on teaching and learning will be held before the Education Committee of Philadelphia's City Council on Wednesday, November 19th at 3pm.

The hearing will be held at Philadelphia's City Hall in Room 400 (4th Floor), Broad and Market Street.

Please enter at the NE corner of the building and bring a photo ID for the security check in. A dozen educators, parents, and community stakeholders will share their perspectives on the ways in which high-stakes testing is transforming our children's classrooms.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

See the website of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools for details.

Written transcripts of speaker testimonies.

Real educators can only hope this is ground zero for ending the madness.