Just in case our members want to know how our little group of resisters came about. I am not sure how many members know our groups story. I have been blessed to be the Director of the Central Connecticut Literacy Center, for the past 15 years. Its a place that prepares reading specialists, and provides free tutoring for children who struggle with literacy. It is a center of excellence with a heart for children, parents, and teachers. In the early years the struggle was simple we provided an instructional model that respected the whole child, and brought parents and teachers together as collaborative partners. In the later years, Federal and State Education Policies began to push aside Whole Child practices, and replace them with one size fits all practices that did more harm than good. At least this is how I view things. Before our group: As No Child Left Behind took effect, I began to see the suffering of children growing leaps and bounds. I had parents crying and sharing their stories of pain from watching their children come to hate reading. Parents would almost always say this is the only place my son/daughter loves to read. I spoke up for them everywhere. Speaking up did not make me the most popular Academic around. Three years into NCLB, I began to share stories of children and teachers being harmed by the over emphasis on high-stakes assessment. I held a Children Are More Than A Test Score Conference at my university that almost cost me my job. Then came Race To The Top, it doubled down on the pain of NCLB, and my teachers started to share their stories of pain and suffering. Reading Specialists, Bilingual Educators, and Special Education teachers began to say Dr. Turner its like we are being forced to commit malpractice. I started to share the resistant stories of teachers at national and international research conferences. I testified, wrote letters, and shared with anyone who would listen as to the harmful effects of NCLB/RTTT. Then in 2008 came the United States Department of Education Reading First Impact Study. The Reading First Impact study pointed out that NCLBs reading initiatives were the single biggest policy failure in the history of American Public Education. Six years and six billion dollars wasted, in the end third graders lost comprehension. The only group that showed comprehension growth was the control, (this group adopted no Reading First interventions). Reading First came to an end, but the objective of using testing and standards as the focus of education reform in America continued, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan doubled down on the policies of NCLB. RTTT, CCSS, PARCC and SBAC are more evidence that we have not learned from the policy failures of NCLB in my opinion. In Duncans early years the NEAP results indicated no growth for our high school students. The most recent high school test results indicate scores are stagnant, and were actually higher in 1992. It appears as if the only data not looked at is the data on the policy effects of NCLB and RTTT. Chasing test scores for children in my opinion provides cover on United States Department of Educations data on its own policies. NCLB allocated 1.2 trillion dollars, and it has no research, or real data to support it policies. Our test scores are flat, but the profit margins of testing companies were going through the roof even during the financial crisis. The data was in, and it points to the United States Department of Education as leading the single most massive policy failure ever. Secretary Duncan decided the focus on testing and standards were not at fault, despite large bodies of research that indicated an over emphasis on high stakes testing results in larger discipline problems, higher drop out rates, increased identifications of special education students and students with social emotional concerns. Secretary Duncan decided the problem wasnt their policy, but public schools were not moving quick enough, so he decided to make the heart of his education reform a punitive race to the top. Of course the data on his race is in, it failed, and without waivers 80% of our schools would be listed as failing. Back to our group: In 2010 after nearly a decade of speaking up I decided to start walking. I wrote a letter to President Obama, Anthony Cody from Teachers Letters to Obama pubished it, and I started our group, and walked 400 miles to DC that August. My wife and colleagues thought I went mad, but the members of this group understood why I had to walk. blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2010/03/jesse_is_walking_to_washington.html The rest is history the Save Our Schools March was born, and the following year Diane Ravitch, Matt Damon, and 10,000 others came to DC for that rally. After DC the resistance grew tenfold, and is still growing. As for me I am still walking, still speaking up, and fighting to take our schools back. This group supported and inspired every step I took on my walk, and still inspires me. Our members continue to inspire us all with their stories, links and postings. This group belongs to its members. You can post and share all things education here. I am only the guy that keeps the lights on. The difference between 2010 and 2014 is simple…. we are winning more people over everyday. RTTT is crumbling all around these Ed Reformers. The old tactic of changing names is no longer working. So regardless of if it’s NCLB, RTTT, CCSS, or PARCC, or SABAC, we the people are no longer buying these toxic alphabet soups. Stilling walking, Jesse The Walking Man Turner
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 14:41:53 +0000
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