Ravitch Says The Sleeping Giant is Awakening

[Hannah Bell]

Hailed as a “hero” by supporters who came to hear her give the keynote address, Diane Ravitch took the stage for almost an hour as she spoke to parents, teachers, and activists from across the country Monday night at PS/IS 89 in New York City. They came from Seattle, Florida, Rochester, New York City, New Jersey, New Orleans, Chicago, and elsewhere, for the kickoff of the nationwide organization Parents Across America (PAA) and a call to action to take back public education...

Ravitch told the audience at this auspicious gathering, there is a perfect storm brewing in which those who have delegitimized public education are taking advantage of a bad economy and deep budget cuts to implement their own ideological agenda. She criticized President Obama’s Race to the Top by saying “education is not a race – education is not a competition. Good schools depend on collaboration, not on teachers competing for dollars. ” She said the punishments and remedies instituted under No Child Left Behind have escalated under the current administration and closing of schools destroys the social capital which consists of the relationships in the community essential for good, strong schools and a quality education.

Up until now, parents have had very little say as the corporate reformers “move children around like checkers on a checkerboard” in their mindless pursuit of test scores, explained Ravitch. That’s why PAA hopes to galvanize parents and empower them to channel their frustration by working together with teachers and lobbying state legislatures and Congress to enact real, genuine education reform that will improve public schools, not close them. Some of the alternatives and ideas advocated by PAA include common sense solutions such as: high quality early childhood programs; parent education programs; reasonable limits on class size: medical clinics in schools: more professionalism in teaching: and more support and better working conditions for teachers; and acknowledging what every teacher and educator already knows -- test scores have been and still are closely correlated with the socioeconomic status of a school’s population.

Ravitch ended on a note of optimism. “There is hope even though all the power and all the money is on one side, and on the other side there is no one standing up for teachers. Parents are the sleeping giants of this debate. If the sleeping giant awakens you can take back American education and the time to start is today.”

For more information on Parents Across America go to: www.parentsacrossamerica.org and join -- today.

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2011/02/sleeping-giant-is-awakening-as-parents.html

[annm4peace]

1. I agree

and thank you for posting

[PufPuf23]

2. "Ravitch told the audience at this auspicious gathering. there is a perfect storm brewing in which

those who have delegitimized public education are taking advantage of a bad economy and deep budget cuts to implement their own ideological agenda."

Quote from the OP and IMO reality being implemented that does not have long term benefit of the USA, Planet, or kids.

ANY privatization scheme of the public commons creates an added "dip" from the revenue stream for profit and additional (and willfully ignorant) administrators.

Failing students will not be taught as well and will be scape goated along with teachers for failure.

Quality public education that is not politcized and separated from faith based approaches shopuld be a human right.

No one asks to be born and no one born choses the circumstance, some benefit but most lose.

[Starry Messenger]

3. k&r

[Reader Rabbit]

4. This is very heartening!

Not just the message, but the fact that the event was well-attended. Perhaps the first step we need to break the soulless grip of the deformers?

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. k n r