History of IDEA
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Ravitch, Darling-Hammond: why we protest
- 08-01-2011
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Blog by John Fensterwald/Educated Guess
The heroes of teachers’ rebellion against No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and high-stakes standardized tests fired up the thousands of teachers at the Save Our Schools March in Washington on Saturday. “We protest the imposition of business values in education. We protest the idea that principals and teachers will work harder if they’re offered bonuses and if they live in fear of being fired,” author and education historian Diane Ravitch told those assembled at the Ellipse preceding their march to the White House. “Carrots and sticks are for donkeys, not professionals.” As many as 8,000 marchers – estimates varied – came from across the nation to voice their dissent against federal policies of the Bush and Obama administrations and to call for equitable funding of public education. Organized by Oakland Unified science teacher Anthony Cody, four days of events ended Sunday with a conference to determine the next steps in organizing. (Go here for a video of the three-hour march on Saturday.) In addition to Ravitch, speakers included author Jonathan Kozol, New York educator Deborah Meier, noted author and Stanford University School of Education professor Linda Darling-Hammond, and actor Matt Damon, whose mother is an activist and childhood development professor at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. The remarks of Darling-Hammond, Ravitch, and Damon at the march follow. (more...)
Also: Washington Post
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