"The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves." -- John Adams

"No money shall be drawn from the treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution." -- Indiana Constitution Article 1, Section 6.

"...no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities." – Thomas Jefferson

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

More Random Quotes - August, 2014

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

NEA President Elect Lily Eskelsen Garcia on high stakes testing...


...we believe the results of tests should be used for what they were designed to measure. No commercial mass-produced industrial strength standardized factory test should ever...may I just say ever...ever...never be used as the determining factor in any...any...any high stakes decision on any level for any child or any adult...enough is enough!

WHAT CHILDREN NEED

Parents, I Cannot Protect Your Children by Peg with Pen
I teach at a school with 73% free/reduced lunch. Over 40 languages are spoken within my school. I know what our children need - they need wrap around services for poverty, books, librarians, small class size, health care, nurses, counselors, recess, quality food, and the opportunity to express their interests as they talk, read, write, play, sing, dance, create and smile. But you see, that doesn't create corporate profit. Poverty must be ignored in order to keep corporate profit churning.

VOUCHERS

Cruel Cuts: Philadelphia Public Schools Pay The Price For Pa.’s Expanded Neo-Voucher Program by Simon Brown
...it’s important to remember that when voucher programs expand, it often comes at the expense of public schools.

LEAVING CHILDREN BEHIND

Commencement 2012: Professor Eleanor Duckworth's Convocation Speech


DISINCENTIVES TO BECOME, OR REMAIN, A TEACHER

Maybe it's Time to Ask the Teachers? by Linda Darling-Hammond
American teachers deal with a lot: low pay, growing class sizes and escalating teacher-bashing from politicians and pundits. Federal testing and accountability mandates under No Child Left Behind and, more recently, Race to the Top, have added layers of bureaucracy while eliminating much of the creativity and authentic learning that makes teaching enjoyable. Tack on the recession's massive teacher layoffs and other school cuts, plus the challenges of trying to compensate for increasing child poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity, and you get a trifecta of disincentives to become, or remain, a teacher.



A GIFT FOR NEW TEACHERS

The Teacher as Sisyphus by David C. Berliner
The best gift we can give to our newly minted educators, many of whom will be working in our public school systems, is a society that gives the parents of the children they teach jobs that pay fair wages and provide basic benefits. That would be the best gift to give our new teachers and administrators.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Back to School Letter by Mark Cross, Superintendent of Peru Elementary School District 124, Peru, Illinois
...we will not let political nonsense distract us from our true mission, which is to keep your kids safe and to provide them with a world class education.
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All who envision a more just, progressive and fair society cannot ignore the battle for our nation’s educational future. Principals fighting for better schools, teachers fighting for better classrooms, students fighting for greater opportunities, parents fighting for a future worthy of their child’s promise: their fight is our fight. We must all join in.
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Stop the Testing Insanity!



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