More from the SOS Conference and March

(See more under the title: REPORTS FROM THE SAVE OUR SCHOOLS MARCH in the column on the right.)

An update from the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action.

SOS Conference Day Two

Follow along and listen to commentary during the SOS March events on Saturday!

Can’t make it to DC? No local events in your area? Have no fear! You can still follow along as Alice Mercer, teacher and Tech-Diva hosts a live Webcast show starting a little before 9 am PDT/10 MDT/11 CDT and noon on the east coast. We’ll start with the events at the Ellipse, and move west with the sun and activities, capping things off at 2 pm PDT/3 MDT/4 CDT/5 EDT.

Where can you find us? Go to http://edtechtalk.com/studio, click on the UStream player on the right, and type your name in on the left (no password is needed) if you’d like to join a text chat. We’ll be following the Twitter stream from events, and having folks on the ground call in and share.

NOTE: This will be an audio only show so we can include folks from the events.

Reports from the Save Our Schools March

Here are some reports from the Save Our Schools March. Click the link to read the entire entry. I've also posted them on the menu at the side. More will be added as they appear...

SOS Conference Day One

Kuhn...said that while efforts at improving education in impoverished communities should involve improving parenting, he noted that the government has leverage only to act against teachers and not against parents. He also said that he thinks that when teachers cry out that children have been neglected and are accused of creating "excuses," they are actually making "diagnoses" of problems. "You can't fix poverty through carefully crafted algebra lessons," he said.

Save Our Schools March leaders answer White House invitation

“We sincerely appreciate the interest of the White House in the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action. We’d be pleased to host any White House or Department of Education personnel on the Ellipse on Saturday so they can hear firsthand what teachers, students, parents and community members from around the country have to say about public education. Thousands of concerned citizens will be sharing their experiences and their thoughts on the future of our schools. July 30th is your opportunity to listen to us. After the March, we will be open to meeting with White House or Department of Education leaders to further discuss our specific proposals.”

Day number 2 at SOS

We are not alone any more. For the first time in many years I sat back, and listened to other people fight the good fight. After two years of walking for change I was able to sit down, and rest these tired feet. The SOS House is full; people are not on their knees, they are not silent; they are working for change. This house is not a house of silence and apathy, it is the house of change, and we are marching.

Teachers Converging on Washington for 4-Day Schools Rally

"This has been framed as somebody's fault—either the parents' fault or the teachers' fault," Ms. Altwerger said. "The fault lies with an education policy that does not work."

Marching To Washington D.C.

Three days till the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action. Today I read yet another, "Why I'm Marching" post. This one is from a teacher in NYC (formerly a teacher in D.C.). It focuses on something that I think is the core issue for education in America.

Public Education is worth fighting for.

Those so-called reformers don't seem to believe that...we do.

Why I'm Marching in DC This Weekend

By James Boutin

As I wait in the airport for my flight to Washington, it strikes me that it might be worth taking the time to flesh out some of the reasons I decided to blow nearly $600 on a weekend in DC.

At first I thought I would create a list, but then I realized that no matter how many different points I came up with, they essentially all boiled down to one reason.

Public education is worth fighting for.

Few people seem understand the importance of public education. Most people would agree that education is important, but public education almost has a negative connotation for some. Public education means public employees, government involvement, and bureaucracy. For many, that means inefficiency, waste, abuse, and mediocre standards for students. But it is also a test of our ability to act responsibly toward the needs of our communities.

The degree to which we commit ourselves to ensuring a quality public education for all students is ultimately a test of our commitment to democracy and social equality. On their face, offering choice and competition may seem like a worthwhile means of improving school quality, but all too often the relieve us of the collective responsibility to provide excellent schools for all students. To be sure, handing our commitment to democracy and social equality over to the forces of some educational market would be easier than providing public education, but it is not in our best interest.

I don't believe any society is capable of realizing true democracy without a commitment to quality public education. And that, I suppose is why this debate is so fierce. Not all of us agree on the importance of democracy. And I guess that's why I'm going to DC this weekend. I want to be around the many wonderful people across the country who agree with me.

If you're interested...here are some snippets from a couple more "Why I'm Marching" posts.

Principal: Why I’m marching to ‘save our schools’

This was written by Carol Corbett Burris, the principal of South Side High School in New York. She was named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State. 

By Carol Corbett Burris 

I fell in love with teaching the first moment I stood before a class. I have worked with those who can’t learn enough and with those who dared me to teach them. I have beamed with joy at graduations, and wept for students lost. I have worked through great frustrations and been humbled by how much I do not know. Through the days, both easy and hard, I try not to forget why it matters so much. As John Dewey reminds us, “schools are the fundamental method of social progress and reform.”

Why I Am Marching on July 30 

by Diane Ravitch 

I want to protest the federal government's punitive ideas about school reform, specifically, No Child Left Behind and the Race to the Top. Neither of these programs has any validation in research or practice or evidence. The nation's teachers and parents know that NCLB has been a policy disaster. Race to the Top incorporates the same failed ideas. Why doesn't Congress know? 

I want to protest the wave of school closings caused by these cruel federal policies. Public schools are a public trust, not shoe stores. If they are struggling, they should be improved, not killed.

And, if you can't make it to D.C. Parents Across America has some suggestions for what you can do instead...Go to the website for more information.

Can’t go to the SOS March? Here’s what you can do instead!

Strengthen our voices in DC by adding your own. Please call or fax your Senators and Congressmen this week – Thursday would be best!

Tell them that they need to listen to their constituents on ESEA, not to rich education hobbyists who have spent billions marketing a false image of our public schools and promoting ideas that are expensive and don’t improve education. 

Tell them that you oppose HR 2218, the charter school expansion law. 

Share your own experience with high-stakes testing, school closure, charter school encroachment, or other problems that have come about due to NCLB/ESEA.

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SAVE OUR SCHOOLS MARCH AND NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION

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Please Listen!

The Parents Across America Blog from Saturday had this great song.

Listen to the great song composed by Greg Gower and sung by Linda Gower for the Save our Schools March in DC. Greg and Linda are two of the founding members of Parents Across America -Spokane.

The original can be found at the Educationrumination blog.

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SAVE OUR SCHOOLS MARCH AND NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION

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