Notes from the Field
Submitted by Frank Murphy on June 23, 2011
The School District of Philadelphia is bucking under the demands of ill-conceived school reform policies and programs. Since the inception of No Child Left Behind, the attempts of its leaders to respond to this federal mandate has not served the children of the district well. The over emphasis placed on use of student test scores to measure the success of the district and its schools, has disrupted student instruction, lowered teacher morale and shattered school communities.
Philadelphia is not alone in this struggle. Districts through out the nation are undergoing similar trials. Numerous other districts like Chicago, New York, Dallas, Seattle are facing budget shortfalls, school closings, teacher layoffs and the privatization of public schools.
Dianne Ravitch, a prominent advocate for public schools, describes the negative consequences of No Child Left Behind and the Race to the Top Initiative on local districts in this recent posting on her website. It is a must read for every educator, activist, and concerned citizen who is alarmed by the course that our national leaders have plotted for public education.
In the conclusion of this piece, Ravitch provides several suggestions for how we can respond to these inappropriate federal interventions that have usurped the authority of local communities to lead their schools and school districts.
Topping Ravitch’s list of actions to take is a call to participate in the Save Our Schools March on July 30, 2011 in Washington D.C. More information concerning this event can be found at saveourschoolsmarch.org. She also recommends joining the organization Parents Across America (http://parentsacrossamerica.org/).
Another interesting post from Diane Ravitch can be found here. In this entry she clearly and succinctly describes the many reasons why she opposes the mandates of NCLB and the Race to the Top Fund. In her writing, Ravitch provides a reasoned, intelligent and sensible response to the arguments of the corporate school reformers who are currently influencing our national education policies. Ravitch’s message offers a constructive counter balance to the negative messages that corporate school reformers and their media allies have unleashed on the American public. Her points are ones that are well worth repeating by concerned citizens in school district all across this nation.
Nationally there is a growing resistance to the misguided and harmful school reform experiments that are being forced on our public school communities. Many prominent leaders of this opposition will be present at the Save Our Schools Rally. Join with them in order to demonstrate your alarm and dissatisfaction concerning the direction that federal educational policies are forcing local schools and districts to take. Speaking with one voice we the people can best ensure that the principles of our democratic society will continue to endure. Individually we are responsible for upholding our collective values and ideals. We must persist in our efforts to maintain the public trust of our nations schools.