Betrayed
A few choice words from NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:
During the Presidential campaign, candidate Obama said that teachers should not be forced to spend the year preparing students to fill bubbles on standardized tests and that students deserved to learn in an individualized manner. We agreed with that statement when we went to the polls and we agree with that statement today.
Mr. President, your instincts were right. The path your advisors have laid out is not.
We've got a system that creates too few winners and far too many losers. Our members feel betrayed and so do I. I've had enough of a system where some schools have fabulous, meaningful programs and some don't. I've had enough of being told to do more with less. I've had enough of the fixation on standardized tests and making the the sole measure of a student's learning and a teacher's worth.