Schools Matter: Still Time to Vote for Save Our Schools National Steering Committee

Schools Matter: Still Time to Vote for Save Our Schools National Steering Committee:

Still Time to Vote for Save Our Schools National Steering Committee

by Judy Rabin

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead

The Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action took place this past summer in Washington, DC, on July 28-31, 2011 when more than 5,000 teachers, parents and citizens gathered for a 4-day conference to organize and begin the important work of saving public education from the corporate takeover and privatization of public education and end the abuse and misuse of high-stakes testing. Since then, the SOS Interim Steering Committee has been working to establish a permanent National Steering Committee to lead SOS into the future.

The election is underway and if you haven't already signed up at the Save Our Schools website, there is still time to cast your vote for members of the Steering Committee between now and November 7.

If you are tired of politicians, businessmen and billionaires making harmful decisions about our schools and our children and the damage caused by high stakes testing;

If you are tired of the inequality in school funding and would like to help schools in poor communities meet the needs of our most vulnerable students; restoring the arts, social studies, music and real science programs and a well-rounded curriculum instead of the drill and kill testing mania that has overtaken our public schools;

If you believe that young children need quality play and playful learning in school because childhood is a journey, not a race to the top;

Then join the Save Our Schools movement and get involved. Once the Steering Committee is established, there will be many opportunities for you to make a difference.

Save Our Schools Guiding Principles:

For the future of our children, we demand:

Equitable funding for all public school communities

• Equitable funding across all public schools and school systems
• Full public funding of family and community support services
• Full funding for 21^st century school and neighborhood libraries
• An end to economically and racially re-segregated schools

An end to high stakes testing used for the purpose of student, teacher, and school evaluation

• The use of multiple and varied assessments to evaluate students, teachers, and schools
• An end to pay per test performance for teachers and administrators
• An end to public school closures based upon test performance

Teacher, family and community leadership in forming public education policies

• Educator and civic community leadership in drafting new ESEA legislation
• Federal support for local school programs free of punitive and competitive funding
• An end to political and corporate control of curriculum, instruction and assessment decisions for teachers and administrators

Curriculum developed for and by local school communities

• Support for teacher and student access to a wide-range of instructional programs and technologies
• Well-rounded education that develops every student’s intellectual, creative, and physical potential
• Opportunities for multicultural/multilingual curriculum for all students
• Small class sizes that foster caring, democratic learning communities

The power of reading and the role of school

by skrashen

Sent to the Taipei Times, November 3, 2011

Lii Ding-tzann (“Reading your way to true wisdom,” Nov. 3) argues that reading in a way that connects to your own life makes a powerful contribution to our intellectual development. Research strongly supports his position: Studies show that wide, self-selected reading is related to our literacy development, our knowledge of the world, and achievement: People who read more read and write better, know more, and accomplish more in life.

Creativity researcher Dean Keith Simonton has concluded that "omnivorous reading in childhood and adolescence correlates positively