‘Stop this Madness’: rap video on school reform
Teachers in Albany, New York, are rallying today against what the organizers call “the madness” of corporate-influenced school reform that is based on high-stakes standardized tests and that many say has demonized teachers. It is the latest in a series of rallies and protests of one kind or another in a growing backlash nationwide against education and student/educator evaluation based on on how well students do on standardized tests.
Jeremy Dudley — a.k.a. “Origin” — is a teacher and instructional technologist for the City School District of Albany and a member of the Albany Public School Teachers Association who wrote and performed the following rap song about reform. He raps about unfunded mandates, the Common Core State Standards and more. Listen to it, and/or read the transcript after the video. You can follow him www.facebook.com/dudleyteaches or www.originalrap.com. You can also find him on Twitter at @dudleyteaches #stopthismadness.
Transcript:
Attention ladies and gentlemen, there’s currently a battle going on in public schools across this nation between those in the business of education, those that legislate education, and those of us who agree that those political agendas and business schemes have no place in classrooms. Let the teachers teach, and stop this madness.
Chorus
Philadelphia school district laying off 3,783 employees
On the heels of a “doomsday” school budget for 2013-14 that has no funding for things as basic as paper and new books, the Philadelphia school system is now laying off 3,783 employees, including 676 teachers and 283 counselors, effective … Continue reading →