Phony School Reform Wilts, A New Education Story Takes Root
For years, our public schools have been burdened by a “reform” narrative that education is “failing,” and that only a regime of standardized testing and charter schools will make administrators and teachers more “accountable.” Politicians and pundits across the political spectrum have adopted this doctrine and now easily slip into the rhetoric that supports it without hesitation.
But recently, the pillars of the “reform” agenda have begun to crumble. The whole notion of a top-down mandate for reform coming from state capitals and Washington, D.C. is being regarded with a new degree of skepticism.
A new narrative is emerging and it’s coming from the ground up—from schools and communities where teachers, parents, and students are remaking the education policy landscape.
Over the next several weeks, the Progressive Education Fellows will be exploring this exciting movement for change in a series of posts at The Progressive and on our social media channels on Facebook and Twitter.
A big part of the progressive vision for education is taking shape in community schools—locally led schools that are taking progressive approaches to education, including restorative justice, culturally responsive teaching, locally based accountability, and social, emotional, and health services that address the whole child.
This way of teaching is a radical departure from doctrinaire, corporate reform. It is anchored in the American belief that every child has the innate ability to learn, that access to education opportunity is an inalienable right, and that it is incumbent on government to provide education opportunities as a common good, free and accessible to all.
What Happened To ‘Reform’?
The break-up of the reform façade started with the movement to boycott standardized testing. A mostly parent-led effort using Facebook pages and neighborhood meetings grew into a firestorm of resistance.
As the Associated Press reported in 2015, “This ‘opt-out’ movement remains scattered butPhony School Reform Wilts, A New Education Story Takes Root | PopularResistance.Org: