Thursday, November 22, 2012

A story of educational courage

A story of educational courage:


A story of educational courage

This is an excerpt from a book titled “Educational Courage: Resisting the Ambush of Public Education,” which profiles people working in support of public education against a tide of school reform that has turned out to be more destructive than helpful. The book of essays by different authors is the brainchild of Nancy Schniedewind & Mara Sapon-Shevin. Following is Chapter 16 by Sam Coleman and Edwin Mayorga, who tell the story of how Coleman came to recognize how corporate-based reform was affecting what he did in the classroom and how he stopped a standardized test score-based merit pay program at his school.
16. “You Want to Pay Me for What?!?”: Resisting Merit Pay and the Business Model of Education bySam Coleman and Edwin Mayorga
The story we tell is a single act of resistance within a single public
school in New York City. This is a local victory, but we believe that it
is a sign that ordinary teachers everywhere are summoning the will