The biggest loss in education is the loss of teachers’ voices | Eclectablog

The biggest loss in education is the loss of teachers’ voices | Eclectablog:

The biggest loss in education is the loss of teachers’ voices

I received the note below from a former student who is now a teacher. For obvious reasons, I won’t identify her or where she teaches, but–shockingly–her story is becoming all too common…

We had a union meeting yesterday where they warned us that the governor is going after the certificates of teachers that opted out their kids (of the state tests). The governor says it breaks our contract agreeing to protect and follow educational laws. Is this legal? Teachers are being targeted and warned to be extremely careful, especially on public media. I was just curious on your thoughts.

This theme of administrators and elected officials threatening teachers if they speak out publicly against tests, the Common Core State Standards, or other education policies seems to be growing stronger and louder recently, with reports of similar stories popping up in New Mexico, Louisiana, New York, Arizona, Missouri, and Michigan.

In Rochester, NY, an email from an administrator to the city’s principals asked them to keep a list of teachers who might have shared information on testing for possible disciplinary action:

An email sent from a high-level Rochester City School District official to principals is causing concern among teachers.

Chief of Schools Beverly Burrell-Moore sent the email Monday afternoon to principals she supervises. The email asks them to share names of teachers who have encouraged parents to refuse to allow their children to take state exams.

“Per your building, please identify teachers who have sent letters or made phone calls to parents encouraging them to opt out their children from the NYS Assessments. Also, identify teachers who you have evidence as utilizing their classrooms as ‘political soap boxes.’ I need this updated information no later than Tuesday morning for follow-up,” the email states.

Audrey Amrein Beardsley, a professor of education at Arizona State University, and the author of one of my favorite education blogs on the web, VAMBOOZLED, reports:

“New Mexico now requires teachers to sign a contractual document that they are not to ‘diminish the significance or importance of the tests” or they could lose their jobs. Teachers are not to speak negatively about the tests or say anything negatively about these tests in 

The biggest loss in education is the loss of teachers’ voices | Eclectablog: