Alfie Kohn on the Save Our Schools March

Newteacher was there in the sweltering heat in DC--an exciting day of grass-roots, teacher run organizing. Speakers included Diane Ravitch, Angela Valenzuela, Pedro Noguera Jonathan Kozol (oh, and Matt Damon). It's clear that there is a new movement afoot and a major part of the rallying cry is that NCLB is failed public policy. Leaders of the March met with Arne Duncan--so they got his attention--but he did not attend. Here's to hoping that this smart, forward thinking type of action continues! More to come....

____________________________________

Q) What do you think is the significance of the Save Our Schools March?

A) We are living through what future historians will surely describe as one of the darkest eras in American education — a time when teachers, as well as the very idea of democratic public education, came under attack; when carrots and sticks tied to results on terrible tests were sold to the public as bold "reform;" when politicians who understand nothing about learning relied uncritically on corporate models and metaphors to set education policy; when the goal of schooling was as misconceived as the methods, framed not in terms of what children need but in terms of "global competitiveness" — that is, how U.S. corporations can triumph over their counterparts in other countries.

There will come a time when people will look back at this era and ask, "How the hell could they have let this happen?" By participating in Saturday's march, by speaking out in our communities, we're saying that we need to act before we lose an entire generation to this insanity. The corporate-style school reformers don't have research or logic on their side. All they have is the power to impose their ignorance with the force of law. To challenge their power, therefore, means we need to organize. We must make sure that the conversation about the how's and why's of education is driven by educators.

In short, we have to take back our schools. READ MORE

Comments

[Rob H.]

Save Our Schools Website:
http://www.saveourschoolsmarch.org/

I think more info is coming

[JBuff]

The whole interview is well worth reading. Thanks for the link! What I really loved - besides Alfie's wit - is the quotation by Albert Einstein in the upper left-hand corner of the page: "It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education." How fitting given the reasons behind the SOS March.

[Susan Adams]

The deafening media silence before, during and after the Save Our Schools March is very telling.

What would teachers have to do to make the evening news? What would have to happen to convince Arne Duncan to show up? Think about how many hours of media time was spent this weekend wringing hands over the debt ceiling crisis, with no actual news to report,("Still no agreement on the debt ceiling. For an insider's perspective, let's hear from Phil, who is just ouside the Senate restroom. Phil?") but nothing was said about thousands of teachers meeting in D.C.

The silence is not an accident, a coincidence or an function of too many big news stories on Saturday. The silence was planned.

[Susan Adams]

http://www.anurbanteacherseducation.com/

Here are links to James Boutin's blog. If you scroll down one entry, you will see his entries written during SOS events.

[James Boutin]

I can't imagine what would have happened to him if Arne had attended. I can understand why he didn't.

And "..one of the darkest eras in American education.." There's something to think about.

[Susan Adams]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/43996175#43996175

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell's take on SOS and Matt Damon's speech on Saturday.

It did my heart good to hear someone say out loud what we know is true about the strategic political agenda to bash teachers. And Matt Damon had me openly weeping with his take of MBA-styled policy as an "intrinsically paternalistic view" a complex set of conditions in classrooms.

If you need a therapeutic laugh, take a look at this: http://front.moveon.org/dear-cameraman-who-attacked-teachers-in-front-of-matt-damon-and-his-mom/#.TjhpzqKPlro.mailto

[Susan Adams]

Pedro Noguera's speech at the SOS March:

http://choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com/2011/08/pedro-noguera-address-to-save-our.html