Public Schools Across America - Notes

Public Schools Across America - Notes and Comments

# 1 #

CURRENT ISSUES THAT CONTINUE TO THREATEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY

Funding-inequality of funding, inequity, funding for arts, funding formula, equality of educational opportunity

Privatization ALEC, difficult for parents and citizens to connect the dots between legislation and its consequences, greed, vouchers, business model, parent trigger, hedge fun control, follow the money, turn around schools

Quality of education-misuse of testing, creativity of teachers, curriculum, assessments, quality teachers, affective component of teaching, parent and teacher unity, lack of commitment to early childhood, public education as a public good, developmentally appropriate practices, recess, standardization, child centeredness, childhood growth and development, pedagogy, love of learning

Legislation--Not looking at what works, legislative attack, school closures, undermining power of Glenda Ritz, political objective, testing and learning, NCLB accountability measures, partisanship, politicizing reform movement, whack a mole legislation, outside influences

Teaching profession-dismantling of unions, de-professionalization, TFA, teaching profession, lack of respect for teachers, silencing and discrediting voices of teachers,

# 2 #

Summary from Parents Across America blog

http://parentsacrossamerica.org/great-day-public-education/

In the second breakout session, we asked the groups to discuss ideas for strategies to address the major shared issues. Here are some of the results:
  1. Invite a legislator to your classroom; they will learn about the intensity of the school day and come away with a new respect for the teacher and the schools.
  2. Volunteer programs for local businesses can have the same effect.
  3. Build relationships with legislators – have a civil conversation, listen to their side of the discussion, ask questions, see where you can agree.
  4. Share personal stories, but also have the facts.
  5. Hold a community forum either on issues or a candidates’ forum.
  6. Use free media like cable access.
  7. Educate all stakeholders about quality education using tools like NEIFPE Power Point, PURE fact sheets, PAA position papers.
  8. For organizing tips, read “Playbook for Progressives” by Eric Mann, Get Up, Stand Up” by Bruce Levine, and “Calling all Radicals” by Gabriel Thompson; also suggested “Don’t Think of an Elephant” by George Lakoff, on messaging.
  9. Find money for social media experts; drill down data.
  10. Create an online information center for state-by-state facts, data.
# 3 #

ISSUE: Privatization

Strategies/Ideas:
  1. Get out in front of issues.
  2. Create talking points and "THE message" - to be nonpartisan
  3. About the kids - (profiting off kids; profiteers use words like "choice")
  4. Must be collective, not competitive
  5. Educating the parents
  6. Online clearinghouse for graphics/information (a way to search for information)
  7. Create a public school watchdog
  8. Halt public school closings through legislation
  9. Push for more oversight of charters
  10. Outreach to more diverse groups
  11. Aggressive social media campaign (hooking into foundations for funding?)
  12. We need an umbrella organization
  13. Find a technology savvy/available person to run online campaign (website)
  14. Local chapters can organize and form ethnically/racially diverse group
# 4 #

ISSUE: Teaching as a Profession

Strategy/Ideas Build relationships:
  1. With other teachers in your building (don’t suffer in silence; have an informal teachers’ meeting to see who feels the same way you do)
  2. With parents who are concerned (start a newsletter; showcase student successes or use the Parent/Teacher Conferences or Open House to showcase student success—rather than test scores)
  3. With legislators (invite one to spend the entire day in your classroom)
  4. With local/influential business (use the “hard facts” about education, such as the dollar amount being spent on testing--“speak their language”)
  5. With School Board (ask them for a place on their agenda to bring up your concerns)
  6. With local newspaper and identify an education-advocate reporter (and/or write letters to editor to make your voice heard)
  7. With local university and work with Education Dept. to show how K-12 mandates are affecting higher education (such as appearing on the college public access TV channel)
  8. With the greater community (create Facebook page)
Start the conversation:
  1. Have a “civil” dialogue
  2. Don’t demonize the opposition
  3. Keep the emphasis on students and their success
  4. Tell your story (to whomever will listen)
  5. Personalize and individualize teaching
  6. “Toot your own horn” (as no one else will)
# 5 #

ISSUE: Legislation

Strategies/Ideas
  1. Be proactive rather than reactive.
  2. Work to amend/block legislation. Write our own bills, beat them at their game.
  3. Create a Local School Council- very powerful in Ohio. For example, they are elected officials with 6 parents, 2 local business/community leaders, 2 teachers, 1HS student from each school in corp, 1 principal, 1school staff member.
  4. Present Ed without party affiliation. Elected officials serve the public, education crosses party lines -Provide politicians and parents alike successful researched based routes that support public ed
  5. Meet the candidates/your local political leaders/ gather people and make them come talk to ALL their constituents
  6. Ask for public ed support from NPOs, senior citizens/ retirees who were parents of public school kids, local grassroots orgs to write letters, testify, sponsor meetings(meeting place, child care, food)
  7. Work toward a citizen public school grading system (based on environment, etc)
  8. Show video of individual student adversely affected by political bills, etc(this was done with permission from parents on a child with DownSyndrome...i can explain later
  9. Make public what is good in your school, show clear examples of what public ed should look like.
  10. Build relationships with politicians, board members, etc.
  11. Join Parents across America ( PAA)
  12. Exercise FOIA- freedom of info act- get info before many others do about charters etc. - Use Social media
  13. WFIU- speak your mind - and other radio options/ local public access tv
# 6 #

ISSUE: Quality Education

Strategies/Ideas
  1. Continue letters to editors and legislators
  2. Invite a legislator to spend a day shadowing a teacher
  3. Build relationships not just face time with legislators
  4. Form Social Media groups
  5. Try to have informational meetings at schools, providing child care and food
# 7 #

Mike Fox (Anderson, IN) notes from meeting via Maureen Reedy.

https://sites.google.com/site/neifpe/home/psaamtg/foxpsaanotes.pdf