Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education Year in Review

Dear Readers,

As another new year of public school advocacy begins across our state and country, the words of Margaret Mead come to mind:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

The year 2014 was, like previous years, unfriendly to public education. Although Indiana has educational concerns unique unto itself, there are similarities that exist in education reform from state to state. NEIFPE, like many other public education advocacy groups, continued to speak up and speak out against education reformers and the deleterious effects of their reform.

As a public school advocacy group, NEIFPE’s mission statement is thus:

We are citizens, teachers, administrators, and parents united by our support for public education and by concerns for its future. Recent federal and state reform measures have created an over-emphasis on testing and have turned over public education to private interests. We believe that these reforms threaten the well-being of our children and jeopardize their futures. Our goal is to inform ourselves and to start community discussion about the impact of these measures on our public schools and, more importantly, on our children.

In relation to our mission statement, here are a few 2014 highlights:

• We met with area legislators so that we could get to know them and to build working relationships. While we often didn’t agree on education policy, we feel that listening to one another is the beginning to understanding issues and solutions.

• We attended the screening of Rise above the Mark at Butler University in March, which led to our collaboration with the Fort Wayne Cinema Center for a screening in August. In September we partnered with ICPE (Indiana Coalition for Public Education) for a screening at IPFW (Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne).

• At the same time, several of us went to the Network for Public Education Conference in Austin, Texas where we were energized by meeting with nationally recognized public education advocates. This led us to write an op-ed about our experiences.

• Throughout the year we worked on messaging to parents, teachers, and concerned citizens about the issues concerning public education.

• As the primary election loomed, we began messaging about the importance of voting.

• Subsequently, we created a questionnaire which asked candidates about their positions on education issues.

• We met with Allen County Labor Council to broaden our outreach.

• We testified at the State Board meeting that was held at Ivy Tech in Fort Wayne.

• We attended the Moral Mondays rally led by Rev. William Barber in Indianapolis.

• We created a survey about the purpose of education, which we subsequently shared on our blog, our Facebook page, and with our mailing list. After we tabulated the responses, we wrote an op-ed about what we had learned.

Looking back over this past year and the past 3 years, we can see where we have been and what we have done. Although what we are fighting for and against continues to be the same, we know that we still have much work to do. Now more than ever, we will to continue to reach out to people across our community, across our state, and across our country to impress upon them that saving public education is an imperative. If we are ever to have a good and just society, public education must be one of its building blocks.

As we continue to fight the good fight, we must always remember why we continue to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. In the words of educator John Kuhn,

"Public education is a promise we make to the children of our society, and to their children, and to their children.”

###

Vic’s Statehouse Notes #185 – September 30, 2014

Dear Friends,

Can you come this Saturday October 4th to the ICPE meeting at 2pm in Fort Wayne to support public education?

The documentary “Rise Above the Mark” will be featured at the meeting in the Rhinehart Recital Hall on the Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne campus, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd, Fort Wayne.

The originator and producer of the documentary, Dr. Rocky Killion, West Lafayette Superintendent, will introduce the video and will participate in the panel discussion to follow.

Networking during this election season with others who share the deep belief that better support for public schools must be restored is another feature of the meeting.

I hope all public school advocates in Northeast Indiana can come! All who support public education are invited. There is no charge.

The Indiana Coalition for Public Education Fall Meetings

This is the third of five ICPE meetings around the state this fall. Momentum for public education is building. The first two meetings have attracted more total attendees than the total for all three of our fall meetings last year. Bring your friends and join us!

All meetings will feature “Rise Above the Mark” followed by a panel discussion. Dr. Killion will join the panel at each site. The three remaining dates are as follows:

Oct. 4, 2014....Fort Wayne....IPFW Rhinehart Recital Hall, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd

Oct. 18, 2014....New Albany....NAFC Education Support Center, 2801 Grant Line Road

Oct. 25, 2014....Evansville....Evansville Central High School Auditorium, 5400 First Avenue

All meetings begin at 2pm, local time.

On Saturday after the video, a panel discussion will be led by ICPE Vice President Marilyn Shank. Confirmed members of the panel include:

• Phyllis Bush, Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education

• Karen Francisco, Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette

• Dr. Wendy Robinson, Superintendent, Fort Wayne Community Schools

• Dr. Rocky Killion, West Lafayette Superintendent and video producer

All parents, community members and educators should see this video!

“Rise Above the Mark” is worth seeing two or three times. For all those who saw “The Roosevelts” recently on PBS, the narrator of that series Peter Coyote is also the narrator of “Rise Above the Mark.” It is a quality documentary film about the results of corporate reform in Indiana and around nation. It was prompted by Dr. Killion’s inquiry into why some of his best teachers were retiring early in frustration.

Please circulate the attached brochure (click here) to let others know about this meeting.

An RSVP for October 4th is not necessary. Come and bring a friend! An RSVP, however, would be helpful at vic790@aol.com if you have not yet done so.

Thanks for participating! Please keep up your great support of public schools!

Best wishes,

Vic Smith

“Vic’s Statehouse Notes” and ICPE received one of three Excellence in Media Awards presented by Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization of over 85,000 women educators in seventeen countries. The award was presented on July 30, 2014 during the Delta Kappa Gamma International Convention held in Indianapolis. Thank you Delta Kappa Gamma!

ICPE has worked since 2011 to promote public education in the Statehouse and oppose the privatization of schools. The fall ICPE membership meeting in Fort Wayne will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 2pm at the IPFW Rhinehart Recital Hall, 2101 E. Coliseum, Fort Wayne. The video “Rise Above the Mark” will be featured at the meeting and Rocky Killion, the video’s producer, will be among the panelists to discuss the film afterward. Come join us on Oct. 4th!

We need your membership to help pay the bills for ICPE lobbying efforts. Many have renewed their memberships already, and we thank you! If you have not done so since July 1, the start of our new membership year, we urge you to renew at one of our fall meetings or by going to our website.

We must raise additional funds for the 2015 session. We need additional members and additional donations. We need your help and the help of your colleagues who support public education! Please pass the word!

Go to www.icpe2011.com for membership and renewal information and for full information on ICPE efforts on behalf of public education. Thanks!


Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998.

Rise Above The Mark

...comes back to Fort Wayne. This time at IPFW.

2:00 PM, Saturday, October 4, 2014 at the Rhinehart Music Center at IPFW, 2101 East Coliseum Blvd.

Sponsored by ICPE.

Vic’s Statehouse Notes #183 – August 29, 2014

Dear Friends,

Can you come on September 6th to the ICPE meeting at 2pm in Indianapolis to support public education?

Can you come on September 6th to see the remarkable documentary “Rise Above the Mark”?

Can you come on September 6th for greetings and comments from State Superintendent Glenda Ritz before the documentary is shown, including updates on the approval of Indiana’s federal waiver by Secretary Duncan announced yesterday?

Can you come on September 6th to hear discussion of the documentary by a panel including West Lafayette Superintendent Rocky Killion who originated and produced the video?

Can you come a bit early on September 6th to greet Bob Dalton as we honor his 63 years of service to public education at a reception beginning at 12:45?

I hope you can! All who support public education are invited. There is no charge to see the video.


The Indiana Coalition for Public Education Fall Meetings

This is the first of five ICPE meetings around the state this fall. All will feature “Rise Above the Mark” followed by a panel discussion. Dr. Killion will join the panel at each site. The five dates are as follows:

Sept. 6, 2014.....Indianapolis.....Washington Township Education Center, 86th & Woodfield Crossing

Sept. 27, 2014.....Merrillville.....Merrillville High School Auditorium, 276 East 68th Place

Oct. 4, 2014.....Fort Wayne.....IPFW Rhinehart Recital Hall, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd

Oct. 18, 2014.....New Albany.....NAFC Education Support Center, 2801 Grant Line Road

Oct. 25, 2014.....Evansville.....Evansville Central High School Auditorium, 5400 First Avenue

All meetings begin at 2pm, local time. The reception for Dr. Dalton on September 6th begins at 12:45.

“Rise Above the Mark”, in its own words, was created “to educate the general public about the ‘corporate takeover’ of Indiana public schools and what parents, community members and educators can do to protect their local public schools.” It was originated by Dr. Killion after his inquiry into why many excellent teachers in West Lafayette were retiring early.

All parents, community members and educators should see this film!

Please circulate the attachment to let others know about this meeting.

An RSVP for September 6th is not necessary. Come and bring a friend! An RSVP, however, would be helpful at vic790@aol.com if you have not yet done so.

Please join us and bring your public education friends!

Thanks for participating! Please keep up your great support of public schools!

Best wishes for a great Labor Day weekend!

Vic Smith

“Vic’s Statehouse Notes” and ICPE received one of three Excellence in Media Awards presented by Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization of over 85,000 women educators in seventeen countries. The award was presented on July 30, 2014 during the Delta Kappa Gamma International Convention held in Indianapolis. Thank you Delta Kappa Gamma!

ICPE has worked since 2011 to promote public education in the Statehouse and oppose the privatization of schools. The fall ICPE membership meeting in Indianapolis will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2014 at 2pm at the Washington Township Education Center on the corner of 86th and Woodfield Crossing. The video “Rise Above the Mark” will be featured at the meeting and Rocky Killion, the video’s producer, will be among the panelists to discuss the film afterward. Prior to the 2pm meeting, a reception will begin at 12:45 honoring Dr. Bob Dalton for his 63 years of enthusiastic service to public education. Come join us on Sept. 6th!

We need your membership to help pay the bills for ICPE lobbying efforts. Many have renewed their memberships already, and we thank you! If you have not done so since July 1, the start of our new membership year, we urge you to renew by going to our website.

We must raise additional funds for the 2015 session. We need additional members and additional donations. We need your help and the help of your colleagues who support public education! Please pass the word!

Go to www.icpe2011.com for membership and renewal information and for full information on ICPE efforts on behalf of public education. Thanks!

Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998.

###

Vic’s Statehouse Notes #182 – August 25, 2014

Dear Friends,

“Rise Above the Mark” is a remarkable documentary showing, in its own words, “what happens when politics enters the classroom” and when “public schools are boxed in by current corporate reforms.” It was originated by Dr. Rocky Killion, Superintendent of West Lafayette Schools, after his inquiry into why many excellent teachers in West Lafayette were retiring early.

Five meetings of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education will feature “Rise Above the Mark” followed by a panel of responders. Dr. Killion will join the panel at each site. The dates are as follows:

Sept. 6, 2014.....Indianapolis.....Washington Township Education Center, 86th & Woodfield Crossing

Sept. 27, 2014.....Merrillville.....Merrillville High School Auditorium, 276 East 68th Place

Oct. 4, 2014.....Fort Wayne.....IPFW Rhinehart Recital Hall, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd

Oct. 18, 2014.....New Albany.....NAFC Education Support Center, 2801 Grant Line Road

Oct. 25, 2014.....Evansville.....Location TBA

All meetings begin at 2pm.

On Sept. 6th, a reception honoring Dr. Bob Dalton will precede the meeting from 12:45-1:45.

Please join us and bring your public education friends to one of these meetings!

The Indiana Coalition for Public Education Fall Meetings

Since its inception in 2011, ICPE has had fall membership meetings to bring together advocates for public education and to find new friends of public education. After single meetings in 2011 and 2012 at the Washington Township site, three meetings were held in 2013. Now the ICPE board of directors has set five meetings for this year.

We are convinced that there are hundreds and perhaps thousands who strongly support public education who have not yet heard of the work of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education. We are out to change that! Please help us bring more people to the mission of supporting our public schools. Please help us get the word around to others about these five meetings and about ICPE.

September 6th Special Features

The September 6th meeting at the Dean Evans Center in Washington Township will have two features in addition to the showing and discussion of “Rise Above the Mark:”

1. State Superintendent Glenda Ritz will bring greetings and updates as we begin the meeting at 2pm.
2. Preceding the meeting from 12:45 to 1:45, a reception will be held honoring Dr. Bob Dalton and his 63 years of service and advocacy for public education, including his work as a founding board member of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education. Come a little early to the meeting and tell Dr. Dalton thanks for his many efforts on behalf of public school students, including his 18 years as Superintendent in Kokomo and his 11 years as Deputy State Superintendent under both Dr. Dean Evans and Dr. Suellen Reed!

I hope you can make plans now to see “Rise Above the Mark” at one of the ICPE fall meetings. You can RSVP with a quick return email to vic790@aol.com.

Thanks for participating! Please keep up your great support of public schools!

Best wishes,

Vic Smith

“Vic’s Statehouse Notes” and ICPE received one of three Excellence in Media Awards presented by Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization of over 85,000 women educators in seventeen countries. The award was presented on July 30, 2014 during the Delta Kappa Gamma International Convention held in Indianapolis. Thank you Delta Kappa Gamma!

ICPE has worked since 2011 to promote public education in the Statehouse and oppose the privatization of schools. The fall ICPE membership meeting in Indianapolis will be held on Saturday, September 6, 2014 at 2pm at the Washington Township Education Center on the corner of 86th and Woodfield Crossing. The video “Rise Above the Mark” will be featured at the meeting and Rocky Killion, the video’s producer, will be among the panelists to discuss the film afterward. Prior to the 2pm meeting, a reception will begin at 12:45 honoring Dr. Bob Dalton for his 63 years of enthusiastic service to public education. Come join us on Sept. 6th!

We need your membership to help pay the bills for ICPE lobbying efforts. Many have renewed their memberships already, and we thank you! If you have not done so since July 1, the start of our new membership year, we urge you to renew by going to our website.

We must raise additional funds for the 2015 session. We need additional members and additional donations. We need your help and the help of your colleagues who support public education! Please pass the word!

Go to www.icpe2011.com for membership and renewal information and for full information on ICPE efforts on behalf of public education. Thanks!

Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998.

###

Comments and Questions From NEIFPE Showing of Rise Above the Mark

On Sunday, August 17, the Fort Wayne Cinema Center, in collaboration with NEIFPE, presented the film, Rise Above the Mark.

From the Rise Above the Mark website...

Rise Above the Mark is a documentary narrated by Peter Coyote that brings to light the heartbreaking realities of public education. It’s the story of what happens when politics enters the classroom.

Public schools are boxed in by current corporate reforms. Rules and regulations restrict vision, depreciate funding, demoralize teachers, and turn students into test-taking machines, robbing them of time to foster creativity.

Rise Above the Mark focuses on Indiana’s struggles with public school reforms—the same types of struggles experienced in schools throughout the United States.

Experts Diane Ravtich, Linda Darling-Hammond, Pasi Sahlberg and others discuss how America can make positive changes to provide an exceptional public school system for all children.

A panel discussion with Northwest Allen County Schools Superintendent Chris Himsel, Karen Francisco of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and Whitley County Consolidated Schools Business Manager Kirk Doehrmann followed the showing in the Theater.

The following comments and questions were provided by the Cinema Center audience after the film. Some comments and questions were difficult to read. Please forgive any errors. They are in no particular order. NEIFPE answers follow the questions and are highlighted.

###

1. I was wondering if this show will be televised throughout the state? I would also like to hear the panel's reaction to Mitch Daniel's remarks on satellite schools this week.

2. How did the position of the Teachers Unions allow this change to occur? Now, how can the unions reorganize to create influence to move the pendulum back the other direction?

3. 1) Embrace the ISTA Amendment. 2) The Business Plan of Shadow Government. 3) Please talk about poverty and education.

4. Karen, you are a spokesperson for pre-school education. What would you suggest IN should do to move this along? Are vouchers the "way to go?"

5. (COMMENT, RHETORICAL QUESTION) Feels so good to be validated as a public school teacher and to have such a cohesive, fervent, research-driven piece created and presented. I am so thankful to have retired from teaching in Ohio before they started using test scores as a teacher evaluation tool instead of a student diagnostic tool. When teachers are so much about creating a positive atmosphere for students, how can legislators require administrators to treat teachers in such negative ways, creating such a demoralizing environment? My such excellent teacher friends are beside themselves with stress.

6. How do we get state legislators to watch this movie and to engage in these issues?

7. In an age of accountability, how can we show that local control can work?

8. Why test at all? How should school effectiveness be measured?

9. Getting government/politics out of education: How to do it soon? How to "fight" the monied interests? How to change the conversation with the current crop of politicians?

10. Can you identify legislators who are in support of public schools?

NEIFPE sent out a questionnaire to all the candidates running for office. We'll be posting the results of the survey on this blog and on our Facebook page over the next several weeks.

11. How do you think the situation in Ferguson, MO impacts our thinking about the role and necessity of public schools?

12. Get the schools back the right way schools should be.

13. So true is the statement that those who are making all the decisions in education know nothing about teaching. Also, I agree that the legislators in Indianapolis care only about money -- not the students, not public education. Karen Francisco does a great job covering education issues. Keep up the good work.

14. I went to school in NY back in the 70s. I think the point is that teachers allowed to teach and were were allowed to use our minds. In the 50s we as a country got off our butts due to sputnik and cared to kick our education system up.

15. Is there a comparable group of activists in S. IN and other parts of the state?

The Monroe County Coalition for Public Education is in Bloomington.
The Indiana Coalition for Public Education is in Indianapolis.
Other groups in Indiana can be found HERE.

###

Rise Above the Mark in Fort Wayne

Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education (NEIFPE)

and

Cinema Center of Fort Wayne

Present

Sunday, August 17, 2014, at 2 p.m.

Protect our local schools from destructive legislation!

This documentary focuses on the "corporate takeover" of Indiana public schools and offers strategies to parents, taxpayers, and educators on how to protect our community schools. This film is narrated by Peter Coyote and produced by Superintendent Dr. Rocky Killion and the West Lafayette Community Schools Corporation.

$8 General Admission
$6.50 Seniors and Students
$5 Cinema Center Members
$4 Student/Senior Members

NEIFPE will host a panel discussion after the film including

• Chris Himsel - NACS Superintendent

• Karen Francisco - Journal Gazette

• Kirk Doehrmann - WCCS Business Manager

More information:

Rise Above the Mark Home Page

Fort Wayne Cinema Center

Keep up to date on Public Education issues.

Follow us every day on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Or sign up for email alerts whenever this blog is updated. Fill in the FOLLOW US BY EMAIL box in the right hand column.

###

Rise Above the Mark -- February 28, 2014, Butler University

A few NEIFPE members (who weren't at the NPE Conference in Texas) attended the screening of Rise Above the Mark at Butler University in Indianapolis on February 28, 2014.

The following videos, taken by our friend Clyde Gaw [Indiana Art Education Advocacy Action Blog], is of the discussion after the film.

Featured in the film along with other educators and parents, are...

Diane Ravitch, educational historian and co-founder of The Network for Public Education, author of Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools
Karen Francisco, editorial writer, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Linda Darling-Hammond, Professor of Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, author of The Flat World And Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future
Pasi Sahlberg, visiting Professor of Practice at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, author of Finnish Lessons
Marc Tucker, CEO, National Center on Education and the Economy, author of Tough Choices or Tough Times
Jamie Vollmer, former business executive, author of The Blueberry Story and Schools Cannot Do It Alone

Diane Ravitch with NEIFPE co-founder Donna Roof and Stephanie Bush.

For further information...

Rise Above the Mark

Ravitch tangles with school reformers on Butler panel

###