Many of us grow discouraged when we see that our voices, even when we use them, go unheard and are left all too isolated. But maybe the pain has to really get intense to motivate more of us to begin to step up. In any case, as challenges increase teachers ARE speaking up — and it’s having an effect.

• In New York, teacher and parent concerns voiced at hearings have led Governor Cuomo to acknowledge that the Common Core standards and testing roll-out has been “flawed” and a Regents panel has been set up to recommend changes.
• And here is one teacher in Rochester, writing to the local newspaper about some of the pain.
• Then there are the many teachers in New Mexico confronting the combative acting state superintendent (the controversies have resulted in the state legislature failing to vote on her ratification).
• And Colorado teachers suing over allegedly unfair teacher firings.

So here in Illinois, I’ll be interested to see how teachers respond when the new PARCC tests come online. Meanwhile, the rest of us should be writing and Tweeting to support these courageous educators.