Following up on New York, opposition to excessive testing is heating up in Chicago. Teachers at two Chicago schools, Saucedo and Drummond, supported by large numbers of parents, have unanimously voted to boycott the upcoming state tests, which are about to be replaced by the PARCC exams. Kids are over-tested as it is, these teachers […]

Here’s a quick report on the New York testing struggle: The NY Regents’ recommendations for delay in consequences for the new tests includes a number of important points. And even state legislators are getting in on the act. It’s really important for teachers everywhere to be aware of what’s happening, and to speak up in […]

BULLETIN! NEW YORK DELAYS COMMON CORE TESTING. Thanks to outspoken parents, teachers, school leaders, and community members, the NY Board of Regents just announced that it has delayed implementation of new tests. The announcement naturally claims foresight, asserting that ‘We knew we’d need to do things like this, all along.’ Of course, there’s far more […]

She may now be a darling of Fox News, but at least this passionate parent speaks up against Common Core testing. Watch her on Youtube (sorry if an ad comes on first – you can skip past it). We’re going to need lots of people speaking out like this if we are to stop the […]

If only the public knew how things really work in schools . . . They would be so much more supportive of us! But we’re the only ones who can explain it to them. Here are two examples, one rather discouraging, the other more hopeful. So in California, teachers are beginning to learn how “close […]

OK, with the new year I think it’s time for some RED MEAT. You need to be angry enough about how public education is being changed that you will decide it’s time to speak up. So here’s what teacher Anthony Cody has to say about what rigorous new tests will do to children. Do read […]

So here’s the last word from Teachers Speak Up for the crazy year of 2013. I know most of you, or your educator colleagues, have been shy about telling your own story to the public. But how about sharing some info about the real story on the US PISA test rankings. OK, you’ve been so […]

While it may have been a quiet holiday for most of us, the Illinois state legislature was busy readying a vote to reduce pensions for teachers and state employees, as a way to address the under-funding of the pension system. Of course, no one seems to talk about the legislature’s habit of skipping required payments […]

I’ve gathered a group of articulate educators for a session on helping teachers connect with communities at NCTE next week.If you are attending the convention, we hope you attend — it’s session F55, Saturday, Nov. 23, 8:00-9:15 AM. Peter Smagorinsky will be our featured speaker. He has written portraits of many outstanding teachers and had […]

The Courageous Teacher Responds to Governor Christie OK, people! If you haven’t already seen it, here’s how the teacher herself — the one who had Governor Chris Christie yelling in her face — responded in a letter on her blog. (Incidentally, if he was one of her students, what would be the consequence of such […]