Had a great time at our Board of Education testing zombie event. Keep those signatures coming, and look for action news soon! Here’s what we had to say. For more than a decade, North Carolina schools, students, teachers and families have suffered from the onslaught of high-stakes standardized tests sparked by the No Child Left […]
How is a standardized test like a zombie? They’re mindless, and they just keep coming. It’s time to fight high-stakes standardized tests! Join the undead for a rally at the Government Center Plaza, 600 E 4th St, Charlotte, NC 28202 before the Board of Education meeting. Come anytime between 4-6:30 pm. Wear your best zombie […]
Diane Ravitch gave a great talk here in Charlotte this past Wednesday, with a major focus on the problems with high-stakes testing. It’s well worth watching. See it on YouTube, thanks to sponsor UNC Charlotte.
Two years ago, pressure from parents, teachers and community members derailed a misguided effort to test every Mecklenburg County student in every subject in every grade. It’s time to turn that pressure up again. In the next few years, students across North Carolina will face a tsunami of tests that will dwarf the previous plan. […]
We were delighted to hear Superintendent Heath Morrison speak out so forcefully about the time and money being wasted on the upcoming expansion of state standardized testing (177 new exams!). We were also pleased to learn that he is working with other district leaders around the country to advocate for sanity in testing. Please take […]
A group of courageous CMS teachers and staff stood before the Board of Education asking to help create a workplace culture “where passion and creative striving replace fear and stress, where enthusiastic teamwork replaces punitive blame, and where supportive compassion replaces hostility”. You may read their full comments here. We’ve also archived the September 11, […]
Please join us at the Board of Education meeting on Sept. 11. The DNC has departed, but there’s still much to do. Teacher morale and the new state tests will both be addressed at the school board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 6:30 p.m. at the Government Center. Please try to come join us. It […]
MecklenburgACTS is handing out this information at the Democratic National Convention here in Charlotte, at events sponsored by groups that are proposing ineffective solutions to the challenges faced by American education, and which are diverting energy, attention and resources from the changes that will produce real improvements. Students First, Parent Revolution and Democrats for Education […]
Our nation’s public schools face tremendous challenges. Parents, educators, communities and elected officials need to work TOGETHER to build the schools that will prepare our children to face a changing world. Unfortunately, too much precious time, energy and money has been sidetracked by policies that harm our schools rather than help them. These flawed policies […]
As we approach the new school year, it’s a good time to talk about what our teachers and students need to be successful. Two recent Charlotte Observer opinion pieces present some of the challenges: Kay McSpadden’s Viewpoint, “In Education Poverty Matters” published on August 18, 2012. CMS social workers Barry Sherman and Beverlyn Sherrill’s Viewpoint, […]