Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/9051
percent of all public school funding, has come to drive states’ education policies. By forcing teachers to teach to the test, NCLB caused many states to “dumb down” their standards to get better test re- sults. Ravitch recalled how U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan — the former superintendent of Chicago schools — has said such tactics amount to lying to children. “He’s right. He should know. They did it in Illinois.” If people thought punitive NCLB concepts would be dis- carded by President Obama when he took office, think again, Ravitch warned. She de- scribed the testing and ac- countability reforms sought by Obama and Duncan as “NCLB on steroids.” She cited as proof Obama’s Race to the Top (“dash to the cash”) guidelines for states to qualify for $4.3 billion in fed- eral grants. California failed to qualify for the first round of grants. CTA raised red flags about all of the grant program reforms states must make to win the race for grants — re- forms that Ravitch also criti- cized: lifting caps on charters; linking test scores to teacher salaries; the demand that struggling schools be turned around or closed; creating a statewide data tracking system linking test results to teach- ers. This administration fails to see that there is no one-size- f its-al l strategy for every school, she asserts, and that testing should not be used for punitive purposes. She is saddened that Obama has said he wants to close as many as 5,000 low-performing schools in America, instead of finding them the resources they need to succeed. Com- munities need their neighbor- hood schools open and thriv- ing, she said. “Schools are often the heart of their community, represent- ing traditions, values and his- tory that help bind the com- munity together.” MIKE MYSLINSKI March 4 rallies Continued from page 10 for the last three years — be- came clear. Parents at the town hall reit- erated their campaign to raise $3 million to save teachers’ jobs and keep class sizes low, and helped staff tables to gather do- nations. Parents listened as the town hall moderator, CTA Board member Don Dawson, a San Jo- se high school teacher, ex- plained about the impacts of the governor’s latest broken prom- ise — reneging on an agreement made last summer in the Legis- lature to restore $11.2 billion owed to schools under Proposi- tion 98. “The governor signed it,” Dawson said. “He wants to re- nege on that. That’s not right. In California, we have suffered enough from these things.” Villafana ended with a call to action. “Please contact your legis- lators and let them know that we cannot continue to cut and cut and cut public education. We need to put pressure on them to come up with other solutions, or we need to find new legislators that will work with us.” MIKE MYSLINSKI MARCH 2010 | www.cta.org 31 Credential, Certificate and Professional Development Programs at Your Fingertips! Online Classes Available! Accessible and Affordable Online Programs for K-12 and Postsecondary Educators New Courses Beginning Every Month— Most Programs can be Completed in Under One Year Interactive, Research-Based Programs with Practical Classroom Application Programs include: • California Clear Credential (Ryan and SB 2042) • CLAD Through CTEL • CCTC-Approved Reading Certificate • Career and Technical Education (CTE) • College Counseling • Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) • Teaching Adult Learners • Teaching Online • Professional Development/Salary Point Coursework For more information about online programming available at UC San Diego Extension, please contact Morgan Appel, Director of Education at: (858) 964-1064 or mappel@ucsd.edu or visit: extension.ucsd.edu/education FA09-2032