Welcome to the Coalition for Better Education
"No one has yet realized the wealth of sympathy, the kindness, and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure." - Emma Goldman
The Coalition for Better Education was started by a group of aspiring educators from the University of Northern Colorado, and has expanded to include teachers, parents and students across the state. Our goal is to expand awareness of the costs and limitations of the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) and "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB), and to empower parents and teachers.
January 22, 2010
Open letter to our website visitors from the leadership at the Coalition for Better Education, Inc.
Dear Colleagues:
Yes, you may have heard that the testing regimen of the Colorado Student Assessment Program is on its way toward being history. Even Governor Ritter in his final State of the State address made mention of the end of CSAP testing. Now, at first blush, this seems like a good thing. But once we begin to look deeper, we see that the federal and state bureaucracies will forward the same destructive policies of standardizing our children through even more testing. No doubt the biggest motivation for the end of CSAP is the rush to conform to the requirements of the program known as “Race to the Top” promoted by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. One of those requirements will tie teacher evaluations to performance on test scores. Let us note, too, that no mention whatsoever is made in the promotion of “Race to the Top” of the critical importance of educating the whole child, of dignifying the autonomy of our children and their professionals in the classroom, and of an educational philosophy that promotes co-operation, compassion, and citizenship.
We all know the direct correlation between test scores and socio-economic status. We all know that children of poverty come to school with a host of health and social issues that interfere with learning. And we all know that test scores tell us only what we already know, do nothing but marginalize our children, and line the pockets of Corporate America. The culture that values these very flawed tests does a great disservice to our children, the teaching profession, public education, and any and all hopes for a functioning democracy. We therefore will continue our mission to raise awareness of the harms of high stakes standardized testing, in whatever form they may take, and urge parents to speak out on behalf of their children and indeed, on behalf of a community that sees public education and truly well educated citizens as indispensable for a functioning society, one that values the wellbeing of its constituents.
Sincerely,
Don Perl
Laura Manuel
The Coalition for Better Education, Inc.
www.thecbe.org