Refuse the Tests and Refuse Receivership
• Unite District-Wide Against Education Commissioner’s Dictate
• Say NO! to Commisioner's Dictate and YES! to Public Control (PDF)
Refuse the Tests and Refuse Receivership
Unite District-Wide Against Education Commissioner’s Dictate
On November 8, the Commissioner imposed her “Order” on 5 Buffalo public schools under receivership. The Commissioner specifically stated that her “Order” is effective immediately and need not be submitted to the collective bargaining unit members for ratification. Elia also refused to include smaller classes as a means to improve quality. She did support involuntary transfers of teachers at any time, starting now (see more below on the “Commissioner’s Order”).
The “Order” cannot be called an agreement or a contract. It is not negotiation, it is dictate. The five schools are Burgard and South Park High Schools, and BEST, Futures and West Hertel Elementary. Another 14 schools will soon come under the same order.
We are to believe that two appointed individuals, state Education Commissioner Elia and her local receiver Dr. Cash, using the state Common Core tests and state takeover of the schools, will solve the serious problems our schools face. We are to believe state takeover is valid even though there are no examples, no evidence, no facts to show state takeover improves quality. It most definitely does not provide the equal right to education for all. There are many examples, such as in Newark, New Jersey, Philadelphia and New Orleans, that show it does not improve quality, or equality — but does serve the closing of public schools, privatizing them and removing the public from governance.
The state Common Core testing regime is the basis for labeling students as failures, and schools as failures. These same test scores, where the bar for passing is constantly changed by the state, are being used by the state to justify their takeover.
Tests Scores Cannot Assess Quality
It is known that such tests cannot assess the quality of students, or teachers or education, yet that is how they are being used. Indeed, the regime is designed to ensure the best qualities of students, teachers and schools, such as in music, art, science, social studies, sports, collaboration, initiative, thinking, are given no place. Assessments, based on an overall picture of students and teachers, individually and collectively, are purposely blocked, replaced instead with invalid test scores. A thinking person cannot help but consider such a set up irrational. If the aim is to improve the quality of education, than quality is what has to be examined. A quantitative measure from one math and English test cannot possibly provide the content needed. Which is also why tests cannot point to solutions needed.
The claim that involuntary transfers of teachers are needed to improve quality is also irrational. Just what qualities are the Commissioner and receiver Cash looking for? Certainly important qualities, like how engaged students are, how much students and their parents respect and love their teachers, how well teachers are contributing to educating whole human beings concerned about solving problems — are not counted, as they do not show up on a test score.
Education for Non-Thinking Drones, or to Change the World?
The state takeover and dictate, the testing, transfers at any time, do not have the aim of improving the quality of education. They are a means for private control of public schools, and to repress resistance using dictate and humiliation. They serve to further wreck our public schools, including closing and privatizing them, and turning teachers and students alike into drones who follow orders.
Blocking people from conscious participation in decision making on matters like education is also a way to block thinking. Participating in deciding, including working out what is needed to raise the quality of education, requires thinking. It requires discussion, debate and thoughtful judgment by those directly involved in the work. The testing regime and state takeover both have as part of their aim to block such thinking and encourage instead the training of non-thinking drones — teachers that follow orders and engage in activities they know to be harmful and students who accept collective humiliation, punishment and training to become drones themselves.
Now is the time to REFUSE! Refuse to submit to state dictate and stand up to defend democracy. Join work to step up and unite organizing efforts district-wide to Refuse the Tests and Refuse Receivership. Reject the Commissioner’s “Order,” which is an vicious attack on the rights of teachers and students. Do not allow the schools in receivership to be isolated, especially the 5 schools. Reject the role of non-thinking drones and fight for education to change the world. Stand firm in defending the Equal Right to Education for All and Public Control of Public Schools!
Organize emergency meetings in every school and informational pickets. Join efforts to inform and activate more parents and students, school by school, using informational pickets, leafleting, phone-banking. Develop joint work with all refusing the tests in the city and suburbs.
Join in! Contact Buffalo Forum (602-8077) or write to the organizing committee to refuse receivership at BuffaloWeDecide@gmail.com.
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Say NO! to Commisioner's Dictate and
YES! to Public Control
The leaflet below is being distributed at schools, union and community meetings, among parents and elsewhere, as part of organizing efforts to unite all to Refuse Receivership! Post, print and distribute widely!
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