This past weekend in Chicago, over 600 people from around the country gathered together to attend the second annual conference of the Network for Public Education. And it was fabulous.... So many edu-bloggers, grassroots organizations, authors, activists, parents, teachers, and superstars in the world of public education were there. 

And get this...they all hissed every time Arne Duncan's name was mentioned. Six hundred hissing people is quite impressive in an unnerving sort of way!!

Among those invited to speak at the conference were three kids from Newark, New Jersey: Kristin Towkaniuk, Jose Leonardo, and Tanaisa Brown. These teenagers flew across country, booked a hotel room, and hung out in Chicago for the weekend--all without their parents. The only adult in the group was Kristin, an 18 year old senior. 

Have no fear, these kids can take care of themselves.

On Friday, Kristin, Jose, and Tanaisa made their way around Chicago. They had lunch in the Signature Room on top of the John Hancock Building, visited Loyola University, and spent the afternoon in Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. That night, Kristin and Tanaisa worked on their presentation for the next day then wrote Tanaisa's keynote address while Jose finished up his homework by writing an essay. 

These are smart kids who attend some of the top ranking high schools in the country. One is pursuing an International Baccalaureate (IB) high school diplomas while another has already been accepted at a prominent university. But that's not why they were invited to the NPE Conference.

This group of smart, independent kids helped form the Newark Student Union. And it all began in history class. The kids got this idea that if teachers could have unions then so could they. But you should know that these teens are very serious about their student union being exactly that---a student union. Their advice to well-meaning adults who want to organize students to fight against education reform, testing, etc. is to BUTT OUT. It's called a student union for a reason. That doesn't mean that these independent and smart kids don't still need Momma (and Poppa) Bears in their lives who love and support them. And make them clean their rooms before they can go to the protest rally. They do. Kristin, Jose, and Tanaisa all have families and teachers who love and take care of them but when it comes to the student union, any support from adults comes strictly from the sidelines. 

These kids have their own ideas on how to run their union. They are extremely well organized and democratic. They settle their differences of opinion by voting. Officers are elected to represent the membership and everyone is assigned a role from protester to care-bear. If you want to know what a care-bear does or more about organizing student unions, you should watch their panel discussion on the NPE website. Don't be fooled by their upbeat attitude, it is not easy to form a student union. 

Activism is hard work and not for the faint of heart. Kristin has had her arm broken and Tanaisa's foot was run over by a car during protests. But they don't often mention those things when talking about the Newark Student Union. And when they do, they seem to take their injuries in stride, much like a football or rugby player who gets hurt on the field. It's all a part of doing what you love.

What these kids do want you to know is that they are still just kids. They have to go to school, take care of their little brothers or sisters, clean their rooms, do their homework, plan for college, and all the other things that teenagers do. In their spare time, they organize rallies, occupy the offices of their Superintendent of Schools, Cami Anderson, and field phone calls from journalists. They also support one another and inspire students from all over the country. 

At the NPE Panel Discussion on High School advocacy, the Newark Student Union lent their support to a student campaign called "Break Free" where students make and wear twine bracelets as a protest test symbol against abusive over-testing. Although opting out of standardized testing is no big deal in New Jersey, the NSU kids wanted to show their support and solidarity with student from other states who are tested against their will. 

In New Jersey, most every student opts out of standardized tests. The few students who do decide to be tested are taken to the library while classes continue as usual for everyone else. But students in other states are not so lucky. For those kids, all classes come to a screaming halt as the testing begins and students are given no choice in the matter. Tennessee, for example, requires students to be tested or face repercussions such as a punitive drop in their grades or accusations of truancy. For students in those states, wearing a protest symbol like the "break-free bracelet" is a big deal and for some, their only recourse against mandatory testing. 

We have been warned that in the fight for the survival of public education, things will get even uglier before the billionaires get bored and move on to something else. We have also been told not to give up because we will win. The Newark Student Union is a big reason why we will win. They are our not-so-secret-weapon that will bring the billionaires to their knees. Bill Gates, Eli Broad, et al may have more money than they know what to do with....but there is one thing these billionaires will never, ever have again.... And that is youth. 

Kids have their own unique way of doing things. They have their own particular perspective that is crystal clear in a way that can only be seen through young eyes. And so it is with the Newark teenagers.

While everyone else was packing up at the end of the NPE Conference to head home, the kids from Newark had their own ideas. Kristin, Jose, and Tanaisa took the opportunity to see the "real Chicago" with Asean Johnson and his mom, Shoneice Reynolds. They visited communities hit the hardest by school closures and talked with the kids who are on the front lines in the fight to save public education in Chicago. They shared deep dish pizza and encouragement to "keep fighting, keep marching." Reminding each other that "we have nothing to lose but our chains!" 

In the spirit of this fearless compassion, Momma Bears has a bold warning for Arne Duncan: Our children are more than white, more than suburban, and more brilliant than your condescending mind will ever know. And they will do more than hiss at your name. They believe in action. And God help you, if they ever decide to occupy your office.

For more about the Newark Student Union, check out their Facebook page and you can financially support their efforts here. Momma Bears would like to thank the Network for Public Education for giving us the opportunity to meet kids from across the country who are passionate about saving public education. 

Around the country the Opt -Out movement is growing.  Dr. Mark Naison, a professor at Fordham University, compiled an excellent list on reasons why parents are rebelling over these tests:

1. There are too many tests.
2. The tests are too long.
3. The tests are poorly designed and poorly written.
4. The tests are surrounded by a level of secrecy usually reserved for a nuclear arsenal.
5. The tests are never returned to students and teachers to inform instruction.
6. The tests are used to rate teachers, schools and whole school districts, purposes for which they were never intended.
7. The tests are made by profit making companies who give huge contributions to legislators and perks to policy making bodies.
8. The tests are used to justify the implementation of a National Curriculum- the Common Core- whose advocates claim it is neither national or a curriculum.
9. The tests are incredibly expensive and take money away from the arts, counseling, and libraries.
10. The tests are discriminatory in the manner they are applied to Special Needs and ELL Students.
11. The high stakes attached to the tests have forced schools in high poverty districts to use recess and gym for test prep.
12. The tests have been used as an excuse for closing thousands of schools and firing tens of thousands of teachers, many of them teachers of color.
    

Tennessee is no exception.  Parents are asking how they can get their child out of testing.  Today UnitedOptOut.com posted a TN refusal letter.  It might help Tennessee parents who wish to refuse the tests for their children.

On the UnitedOptOut website, there is also a link to a Letter to Directors of Schools in Tennessee Regarding Opt Out/Refusal that Momma Bears think is an attempt to bully parents and take away parental rights.  Your kids are data points to them.  The Refusal letter is interesting.  It cites TN code - TCA 49-2-211(a) states that, “Every LEA shall develop a policy setting forth the rights of parents and students as guidelines for teachers and principals with respect to the administration of surveys, analyses or evaluations of students.” Section (b)(1) of this law states that, “[t]he policy shall enable a parent or legal guardian to opt their student out of participating in a survey, analysis, or evaluation.” (Note that there are no definitions of “survey,” “analysis,” or “evaluation” in this statute.)

Momma Bears would love to see this stand up as lawful.  What else could TCAP be besides an evaluation?  Teachers don’t ever see the answers.  There is nothing diagnostic to help a child improve upon what they do not know.  These tests are used to “evaluate teachers and schools” in order to manipulate government policy.  So we’d say they ARE a definitely an evaluation.

Momma Bears also loves the use of the Attorney General's opinion that claimed former Commissioner Huffman was within the law to waive the TCAP for grades.  “While state law requires that TCAP scores make up 15%-25% of a child’s final semester grades, our former Commissioner of Education waived this requirement in 2014.  Despite TCA 49-1-201(d)(1), this was allowed.  The Attorney General opinion dated July 2, 2014 stated that “the requirements of Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-1-617…can be waived; they are not statutory requirements related to “federal and state student assessment and accountability” under Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-1-201(d)(1)(J).”

The ending to the letter says, "Because it appears that I have the legal right to opt my child out of the TCAP evaluation, and the law requiring the use of TCAP scores in grades seems to be subjectively disposable, my child’s TCAP scores (or lack thereof) will not be factored into his/her grades. In summary, I respectfully request that you respond, in writing, confirming that you will abide by my expectations set forth in this letter. You may contact me in writing if you have any questions. ”  Smart!  Get it in writing.  It is a good idea to keep detailed notes and written evidence.  You never know when it might come in handy in court.  Hopefully, it won't come to that, but if the TDOE keeps bullying parents, we may just have to file a lawsuit.

Students First, Michelle Rhee's reform group, has recently publicized a YouTube Video starring Dusty Webb as a self proclaimed Warrior Mom. Dusty wants you to support legislation in Tennessee that would allow public school dollars to be spent on her son, Josh's, private school tuition. Well, before we start giving away our sparse public school resources to private institutions, maybe we should have a closer look at The Warrior. 

According to this newspaper article in the Cleveland Banner, Dusty is the mother of a Bachman Academy student. And she's a warrior for school vouchers because back in 1953 when Dusty was a girl, she lived in a small town that only had one school. Dusty says she “struggled' with a certain subject in school [and] she said her mother was a 'warrior' who did the best she could to see her daughter learn what she needed to learn." 

Okay? We are not really sure what that has to do with school choice. But to say the least, there have been lots of changes in public education since Dusty was a schoolgirl. Brown v. Board of Education struck down public school segregation. IDEA federal legislation now guarantees special services to school children with disabilities. Kindergarten has become mandatory. Heck, we've even added to American History curriculum by putting a man on the moon. 

Anyway, you get the picture...a whole lot has changed in over 60 years.

So, what's going on with Dusty now?

Well, that's not exactly clear either. Warrior Mom is telling her YouTube audience that she fights for her son, Josh. Then she tells a newspaper reporter that she is the parent of a student at Bachman Academy. So, you would think there would be a student at Bachman Academy named Josh and his mother would be our own Warrior Mom, Dusty Webb, right? But we checked the Bachman Academy yearbook and there is no "Josh" listed. We couldn't even find a student whose last name was Webb. Hmmmm...that is strange. 

Before you think Momma Bears stayed up all night reading student names in a school annual, we should tell you that there are less than 40 students at Bachman Academy. Yes, that's right. Less than 40 kids in the whole school. So, going through the Bachman Academy yearbook was like calling roll in a high school English class. 

Bachman Academy is a private boarding and day school for grades 6-12 located in Cleveland, Tennessee. Tuition ranges from $20,500 for the day school to $49,750 for full week boarding school. The school is situated on "a beautiful 188-acre campus where children who learn differently are embraced by an experienced, enthusiastic staff with a strong tradition of success!" 

According to its website: "Bachman Academy serves students with learning differences, like Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD),
 Asperger's/Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD, ADD), who learn best in a non-traditional environment that is challenging, achievement-oriented and individualized. The typical Bachman student is of average to above average intelligence." 

"Since 1999, [Bachman Academy] has served students with learning differences from 27 states and 8 countries." The website goes on the say that "in 2004, the Academy became a SEVIS approved school and was able to accept international students with learning differences." SEVIS is the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System and is used to maintain information on Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified schools. International students seem to be a big deal at Bachman Academy. You can read their six-page guide for foreign students here. Students come from as far away as the Middle East. One student (pictured on the left) is Andre from the United Arab Emirates, shown with his family on Graduation Day in 2011.

Several weeks ago, this small specialty school that serves only a handful of students decided to host a School Choice event in conjunction with a national campaign called School Choice Week. The weird thing is that School Choice Week is more than an event. It's an organization that has a president, Andrew Camponella, plus millions of dollars to spend on PSA promotions. 

During the event, Josh's Warrior Mom wrapped a symbolic yellow scarf around her neck and addressed an audience of private school parents about the need to fight for educational opportunities. She, along with Bachman Academy headmaster, Mark Frizzell, led an attack against public schools during a time when the Tennessee state legislature is debating school voucher bills. Frizzell told the audience that about 32 million Americans cannot read and 19 percent of all high school graduates finish school unable to read. He said, “the education system is in dire need of change,” and called it “a mess.” Frizzell added that it is important for governments to allocate more funding “toward all types of education” to make sure no students go without the teaching and help they need. “We have an obligation to provide different types of schools,” Frizzell said.

We agree with Headmaster Frizzell about governments being obligated to provide funding for all types of education. But we feel that funding needs to remain in public schools where it can be controlled by the elected representatives of the people. The debate is not about school choice, it's about money. A private school board of directors can answer to the school's biggest donors but public monies need to remain under the control of our publicly elected officials.

Oh, here are a few thing we bet The Warrior forgot to mention about vouchers:

1.  Not all students will be eligible for vouchers. Students who come from Tennessee school systems that are not in the bottom 5% will not qualify for Tennessee Opportunity Scholarships. And neither will all the students from other states or countries. So, out of people gathered to hear Warrior Mom's speech, how many will actually have children who qualify for Tennessee's proposed Opportunity Scholarships? 

2.  Bachman Academy would have to accept opportunity scholarships as payment in full for tuition even though the voucher amount (based on BEP funding) will likely be less than half of the minimum $20,500 day school tuition. We wonder how all those parents paying the full cost of tuition will feel about having state-funded students attending the same school for substantially less money? What does that say about Bachman Academy? Who will pick up the slack for the half-price voucher kids? Or if Bachman Academy can absorb these costs, then are parents being over charged for tuition at a so called "nonprofit" school?

3.  Parents of children with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) would have to waive their rights to federal IDEA funding for special needs services. This is a big one and a relatively new concept in Tennessee. You can read more about it here in Tennessee Education Reports. 

Momma Bears are not fooled by out-of-state special interest groups like Students First and Alliance for School Choice. We know vouchers are a bad deal for our children in Tennessee. We would love for every child to have access to a beautiful school campus and small class sizes. But pony rides and fishing poles are just not in the public school budget. And it would be unconscionable to subsidize private school education for a small number of students while depriving the most basic resources from those schools who must serve the needs of so many. 

Dear Teacher, 

You look like you haven't slept in a while. Your hair's a mess and your clothes are all wrinkled. We know you are overworked and tired. But it seems like it's more than that... 

Are you feeling bad because Jenny cried in class today?

Your whole class heard her. She was sucking in air, trying to stop. But she couldn't. She just kept crying. The other kids were looking up from their tests and looking at you. They know you heard her too; even though, you kept your eyes glued to the computer screen. It must have been hard for you to hear her cries and do nothing. Were you too afraid to look at her because you might start crying too? 

You've worked so hard to be a teacher. And everyone was so proud of you. Your family supported you especially during busy times like the first day of school. Remember when the first day of school was so exciting? You got to meet your new class. And secretly, it made you proud when parents requested you as a teacher. You were known as one of the "good teachers" and everybody loved you. 

But now, we noticed in those first-day-of-school pictures that the excitement is gone from your eyes. Do you greet your students on the first day of school wondering which one of them will be the first to crack? One will, you know. Someone will inevitably break down. And you'll have to stare at your computer screen pretending not to hear your student crying.

When did this happen? When did teaching become testing? And testing become torturing?

In 2013, the US DOE published a paper called Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance: Critical Factors for Success in the 21st Century. It outlines the new psychometric testing. Children are tested on much more than knowledge now, they are subjected to testing that pushes them to the brink just to see how much they can take before they breakdown. Even children as young as preschool are tested on delayed gratification to gauge long they will wait before unwrapping a shiny new toy.

It seemed crazy at the time to read a USDOE white paper asking the question: "What will it take to shift educational priorities to promote not only content knowledge, but also grit, tenacity, and perseverance?" But now, you see it happening in your classroom. It is all playing out right before your very eyes. You are living what the paper demands: "—it is the responsibility of the educational community to design learning environments that promote these factors so that students are prepared to meet 21st-century challenges." 

The changes in your classroom come from a long line of psychological research including the United States Army Master Resilience Trainer (MRT) Course. That program is listed in the USDOE paper as a method to develop resilience in children. Classrooms are now academic boot camps and you are no longer a teacher. You are the drill sergeant. It's your job to break Jenny down, make her cry so you can rebuild her into a 21st century student equipped with grit, tenacity, and perseverance.

This must break your heart... Is it hard to face Jenny's mom on parent night, knowing you ignored her crying child? Or worse....knowing you caused those tears? You have been placed into an impossible situation. And each year, it gets harder to accept those sweet little teacher appreciation gifts because each year, you feel less and less like a teacher. 

It's not your fault, you know.... The Grit paper comes with a warning:

All around the nation, teachers struggle to do what is right. Some teachers have resorted to cheating on the tests, but you don't want to go to jail. Other teachers have left the profession but you are too young to retire and besides, you want to be a teacher. And Lord knows, you have tried your best to just teach through all these experimental and poorly executed reforms.

So, here's what we are going to do....

Momma Bears will be urging all parents, grandparents, and everyone who cares about children not to proctor the TCAP test. Many of us will be pulling our children out of school during testing time and we would appreciate your support for our decision. For those Momma Bears wanting more information about opting out of TCAPs, click here. 

And teacher, if you start to feel sick when testing your students, then by all means, go home. Go see a doctor. We're worried that the stress of going from teacher to drill sergeant is affecting your health. It makes us sick too so we will be unavailable to substitute.  ---Love, Your Momma Bears

ICYMI.... The Tennessee legislature is now set to pass a law overturning the rights of local municipalities to decide for themselves whether they will allow firearms in their local parks. Under the new law, anyone with a permit to carry can bring a gun into a city park. This opens up a whole new can of worms when city parks are located near and used by schools. Some of the biggest school systems in Tennessee are in partnerships with their municipal parks and recreation departments to provide playground and athletic facilities that serve school children.

Current laws in effect do not allow guns on school campus. And there are state regulations that do not allow guns at school athletic events. So, what happens when the football stadium or baseball field is located in a city park? Which law will trump: the right to carry or the ban on guns at school events? No doubt, this dichotomy in the law will have an impact across the state. 

Remember the Radnor Lake Rambo? Maybe he should have been lobbying at the state capitol instead of patrolling at Hillsboro High School? 

You can read more about him in this article from the Tennessean. 

But before, one of you starts to arguing about the Second Amendment. You should know that Momma Bears don't go down rabbit holes. We fiercely protect children like a bear. And bears don't belong in rabbit holes.
 
Some of us carry guns and others will just rip your face off the old fashion way with our claws. Either way, we'd prefer Rambo stay away from our children. 

So, what's a Momma Bear to do if the new law lets Rambo patrol our school playgrounds? Well, we just might have to take matters into our own hands. 

In light of the recent bill allowing guns in all municipal parks and playgrounds, Momma Bears will be organizing Pistol Packin' Momma Patrols. Look for sign-up sheets soon. We think that if other people are going to have guns at our children's playgrounds then us mommas will have no choice but to lock & load too. Don't be fooled by our strollers and minivans, we will act as armed bodyguards for our littles. We will be trained pistol packin' mommas who took a class and everything. Don't worry. Most of the time, we hit the target at the shooting range. 

We will also be maintaining the peace. So, the next time you are at a little league baseball game, here's a warning: you better watch your mouth. Before you make a crack about that kid on first base, remember that his pistol packin' momma might just be sitting next to you with a .38 in her purse. Of course, we'll encourage her to go home and blog about you instead of taking more drastic action. But just to be on the safe side, you should keep your mouth shut unless you are cheering for everybody and telling all the kids that they did a good job.

Next year, we'll take our patrol on the road to the state Capitol in Nashville. 

We don't want to hear lawmakers claim they voted for a crazy bill because someone held a gun to their head. Boy, does that gives a whole new meaning to trigger legislation. So, our pistol packing mommas will be patrolling the state Capitol. 

And we'll be reminding everyone that duck hunting season does not include lame ducks like Governor Hasbeen uh...Haslam. 

But just to be on the safe side, we hope the Governor will veto the bill on Guns in the Park & Guns in the State Capitol. Momma Bears would really prefer to stay home and spend our time in the parks, playing with our kids instead of packin' heat.