Do you know about this? Friday morning, local Elementary School playgrounds will be the stage for a “Time Out”.
from a local PTA:
We have learned enough about Governor Cuomo’s recently proposed education reform policies to be deeply troubled about the future of our children and the learning environment that will shape their lives. Letters have been written and emails sent but we believe that the time for stronger action is now. On June 30th these policies will be formally adopted. We are asking our elected officials to take a TIME OUT and extend this deadline so that the right people can come to the table, and the right exploration can be employed for thoughtful, not rushed decision making.
1) HIGHER STAKES TESTING: The education reform policies will increase the weight of test scores on teacher performance. We believe that this higher stakes approach will lead to a culture of higher anxiety around testing, and far more ‘teaching to the test’.
2) LESS CONTROL OVER DEVELOPING TALENT IN TEACHERS: Governor Cuomo’s policies require districts to employ outsiders to evaluate teachers. Our district has spent years building a thoughtful evaluation process, earning the trust of teachers so that observations are seen as coaching moments and not adjudication. Our Principals intimately know each staff member’s gifts and opportunities for development. Teacher prep materials, student portfolios, student and parent feedback would be prohibited from consideration. To take this outside of the local district’s hands would undo one of the systems that in our district, that we feel most proud of, and that the children most benefit from – the building and nurturing of quality teaching.
We invite you to join us at your children’s usual drop-off spot at the small and large playgrounds at 8:30am, Friday May 29th for a TIME OUT, we want our voices heard.
Are other schools and districts participating?
Each of the elementary schools will be hosting their own brief moment on Friday morning. We hope that the Mamaroneck School District PTA’s together can inspire other schools in other regions to host similar moments so that elected leaders hear the voices of concerned parents across the state before June 30th when these policies are set to be adopted.
What if I can’t attend but would like to support, how can I help?
If a parent isn’t able to attend, we ask that you send your child to school for the 8:40am bell. We will ensure that all unsupervised children on the playground also proceed into the building for the bell. This is an entirely optional event for those families who wish to support, not a gathering of children who would like to be late for school (sorry kiddos). If you can’t attend but want to support, watch for opportunities next week to sign your name to a petition asking for this delay as well as opportunities to leverage social media to share our concern with other New York parents.
I’m sorry I did not see this until Friday afternoon, I would have liked to have attended to lend my support to the “Time Out.”
This is not a “teachers’ union” issue, it is an issue for all concerned parents, and pretending otherwise is putting on political blinders. Local school districts should be able to fashion evaluations (and teaching methods) that address local needs. The continued extension of larger government controls, and standards dictated from far away from local circumstances, is a very wrong-headed approach.
I will lend my support, for whatever it is worth, to this initiative.
J. Mark Lane
Larchmont
Here a copy of the email that I sent to the Murray Avenue PTA early this morning:
Whatever
the merits of the arguments around education reform, I think it is
completely inappropriate for the children to be exposed to and
effectively be part of this proposed action. I am very disappointed and
will bring my daughter to school via the front door. Furthermore, I
understood that the PTA was supposed to be non-partisan rather than an
extension of the teachers union. On this basis also, though I do have
some concerns about some of the reforms, I think the action is
inappropriate.
If
the PTA wish to propose something, it should be an after school
activity and should not involve the children in any way, shape, or form.
I was glad to find out that all children involvement was subsequently cancelled.