[RSCT] FW: Please endorse: Say YES to public education. Say NOto privatization.

[Tara Mack]

Say YES to public education. Say NO to privatization.


 


Dear supporters of public education,
Many of you have by now heard the rumors of Obama's potential appointees
to the position of Secretary of Education. This
<http://chronicle.com/free/2008/11/6631n.htm>  list includes several
people whose records show a history of dismantling democratic public
education in the name of private interests. As people committed to
public education, this strikes a hard and fast blow in the euphoria that
we have felt since Tuesday, November 4th. But it's not too late to make
our voices heard once again. Let's build on the sense of representation
and democracy we have just experienced to send a clear message to the
Obama Administration.

Please visit http://www.teacheractivistgroups.org
<http://www.teacheractivistgroups.org/>  in order to sign the following
statement that voices our concerns about the kind of Education Secretary
that we want. Additionally, please FORWARD this message to your friends
and colleagues who are also concerned about the future of public
education. 

Thank you!
The National Network of Teacher Activist Groups


www.teacheractivistgroups.org <http://www.teacheractivistgroups.org/> 


 


 


Statement on the selection of the U.S. Secretary of Education


 


Today, we celebrate Barack Obama's momentous election as President of
the United States. We recognize it as a historic culmination of the
centuries-long effort for dignity and justice, human and civil rights,
and enfranchisement of the U.S. people, and we pay particular tribute to
the African American freedom struggle, which played a decisive role in
bringing the first Black man to the presidency. 

We look forward, as educators, parents and students, to participating in
the opportunities for change afforded by this moment. We are excited
about the possibilities for improving educational opportunities for all
students. Our vision of educational justice, access, opportunity, and
equity includes having a Department of Education whose officials embrace
the idea of a quality education as part of the common good. We wish to
turn away from a corporate model of education that claims that teaching
and learning can only improve by imposing market perspectives and
processes onto our public education system. Education should be a
fundamental human right, not subject to privatization by firms whose
primary concern is a profit motive and the bottom line. We have all
witnessed the failures of this free market system in recent months and
do not support this model for our public schools. 

Toward these ends, we urge President-elect Obama and his transition team
to choose a Secretary of Education who is committed to the full
development of human beings who are prepared to actively participate in
civil society. We strongly encourage the selection of someone dedicated
to equity and the education of all children with a proven track record
in these areas, such as Linda Darling-Hammond, a key member of Mr.
Obama's education team. We want a person who is a professional,
experienced, and knowledgeable educator, not a corporate executive such
as New York City's Education Chancellor Joel Klein or Chicago CEO Arne
Duncan, who have demonstrated their vision of privatized, corporatized,
and anti-democratic schools. 

Over the last 20 years in the U.S., education is becoming the business
of education, and we emphatically reject that model. We call upon the
President-elect to choose someone who will embrace the ideas of civic
involvement and public participation. We look forward to collaborating
with that person, as well as with students, parents, and the broader
public, in developing a truly meaningful and just education for all
students in the U.S.

 

Endorse this statement
<http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p5wazL0esvdgiK9PDl-4NTw&hl=
en>  by visiting www.teacheractivistgroups.org
<http://www.teacheractivistgroups.org/> 

 
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