[RSCT] Rethink Learning Now Campaign

[Monty Neill]

The Forum on Education and Democracy, with civil rights and education allies, has launched the Rethink Learning Now campaign. See
http://www.forumforeducation.org/ for more details on it, which include links to some PSAs and to materials people across the nation have contributed to the site. You can up for their email info, see sponsoring groups, read their principles of good education, both read and submit your own powerful learning experience, and more.

FairTest has endorsed this campaign (we are not yet listed on the site, will be soon). A key first step in this campaign is getting people to think about their own powerful learning experiences. I expect that what most folks will talk about will resonate deeply with tenets of progressive education. I doubt we'll see people talking about taking the state exam or the SAT-ACT, or doing test prep, as a powerful learning experience. 

Note that the of listed partners so far, the Forum, NAACP, ASPIRA, Advancement Project, Education Law Center, National Alliance of Black School Educators and Public Education Network are signers of the Joint Organizational Statement on NCLB, which calls for a major overhaul of the federal role in education. 

The idea is to compile peoples stories, then use them in further public education and in policy work. This is a somewhat 'soft' approach, but I think could be useful, if... If the Forum can gather a lot of good responses, and if the partnering groups - and many others - can use it well. 

The Forum sees this as an inclusive and open-ended process. A variety of groups have agreed to participate. I am not sure at this time how a collaborative approach that the Forum wants to come into being will develop and work in practice, but I think that participation - as individuals or as groups - will be useful,. I think this will be a longer-term process, but one that can be a useful tool and process as we build alliances at local, state national levels to end the testing regime and create far more healthy educational options. 

So, dig around in the campaign website, think about your own powerful learning experiences, add yours to the website compilation that has begun, and think about how to use what we and most people know about deep learning from their own experiences to help shape policy work. 

Monty 

Monty Neill, Ed.D.
Interim Executive Director
FairTest
15 Court Sq., Ste. 820
Boston, MA 02108
857-350-8207 x 101
fax 857-350-8209
monty at fairtest.org
www.fairtest.org
Donate: https://secure.entango.com/donate/MnrXjT8MQqk
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