2. Get Political

May 11, 2008
Read Issues of Rethinking Schools Journal

I recently have been reading articles from the Winter 2008 issue of Rethinking Schools. Rethinking schools began as a local effort in Milwaukee to address problems such as standardized testing, and textbook curriculum. According to its website, they wanted to " not only to improve education in their own classrooms and schools, but to help shape reform throughout the public school system in the United States." They believe that in order for children from a variety of backgrounds to come together, they need to be grounded in the "common school." A common school is another name for a public school in the United States.

The latest article that I read was titled, "No Child Left Untested: NCLB Stalled, but Still Armed and Dangerous." The article was written by Stan Karb in order to raise awareness about the future of the No Child Left Behind law. The two main Democratic co-sponsors of the original legislation said that the "prospects of passing a reauthorizing bill in 2007 had faded and the prospects for 2008 are not looking good either." What this means is that the law's approach which is "test and punish" will continue to produce unreachable test score targets. The law will likely be in affect for a few more years, which will produce more consequences that are negative.

Some of the consequences mentioned in the article are as follows:

• The curriculum will continue to narrow to what is poorly tested by multiple-choice questions.
• Special needs students and English language learners will be subjected to more federally authorized educational misconduct
• Academic achievement gaps, and the multiple inequities in opportunity and resources that they reflect, will remain beyond the reach of NCLB's disciplinary, privatizing approach to school reform.

The law's deadline is coming close for the central mandate that says 100 percent of all students will achieve proficiency on state tests by 2014. James Crawford, a bilingual education advocate, was quoted as saying "the No Child Left Behind law represents a diminished vision of civil rights. Educational equity is reduced to equalizing test scores. " The article also points out that the law reflects a fundamental shift in Federal policy that has expanded the federal role in education, and it has transformed it for the worse.

The article ends by saying, "the train wreck that is NCLB can't be avoided if the parties in power remain on the same track."

May 12,2008

Research the Dream Act and Work Toward making this legislation Pass

Every year, U.S. high schools have approximately 65,000 immigrant students that graduate high school. They are brought to this country as young kids, and they have grown up in American Schools. They partake in the US culture and share many of our values. There is one opportunity that they do not get to experience, and that is going on to higher education. Unfortunately due to their immigration status, they are not eligible for the opportunities that many students from the United States are. They are not granted in-state tuition rates, private scholarships, and federal grants and loans.

The Dream, "Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors," act would make it possible for states to to offer in-state tuition to immigrant students that live in their state. It would also pave the way for immigrants to gain citizenship, especially to those that were brought to the U.S. as young children. According to Connectforkids.org, students who meet the following criteria are eligible:

1.Those who came to the U.S. before the age of 16
2. Those who have lived in the U.S. for five years
3. Those who have essentially stayed out of trouble with the law

The Bill has been introduced to the House of Representatives and the Senate. It was brought to the debate floor on October 25, 2007 and it gained a majority of the votes, but it did not gain cloture. Cloture a process of closing a debate and causing an instant vote to be taken on the question. The Democratic leadership has said that the Dream Act will not be considered again until 2009. The Democratic leadership has stated that they refuse to consider a high-skill temporary visa program until the Dream Act is passes. This will help the issue be addressed much sooner than 2009.

There are many ways that the community can take part in helping this legislation pass. I'm going to start educating my peers and the community about the issue. I had never heard of the DREAM act before, so I think it is important to bring light to this issue within my hometown, and my community. I am also going to send a letter the Members of Congress and encourage them to support this bill. I have also been researching local campaigns and efforts in my area, to see if there are other ways I can get involved. I definitely plan on doing more research and keeping up to date on the most recent updates and efforts to support the Dream Act.

May 15, 2008

Join a professional organization with political involvement and make a goal

I recently joined the AFT, which stands for the American Federation of Teachers. I joined this organization because it has a large amount of political involvement. The AFT deals with defending the rights and privileges of all educators. They work with infants, and educators working with grades K-12 students, and those working with high education and adult programs. They provide many other useful resources, such as important new updates dealing with educational issues and preparation to becoming a good teacher.

I immediately went to the AFT Legislative Action Center. This is an online activist network that participates in action campaigns and it helps give you guidance for contacting the representative in your area. At this site, it gives you the option of joining the mailing list. I joined the AFT e-activist Network and I'm already receiving alerts about new action campaigns that are added to the Legislative Action Center. There are many actions that you can participate in that will help with the AFT.

1. Tell your Senator to fix NCLB.
2. Tell your representatives and senators to Oppose the Colombian Trade Deal.
3. Tell Congress to Protect Funding for Education and Health care
4. Oppose President Bush's Private School Voucher Program.
5. Tell Congress to support the New Orleans Public School System

The actions above are the ones that I plan on accomplishing over time, but the main one

that I want to focus on now is telling representatives and senators to oppose President Bush's Private School Voucher Program. The proposal proves 300 million dollars for a national private school voucher program. it is called "Pell Grants for Kids," and it provides vouchers to students attending schools in reconstructing NCLB. The program would redirect federal resources away from efforts to raise values and improve achievement in public schools. Additional funds are needed to help schools meet NCLB requirements; especially helping public schools to improve. The funds would be better invested if we used them in public school programs. They could help with smaller class sized, and more high quality education.

I sent a letter opposing the Voucher Program to Senator Dick Durbin, Representative Timothy Johnson, and Senator Barack Obama On May 13, 2008.