Just how scared is the Big Testing cartel? Scared enough, apparently, to think it makes sense to make “examples” out of parents who speak out against the misuse and overuse of standardized tests. We told you last month about how Heather Hicks, the leader of PAA-Ocean County NJ, became the target of an entire cautionary presentation by the COO of iNACOL (the International Association of K-12 Online Learning) at a Pearson conference. The gist of the presentation was that “these … →

Parents Across America agrees with recent articles (in Blooomberg Views here and the Nation here for example) that the lack of attention to K-12 education policy in the current election campaign is a major concern, especially given the disappointing results of recent independent national achievement tests which make it clear that years of corporate-driven education “reform” have failed our children. The Nation interview with Jane Sanders, wife of candidate Bernie Sanders, touched on some of PAA’s major concerns. However, we … →

Heather Hicks, leader of our newest PAA chapter, PAA-Ocean County NJ, has just posted a devastating video showing how the chief operating officer of iNACOL (the International Association of K-12 Online Learning) gave a workshop at a Pearson conference focusing on her as the prime example of how parents must be managed so that they don’t get in the way of the blended learning steamroller. Here’s Heather’s story:      As a mother and an elementary special education teacher, I became … →

The Network for Public Education conference set for April 16 and 17th in Raleigh, NC, is looking great. The wonderful speaker line up includes Diane Ravitch, Chicago Teachers’ Union president Karen Lewis, Moral Monday founder the Rev. William Barber, Jesse Hagopian, Karran Harper-Royal and others. You can still register here. PAA is presenting an important workshop on Saturday morning, 4/16, at 11:35 am, “Parent Voices on the Impact of Race and Poverty on Educational Opportunity: A Call to Action”. That … →

We had a great start to our PAA Book Club last night. Unfortunately, the record function did not work and we were not able to record the session. So, instead, here is a written summary of the session. Summary of PAA Book Club meeting March 29, 2016 We discussed “Beware the Roadbuilders: Literature as Resistance” by P. L. Thomas, who graciously agreed to join us for the meeting. Julie Woestehoff, PAA interim executive director, welcomed everyone to the meeting and … →

We are hearing that there are some major problems with the way the SBAC and PARCC tests are going to be scored this year – specifically, that most of the language arts tests will be computer-scored, a process that experts consider unreliable. What’s worse, the test publishers have failed to deliver on promised results of computer scoring validity and reliability studies. Here’s some background information on this issue. PAA has endorsed the following letter drafted by PAA co-founder, Leonie Haimson, … →

Today, PAA sent the following message to the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics, asking for an investigation of growing student test stress: Parents Across America (PAA) is requesting an investigation into the increase in test anxiety in students across our nation and its effects on children’s mental health and ability to learn. PAA has gathered a significant amount of research showing that, as high-stakes standardized tests have multiplied, growing percentages of students have begun to … →

PAA Position Paper Parents Stand Up against Test Stress Updated January 2016 Across our nation, children of all ages are showing a jump in test anxiety. As high-stakes standardized tests have multiplied, growing percentages of students have begun to report test-related stress. More are seeking test-stress counseling. Media reports of psychological and physiological symptoms tied to testing have increased. Some students are able to manage the pressures of high-stakes testing. Others are overwhelmed. Parents, teachers, administrators, and mental health professionals … →

Contacts: Julie Woestehoff, Interim Executive Director, Parents Across America, 773-715-3989 Laura Bowman, leader of PAA-Roanoke Valley (VA), 540-819-6385 Danielle Arnold-Schwartz, leader of PAA- Suburban Philadelphia (PA), 215-498-2549 March 8, 2016: Today, Parents Across America announces the endorsement of its position paper, “Parents Stand up Against Test Stress,” by such prominent educators as Alfie Kohn, Jonathan Kozol, and Nancy Carlsson-Paige (list here). PAA has also contacted the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics asking that they investigate … →

Now that ESEA has become the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, new rules must be drafted to implement the law. The US Department of Education recently requested nominations for people representing various constituencies to help negotiate these rules. Thirty-one groups came together to nominate PAA’s Julie Woestehoff to represent parents and students. You can read a copy of the nomination letter here. This kind of position often goes almost automatically to the National PTA. PAA and other groups have … →