We encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter by entering your email in the fourth box on the right>>>>>>> but if you missed this week’s issue, here’s summary: Actions of the week: 1) There’s still time to contact your Congresspeople on ESEA, and now is an especially good time to reach out to them on testing. Here are the details, and a handy form from FairTest to use to contact your Senator about grade-span testing. 2) Listen to and/or share … →

Last night’s webinar was informative, disturbing, and energizing! Here’s the link to listen in on the program for those who were not able to join us last night, or for anyone who wants to get a second look at the data and other resources we provided. We want to thank Dr. P.L. Thomas, who has become something of a mentor to PAA, for his significant role in the webinar. Also contributing were PAA leaders Nate Harris, who moderated the webinar, … →

  Sign up for our March 2, 8 pm ET webinar on the Impact of Poverty, Race and Cultural Bias on Educational Opportunity   Join PAA Board member Nate Harris, Dr. Paul Thomas of Furman University, and other PAA leaders for this webinar building on a great session we had on this topic at our July 2014 national conference. Dr. Thomas blogs at “Radical Scholarship” and has published many important  books on the corporate takeover of education, parental choice, teaching … →

PAA has prepared this chart on some of the key elements of the proposed “Every Child Ready for College or Career Act of 2015” sponsored by Senate education committee chair Lamar Alexander. This is the Senate’s current version of a reauthorized No Child Left Behind Act, or the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). We expect them to move on this bill in the next few days, so please share this with your Senators NOW! We have faxed the chart … →

We expect the U.S. House to vote on their version of a new Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as soon as next Tuesday, Feb. 24. Please share PAA’s position paper on this bill with your Congresspeople this week while they are still in their home districts for the Presidents’ Day break. You can find your representatives’ contact information here. PAA position paper on HR 5, the Student Success Act (revised ESEA) February 2015 Downloadable pdf version of this chart … →

A new ESEA: What parents value and how Congress should act PAA recently published a position paper, “What is a Quality Education?,” which clearly describes the kind of education we want for our children. Here are our recommendations for changes in ESEA that will move us closer to making sure every child receives the kind of education that parents envision:  Downloadable version of this position paper here. Because a quality education is child-centered, a new ESEA should: Curb high-stakes use … →

This week, the Senate HELP committee held a hearing on “Supporting Teachers and School Leaders” to gather input on ESEA reauthorization in that area. They are still accepting public comment through February 2. You can find all the information, and submit comments, here. PAA has endorsed and submitted the following excellent statement by Michigan Parents for Schools, whose executive director, Steven Norton, is a PAA Board member. The focus of this piece is the inclusion of test-based measures of student … →

For Immediate Release January 26 2015 From: David Spring M. Ed., Elizabeth Hanson, M. Ed., & Susan DuFresne BA. Coalition to Protect our Public Schools RE: Washington State Democratic Party Passed Resolution Opposing Common Core On Saturday, January 24, 2015, the Washington State Democratic Party Central Committee became the first state Democratic Party in the nation to pass a resolution opposing Common Core State Standards (CCSS). A copy of this resolution is provided at the end of this press release. … →

PAA has faxed this position paper to all the members of the Senate and House education committees. Why not share it with your Congresspeople, too? (pdf version here) Polls and surveys show that the first choice of most parents is to send their child to a high-quality neighborhood school with adequate resources. Parents know by now that students in charter schools and voucher programs have not shown better academic progress than students in traditional schools. Parents do not want to … →

Well, it’s “Choice Week” again across the US, a time when the corporate reformers get our elected officials to dance to their tune. For real. From “Schoolchoiceweek.com: For the third year in a row, National School Choice Week is excited to announce an official song and dance moves! In previous years, schools, organizations and even public officials have learned the moves to the official dance… There are about 75 moves in this dance, which they claim is “easier than ever.” We’ll … →