350 Teachers, Parents & Administrators Attended a "Race to Where?" forum in Seattle

[Hannah Bell]

Some background info about the forum:

WHY SEATTLE? Is Seattle the next battleground in the debate over ed reform? Seattle Public Schools, under its current Broad Foundation-trained superintendent, has fast-tracked a series of reforms in the school district these past three years, without much parent or community input.

Seattle is also the headquarters to one of the biggest players in ed reform, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which supports “Race to the Top” — merit pay, publicly funded but privately operated charter schools and high-stakes testing. Yet Washington has failed to qualify for RTTT funding and state voters have repeatedly opposed charter schools.

An increasing number of Seattle parents and teachers are asking: Why should we adopt reforms that research shows are detrimental to our schools and kids? Ravitch, who once supported these reforms as a member of the Bush I administration, agrees and now opposes them and warns against them.

http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2010/10/23/watch-diane-ravitch-wayne-au-jesse-hagopian-dora-taylor-in-race-to-where-a-seattle-ed-2010-forum-on-the-misdirection-of-ed-reform-now-online/

[Orlandodem]

1. Look. This is very simple. Someone needs to give Obama the message that teachers are no longer

behind him. I will not vote for him in 2012 if he does not radically change his RTTT agenda. Once he realizes a MAJOR bloc of his 2008 voters are walking away he will indeed change course on education or will gladly go down in 2012.