A bill has been introduced in the TN legislature that would allow city councils/commissions to remove funds for lobbying from school district budgets. (HB 2293/SB 2525). This would set a dangerous precedent because it would allow a municipal-level, elected body to dictate how another municipal-level, elected body uses its money. If some councils/commissions decide to exercise this veto authority, they would effectively silence our voices in the halls of the legislature because these lobbyists represent our elected school boards who, in turn, represent us--the voters.  And once our voices have been silenced, the lobbyists from wealthy groups intent on destroying public education will have free reign in the halls of Legislative Plaza.

If you are wondering why a school district/board might need lobbyists, look no further than what is happening with StudentsFirst (SF), a group founded by Michelle Rhee who also happens to be the ex-wife of Tennessee’s Education Commissioner, Kevin Huffman. The Sacramento.-based organization backs charter schools and vouchers and is funded by donations from extremely wealthy individuals, corporations, and foundations—including the Gates and Waltons. SF currently has an office in Nashville, along with 8 lobbyists. 

There are other similar lobbying groups in TN, (who don't have you or your children's best interests at heart) including the following: 

• Tennessee Federation for Children: Supports charter schools and vouchers. 5 lobbyists. 
• TN Charter Center: Supports proliferation of charter schools. Employs 8 lobbyists. 
• Stand for Children: Supports charter schools and vouchers. Employs 2 lobbyists. 
• Beacon Center of TN: Supports vouchers. Employs 2 lobbyists. 
• Pearson, Inc.: Publishes Common Core materials and tests. Employs 1 lobbyist.
• K12 Inc.: Runs K12 for-profit virtual charter school.  Employs 5 lobbyists. 

(Go to this link https://apps.tn.gov/ilobbysearch-app/search.htm to find documentation of these lobbyists.) 

Why do local school boards need lobbyists?
School board members in TN are part-time positions and these representatives do not have the time to follow all of the bills that are going through the legislature. They need the help of lobbyists to help them keep track of bills that directly affect their schools and constituents. And just in case you are keeping score, here are the lobbyists school boards/districts use in our state:

• Coalition of Large School Systems: Represents Shelby, Nashville, Hamilton, and Knox County school systems. Employs 2 lobbyists
• Tennessee School Board Association: Represents all school boards who pay dues to it. Employs 1 lobbyist.
• Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents: Represents interests of school board directors who pay dues to it. Employs 3 lobbyists. 

Final score: 
StudentsFirst & Company = 31 lobbyists!!!
School boards/districts = 6 at the most. 

As you might suspect, StudentsFirst, Stand for Children, TN Charter Center, and other groups reportedly support these bills. They apparently have no problem suppressing the voices of our elected officials and, subsequently, our voices in the legislative process—especially when the views expressed by these officials run counter to their agendas.  

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:  This law does not apply to Charter Schools.  They can hire as many lobbyists as they want to support them.  

(Note: All Momma Bears are volunteers.  We are concerned parents who do this solely because we care deeply about public education.) 

Dear Representative Harry Brooks from Knoxville & Representative Mark White from Memphis,

We are asking that you please, pretty please, include these:

• Educator Respect and Accountability Act of 2014 (HB 2263 / SB 2047) 
• Repeal Common Core bill (HB 2332 / SB 2405)

on the House Education sub-committee and committee schedules very soon.  Teachers and parents are eager to see these become Law this year.  

As Chairmen of these committees, you have the responsibility of scheduling when Bills are heard and voted upon.  Surely you wouldn't do anything underhanded like delaying those bills until the end of the Legislative Session so the Governor can veto them after all the Legislators have all gone home and cannot over-ride it, now would you, Representative Harry Brooks from Knoxville and Representative Mark White from Memphis???  That would not only be selfish, but it would be an abuse of power by committee chairs.  

We know Governor Haslam isn't happy with these bills, but his job isn't tied to volatile test scores of children using a secret mathematical equation that nobody can explain (His job, like yours, is tied to the ballots cast by us voters, which everyone clearly understands).  And his own children aren't forced to do unproven, untested, developmentally inappropriate standards (Because private schools are wisely not adopting Common Core).  

Representative Brooks from Knoxville, even though you may not agree with the bill to support and respect our children's teachers, 77 of 99  Representatives agree with it strongly enough that they have signed on to the Bill as co-sponsors.  So, it shouldn't take long at all to pass it through your House Education Committee and on to the House Floor so our Representatives can vote on it.  Surely you can squeeze it on your House Education Committee Agenda in the next few weeks, can't you?

Representative White from Memphis, even though your own children aren't affected by Common Core, ours are.  Tennessee parents want this bill heard in a timely manner because a year in our children's lives is too long to wait while we elect new leaders to get rid of Common Core.  Surely you can include this bill in your sub-committee agenda on the March 4th agenda as was originally planned?

We know you're stuck in a difficult situation by the Governor.  In times like these, it is especially important to remember who it is that you have been elected to serve.
 
Sincerely,
Tennessee Parents 

SENATE BILL 2405 
By Beavers 
HOUSE BILL 2332 
By Womick 
 
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, 
Chapter 1; Title 49, Chapter 10; Title 49, Chapter 2 and Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to common core state standards. 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: 
 SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-302, is amended by adding the following language as a new, appropriately designated subsection: 
 On July 1, 2014, the state board and the department of education shall discontinue the use of the common core state standards in English language arts and mathematics. Beginning on July 1, 2014, the standards for English language arts and mathematics adopted by the state board that were in use prior to the adoption of the common core state standards shall become the standards for use by LEAs and schools 
until the state board develops and adopts new Tennessee specific standards for English language arts and mathematics. 
 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. 

Big Easy, Little Choice Posted on February 26, 2014

A parent advocate says run—don’t walk—from New Orleans-style school choice

By Ashana Bigard
When I talk about *choice* in New Orleans I use quotations with both fingers and I wink too. Supposedly we have what’s called a *choice model for excellent education* but the reality is that the overwhelming majority of schools in New Orleans now operate the exact same way. They have rigiddisciplinary codes that punish poor kids forbeing poor and are neither nurturing nor developmentally appropriate.

I’m an advocate for parents in New Orleans, which means that I work with them and represent them when their kids are suspended or expelled from school. Last year we had 54 school districts in New Orleans and all of those different districts make their own rules. For six years after the storm, the schools all set their own expulsion policies. As of last year we have a uniform expulsion policy but individual schools still make their own suspension rules.

Punished for being poor
Most of the cases I see involve kids who are being discriminated against and criminalized for being poor. Think about it. If I’m setting up a school where I know that the majority of students I’m serving are poor enough to qualify for free or reduced lunch—to access free lunch in New Orleans your family has to earn less than $12,000 a year—why would I punish kids for not being able to pay for things that are clearly out of the range of what their families can afford? It isn’t logical. Yet as an advocate I have to go and argue with the school that if this child doesn’t have a belt or his mother can’t afford a size 15 uniform shoe that costs $200, you don’t have the right to put them out of school and keep them from being educated. This is a child we’re talking about. Even if you’re saying *we’re going to teach this child a lesson,* what are you teaching him other than that *if your parents are poor, you can be hurt*? What is the lesson?

Case closed
The case that still breaks my heart involved a 14-year-old who kept getting demerits because his uniform shirt was too small and came untucked basically every time he moved. His mother was a veteran, well-educated, and had sold real estate but got divorced and ended up losing her job, and became homeless. They were living with friends and really struggling. The school expelled the child because he’d had three suspensions—the last one for selling candy to try to raise enough money to buy a new shoes and a new uniform shirt. I felt that if the mother went and told her story that the school would understand and wouldn’t hold up the expulsion. She didn’t want the school to know how impoverished she was but I convinced her to do it, so she came and told all of these people what she was going through—about her struggles. I thought for sure the board would overturn the expulsion, not just because her story was so compelling, but because there wasn’t actually anything in the school’s discipline book about selling candy. But they upheld it and it broke my heart that this kid was being put out of school because he was poor.

Little prisons
The majority of schools in New Orleans have these overly rigid disciplinary codes—they’re run like little prisons. The schools aren’t nurturing and they aren’t developmentally appropriate. Children need social development time. They need recess, they need to be able to talk at lunch. You’ll hear the schools say *we’re providing structured social development*—but there’s no such thing! If you have to manage kids’ social development, it’s not social development. Typically you’ll hear from school leaders that they have to have this overly rigid school climate because the school has just opened and it’s chaotic. They’ll say something like *we need these rules in place until we get a structured, calm environment, then we can make it less rigid. But first we have to calm these children and get them to a place of orderliness.* But children will never be calm, orderly robots unless there’s something wrong with them. They’re never going to get to the place that you’ve decided is necessary before they can have more freedom. In order for children to know how to operate in freedom, they have to have freedom to operate in. We don’t teach kids to eat with a fork and spoon by not giving them a fork and spoon!

Recess and recourse
When parents ask me for advice about schools in New Orleans they never ask *what are the best schools*? They want to know what the least terrible schools are. I tell them to go for one of the Orleans Parish School Board schools because at least then they’ll have some recourse. I tell them to look for schools that have recess and try to find the good teachers. And if they end up at a school where the teachers are really young, look for developmentally appropriate material and bring it to the teacher—kind of like *educate the educator.* So many of the teachers in New Orleans are brand new—this isn’t their profession. They don’t know about child development or adolescent development. I also tell parents to document absolutely everything. If you have a problem with something that happens at the school, keep a record. Try to create an email trail and keep a log of   everything that happens. At some point there is going to be a class-action suit because our children’s rights are being violated and we need as much documentation as possible.

The choice to leave
My daughter attended a kindergarten where the students spent most of the day doing worksheets. I didn’t feel that this was in any way developmentally appropriate. At six years old, my daughter should love math—I love math!—but the school was basically fostering a hatred of math. Their response was basically *if you don’t like our program, you have the choice to leave.* So I left. As of last year, though, parents in New Orleans no longer have the choice to leave schools they’re unhappy with after October 1st. In order to transfer, you have to get the approval of the school board to agree to release your child, and you have to get the other school to agree to take your child. Our children are prisoners—are kids are inmates—and in order to get them out, we have to beg for pardons, which may or may not be granted.

A sorting mechanism
OneApp, the centralized enrollment system for the New Orleans schools, is supposed to make it easy for parents in the city to have their choice of schools. But parents aren’t going to have real choice just because they filled out the OneApp application. For example, you can’t see a school’s discipline guide before you register your child. And if I want my child to go to a school that has recess, art or educates the whole child, I have very little choice at all. I can try for one of the high-performing charters—the magnet schools that existed before the storm—but which are now even harder to get into than they were before Katrina. Parents of special needs kids, by the way, have even less choice, because so few of the schools will accept their children at all. What OneApp does is ensure that the various charter operators get the enrollment that they were promised. No matter how bad the school is, or how terrible the climate, we’re going to make sure that you get those kids.

Fight harder than you’ve ever fought
If New Orleans is being held up as a model for the schools in your community, I have some advice for you. Fight harder than you’ve ever fought to make sure that this doesn’t happen to you. Because once you’re in it, it’s so hard to get out of. Fight tooth and nail. If people come to your community and try to sell you bull crap, come down here and talk to us first. Read anything you can get your hands on. They’ll tell you that your input matters, that your schools are going to be run according to a community model. Don’t believe it. At the end of the day, they could care less about what kind of schools you want. In fact, I’m pretty sure that we said that we wanted arts and music in our schools—that those were really important to us in a city like New Orleans that’s build on arts and music and culture. Instead we got prisons.

Ashana Bigard is a life-long resident of New Orleans and a long-time advocate for children and families. She helps lead the Community Education Project of New Orlean

This was printed with permission from this awesome website:  www.edushyster.com 

Tennessee's Achievement School District is modeled after New Orleans' Recovery School District.  Tennessee parents do NOT want this system here.

Giving our public schools away to charter operators is not acceptable.
It is especially sneaky and dishonest to give them away one grade level at a time (starting with only the Kdg. & 1st grade in year 1, and adding a grade each year thereafter) so that the charter operator isn't held accountable by test scores for several years. Plus it hides the glaring low enrollment rates due to parents transferring their children to other public schools.  The claim that "the ASD must immediately intervene to save those poor, failing students currently in those schools" is a big, fat lie.  Those current students aren't being helped one bit by only taking the brand new younger grades.  It really IS about profit, isn't it?

This is NOT what those parents want for their children.  They want fully funded public schools.  Parents voices are repeatedly being ignored. Parents in those communities will not forget this in the voting booths.

Stop giving away our public schools away.
They belong to the public.
 

A parent in Nashville recently sent us this post. And now we know why some very wealthy people, who have never sent their own children to public schools, are so supportive of Common Core:

Why have some extremely wealthy Tennesseans who have never attended, nor sent their children to, public schools been so involved with pushing education "reform" and Common Core? The following are facts of how some of these very wealthy individuals are making money big bucks:
 
Orrin Ingram of Ingram Industries is a Tennessee State Collaboration on Reforming Education (SCORE) Board Member. SCORE is nonprofit group established by former senator Bill Frist and it strongly supports the new Common Core standards. In an effort to promote the standards, SCORE established the "Expect More, Achieve More" campaign that includes a snazzy website, glossy brochures, and fliers that are sent home from school with students. And, not surprisingly, Ingram Industries signed on as a "coalition member" for the Expect More, Achieve More campaign. (Side note: Just a few months ago, SCORE received a $250,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help promote the CC standards. Hmm.....)

Here is where it gets very interesting: Ingram Industries is making money off of developing and distributing Common Core products. For example, a press release from Ingram Content Group stated that, "the New York State Education Department has selected Vital Source Technologies, Inc., in collaboration with SchoolWorks® LLC., to develop a comprehensive library of professional development videos to support the implementation of Common Core Learning Standards throughout New York State." According to the press release, "Ingram Content Group Inc. is a subsidiary of Nashville-based Ingram Industries Inc. The company provides books, music and media content to over 39,000 retailers, libraries, schools and distribution partners in 195 countries." (Vital Source Technologies, which was awarded this contract, is one of "Ingram's operating units".) This video project, interestingly, is being funded by a $3.7 million dollar Race to the Top (RTTT) Grant. (Click here to see the press release.)
 
But that's not all! Apparently Tennessee is also using VitalSource Technologies (i.e., Ingram Industries) videos for teacher training on Common Core: The Ayers Institute at Lipscomb University received a grant from the state of TN (i.e., the Tennessee Higher Education Commission) "to create resources for university faculty to use when preparing new teachers to employ the national and state-adopted Common Core Standards." At a subsequent Common Core training seminar at the Ayers Institute, it was noted that, "VitalSource Technologies, a division of Ingram Content,
produced the video series” they will be using to train new teachers (pg.10). (Click here to see a link to the presentation.) And, just as in NY, the Common Core training project being developed at Lipscomb and, subsequently, the videos produced for the project by Vital Source Technologies are funded by Race to the Top monies (pg. 8).
 
FYI: The Ayers Institute was founded in 2012 "as a partnership between the Ayers Foundation and Lipscomb University’s College of Education." (As you can guess, Jim Ayers was the founder of Ayers Foundation.) Jim Ayers and his wife, Janet, donated an initial contribution of 1 million dollars to the Ayers Institute at Lipscomb. Mr. Ayers is a former board member of SCORE and Mrs. Ayers is a current board member of SCORE and a member of the TN State Board of Education. [Please note that Rep. Harry Brooks (Chair of the House Education Committee), Rep. John DeBerry (Member of the House Education Committee), Sen. Delores Gresham (Chair of the Senate Education Committee), and Rep. Beth Harwell (Speaker of the House) are all on the SCORE steering committee.]
 
Now how did the Ayers Institute receive the grant to develop the Common Core training program for new teachers in TN? We do not know. But we do know that Ayers Asset Management, which is owned by Jim Ayers, donated the maximum allowed amount to Haslam's inauguration fund. According to a Chattanooga Times-Free Press article on the donations, "Corporations are banned from making direct contributions to candidates in elections, but are allowed to give up to $7,500 to inaugurations." Janet and Jim Ayers also personally donated $53,000 and $19,500 to Haslam in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
 
Now back to Ingram Industries: Ingram Industries also donated the maximum amount to Haslam’s inauguration fund. In addition to this business contribution, Orrin Ingram--CEO of Ingram Industries--donated $7000 to Haslam for his 2010 Gubernatorial campaign. (He also donated $5000 to Haslam in 2012.)

A short list of Ingram Industries executives and subsidiaries who also recently contributed to Haslam: 

• Martha Ingram (Chairperson of Ingram Industries) = $10,303 (2010) 
• John R Ingram (Chairman of Ingram Industries Board of Directors & Chairman/CEO of Ingram Content Group)= $7500 (2010)/$2800 (2012)
• David Ingram (Chairman and President of Ingram Entertainment)= $17,000 (2010)/$4000 (2012)\
• Ingram Barge Co. = $3500 (2010)

A further review of Haslam's contributions lists from 2010 & 2012 also reveals a variety of high dollar donations from Ingram Industries executives’ family members. (Click here and here for documentation of donations to Haslam from the Ingram family.)
 
We want to know how the state chose Ayers Institute and VitalSource Technologies to receive these RTT grants/contracts. Given Haslam’s past history with approving no-bid contracts, we would not be surprised if the RTTT money was divvied out with little regard for a fair bidding process. We also strongly suspect some members of SCORE—such as the Ingrams and Ayers—may not be part of the push for education reform for purely philanthropic reasons.
 

Ask yourself: Why do the Ingrams and the Ayers support Common Core and SCORE? Is it because they truly believe they are helping our students? Or is it because they see Common Core and other SCORE-endorsed reforms as new money making or "prestige-earning" opportunities? What better way to position yourself to make taxpayer money and/or accolades from these reforms by imbedding yourself into the middle of the push for these new nationalized standards--and by donating 100s of thousands of dollars to the governor who arguably controls the RTTT purse strings?
 
We, as taxpayers and consumers of public education, deserve to know. 
 

The Common Core coaches in TN have all been summoned to the Capitol to support Common Core and the PARCC test.  

These Common Core coaches (who all received a very nice bump in salary and job title) will be absent from their teaching jobs with their students during the school day to be in Nashville.  How many days?  We are not sure.  We do know that substitute teachers have been booked to cover their classrooms.  We are unable to find out who is paying for the cost of the substitutes, but we have a feeling that it is our tax dollars footing the bill.  

Like the atmosphere of the Senate Common Core hearings in September, seats will be reserved in the committee chambers for these Common Core Coaches.  Ordinary citizens will be stuck in the remaining seats on the back rows or watching the committee broadcast on the screens in the hallway.

It is important to note that the jobs and big salaries of these cheerleaders, as those of the corporately-funded and well-paid SCORE organization, and the Chamber of Commerce businesses who stand to profit from Common Core (like Ingram) all depend upon Common Core and PARCC happening in TN.  They are there for the money.

It is also important to note that the parents and teachers stuck in the hallways and/or those who couldn't get a paid day off from work to be there but are watching online, are very much against Common Core and PARCC.  They are fighting for the children.

Just keep that in mind, Legislators, when you see all those glossy stickers across their chests from SCORE and hear their cheers of "rigor."  They do not cheer for our children.

It's 12:44 a.m., and I'm lying here stressing about giving my third grade EL students a 2.5 hour writing assessment. My heart is beating fast, and I feel a little shaky. I can't seem to sleep because my brain can't come to a solution on how I can help them succeed. We have spent weeks worth of class time trying to prepare them for TCAP, which is a multiple choice style test. This takes a very different kind of thought process for kids than does a completely constructed response to literature. Now I'm faced with the fact that on Wednesday I will lose 2.5 hours of TCAP prep time. So not only will my kids fail at essay writing, they will more than likely fail their "focus skill" test as well. And seeing how I also have to watch a coach teach my kids a model CRA lesson in math for an hour, they probably won't be able to do TCAP questions on the associative property of multiplication. The way the state of Tennessee is jerking kids and teachers around is making me sick. No really....my stomach hurts. And it just gets worse when I add in the fact that they are also supposed to be doing a research project on ecosystems, and a project based learning unit in our school garden. Ugh. And next week doesn't look much better because I'll be giving the ELDA for a total of 3 hours to the whole class on Mon. - Wed, and have a sub on Thursday to do speaking testing for a whole day. By then, we should have our DEA scores back, so we'll be able to start doing SPI small groups. And then it will be time to do Running Records to see how much progress they've made in reading real stories in the last 9 weeks. Wonder how that will go? Yeah, don't think I'll be sleeping tonight.
- A teacher at a Title 1 school in Shelby County

My older son took the one for 5th grade last week. He said he was unable to finish it. When he went back to modify an answer much of what he had typed would disappear. He had to retype several sections. My third grader is taking it this week. I am so happy teachers are speaking up about this!
- from a parent regarding the TCAP/PARCC Writing Assessment

I am concerned that there is not a parent guide for the writing assessment and no one can answer simple questions about scoring. I even contacted the TN Commission on Education and was told a parent guide would not be available until May and my questions on scoring went unanswered. Don't you think the state should be able to answer basic questions on how the writing assessment will be scored BEFORE it is administered to my child? This is craziness.
- from another parent regarding the TCAP/PARCC Writing Assessment


Why parents don't realize our children are being given so many tests and surveys now in public schools:

• we are not informed about the tests
• we are not informed of demographic questions or surveys asked without our knowledge or permission
• we never see the questions or the results because these tests & surveys are given on computers
• we trust our children's teachers and principals to teach them using appropriate materials and tests, so we didn't know we should ask
• some test assessments have fun names like Discovery, Voyager, and Thinklink, so parents were fooled into believing they were educational enrichment, not assessments used to discriminate and pigeonhole our children, in some cases trumping their teacher's judgement.  

Unfortunately, in some cases teachers are scared to tell parents that these tests are inappropriate and excessive.  Teachers are realizing that Common Core isn't what they were told it would be.  Not only are teachers now expected to teach developmentally inappropriate confusing math methods and/or cut beloved literature from their course to teach magazine articles, they are required to spend precious instruction time on excessive tests with inappropriate demographic questions attached.  

Things are changing, though.  
Teachers ARE bravely speaking out and telling parents the truth because they want what is best for children, and they know these tests and Common Core are not it.

The TN Momma Bears published a blog called "A Teacher Sends a Loud Message. Parents Hear It."  In less than 48 hours, their article has been read by over 165,000 people and it has over 18,000 Facebook "likes."  The Momma Bears say they can't keep up with all the parents and teachers responding to them through their website.  Parents are waking up and are alarmed and concerned.  Read the Momma Bear blog to find out why parents are worried and what some parents are doing about it.   (Click HERE to read the Momma Bear blog)

Do not believe what the TN Department of Education PR staff is spinning, because it is not an accurate view of what is truly going on in our children's classrooms.  Parents are being excluded from the equation, and that is a huge mistake.
 

Michael Oher is a success.  Everyone in Tennessee knows his name because they've either seen the movie based on his true story, "The Blind Side," or watched him playing on the football field with Ole Miss or now with the Baltimore Ravens.  

Remember in his movie how Michael was able to attend a private school because his friend's father asked the coach to get him enrolled to play football?  Michael had what some would call an "Opportunity Scholarship" (just like a voucher that covers tuition to a private school).  Despite being in a private Christian school, among well-to-do peers, and having excellent teachers, Michael struggled academically.  He was failing his classes and was ineligible to play on the football team.  He was on the brink of being kicked out of the private school until Leigh Anne Tuohy stepped in and changed his life.  

She gave him hope, security, and a home, but she also gave him something that impacted his education...  she provided tutors.  Without tutoring and mentoring, Michael would have surely failed and flunked out.

Without Leigh Anne, Michael might have been in and out of prison by now, as some of his classmates probably have been.  He could be living on the streets.  He could be living paycheck to paycheck, working in a minimum wage job with a bleak future.

But he's not.

Why?  Because someone cared enough to hire a tutor to work with him individually.  Someone cared about his future.

Anyone that says that class sizes don't matter is wrong.  It certainly made a difference to Michael Oher to have individualized attention.  

It is also important to note that the Tuohy family didn't pay for Michael to sit in front of a computer program for intervention, and they didn't pay for a tutor to help him get his standardized test scores up (because his private school didn't have to administer the high-stakes TCAP or state tests).  The tutor focused on his academic classes, with the goal of meeting requirements to play a game he loves, football.

You know the rest of the story... Michael went on to play football, excel academically, and is a positive role model for so many kids stuck in the system.

What made the difference?  

• A stable family with the income to support Michael.
• Individualized attention with a qualified tutor to ensure he was learning.

Shouldn't all of the "Michael Ohers" out there have the same opportunity?  I know you are probably thinking that is an unrealistic goal... There aren't enough Leigh Anne Tuohys in the world to save all the Michaels lost in the system.  But you can't argue the fact that smaller class sizes DO impact student success.  That is a fact.  

IF:
...class sizes in TN were smaller
...there were more teaching assistants in classrooms
...there were more tutors to help students outside of school
...there were more guidance counselors in schools to help these students
...if there were extra-curricular activities that students could participate in (like football, music, art, dance, etc.)

THEN:
...more students would have personalized attention, motivation to succeed, and they would thrive.  

So:
Instead of pouring money and resources into vouchers and charters that won't work (but make those at the top very rich):  support and fix the schools that we do have.

Instead of spending our tax dollars on more tests, spend it on something proven to work:  real people.

Breaking NEWS: County Commission says NO to Common CoreOn February 18, 2014:
The elected County Commission of Bradley County voted 9 to 4 to adopt a strongly worded Resolution Against Common Core:
 

Last week, Tennessee parents emailed you the breaking news about Bradley County School Board's Resolution and told you that:
The Bradley County School District is in Cleveland, TN (east of Chattanooga).  Bradley County ranks above-average on test scores and above-average on graduation rates compared to other school districts in Tennessee.

This Resolution comes from the elected County Commission of Bradley County, who wanted to support their School Board, but also send a Resolution "with more teeth" to Nashville.  

Rumor has it that the Bills to repeal Common Core (HB2332/SB2405) are being blocked by the chairs of the House & Senate Education committees (Rep. Harry Brooks & Sen. Delores Gresham) from ever reaching the House and Senate floor for votes.  However, the number of co-sponsors on the bill are growing, and pressure is coming from local districts to force these through.

So, TN parents, keep it up!  

Parents, click HERE to contact legislators.  Ask them to sign on as a co-sponsor to HB2332/SB2405 to repeal Common Core.  

You can also forward these Resolutions to your locally elected School Board and County Commission and ask them to adopt them, too:

Click HERE to download the Bradley County School Board Resolution
Click HERE to download the Bradley County Commission Resolution

 
We've heard other brave school districts in TN are working on their own Resolutions against Common Core.  If your district is one of them, please let TN Parents know so we can let help get the word out.  Parents are eager to hear good news, especially since the media is strangely silent on these issues.  Many people have responded to our emails and through our website telling us how much they appreciate our emails, blogs, and links so that they know what is going on across the state.

Bradley County created a huge splash, but their ripples are being felt all over Tennessee.  There are undercurrents brewing in every district, and Bradley County is leading the way.  

Thank you, Bradley County leaders, for your wisdom and courage!
 

You think you want these...?It sounds fair, right?  Help the children who are stuck in failing (starving) schools by giving them vouchers or charter school alternatives?
 
Wrong.

...If you aren't proactive enough or intelligent enough to navigate the confusing school application processes to enroll your child.

...If your child doesn't "win" a seat in the school lottery.

...If you can't "camp out" in line for a weekend in Memphis in hopes of getting a spot for your child in an optional school.

...If you don't like the way the school is operated, and you have no elected board member to voice your concern to or represent your children.

...If your child isn't a good test-taker and is "counseled" out.

...If your child doesn't speak English.

...If your child has a disability.

...If you cannot provide transportation across town to the "good" school.

...If you can't afford the expensive custom uniforms required by charter schools.

Then your child is stuck in a starving public school across town.  Welcome to "choice." Your child's school won't have the resources that other schools have. 

...And if you are a smart parent with the intelligence and perseverance to successfully navigate through the "choice" gauntlet and win a seat for your own child at a great school, don't you feel a deep sadness for the children who aren't as fortunate as your own???

"Though the word ‘choice’ sounds nice, it is often used to obscure a far less nice reality: massive school closures, as well as fraud and corruption in the poorly regulated virtual and private school sector.  We believe that the best way to ensure that all students can have the kinds of learning experiences they need to thrive is to have a fairly-funded public school system, overseen by democratically-elected school boards, and run by district officials who listen to and respect the community they serve. State and federal education officials should serve as guardians of equity, offering funding and support for communities when needed, and ensuring that schools respect students’ and families’ civil rights."
 (Click HERE to read more at Integrity in Education)
 

A comment from a Dad on the day that Metro Nashville School District announced the list of students who were lucky enough to "win" a spot in one of their choice magnet schools:

"This is the day that MNPS announces to the world that they cannot stay focused on educating children in nearby neighborhood schools.  This is the day they tell us parents that we should seek escape from kids in poverty, by driving miles across town and clogging the streets."
 

This quote appearing in a Memphis article on optional schools says it well:

"Why not invest that cultural and intellectual capital back into the larger system, or into neighborhood schools, instead of stockpiling excellence within optional schools?"(WKNO NPR for the Mid-South Feb, 18, 2014)

 
Tennessee parents want strong, well-funded neighborhood schools for EVERY child in Tennessee.  Not just the lucky ones with involved parents.

Legislators, vote for PUBLIC SCHOOLS and for EVERY child:

• Vote against Vouchers
• Vote against Charters
• Fully fund the BEP so our public schools are not starved (ClickHERE to see how and why BEP needs adjusting)

Tennessee's children are counting on you!

Teach for America is in trouble in TN.  Parents aren't happy to learn about this arrangement with our tax dollars and our children.  See what we're talking about: