The Backpack / Fall 2011 Edition
In this issue:
* Come to the CPS Fall Issues Conference
* Teachers, Test Scores, and Stand for Children’s Ballot Question
* Boston School Committee Signs “Compact” with Charter Schools
* Commentary: Boston School Committee Set to Stifle Opposition
* Impressions from the Save Our Schools Rally
* Tune in to Education Radio!
Welcome to the Fall 2011 edition of the Backpack, beginning with your invitation to join us at CPS’s annual fall issues conference, “Your Public School Under Attack: Organizing to Fight Back!” Don’t delay, read all about it and register today for the Oct. 15 event at the Bayside Expo Center. One of the key issues we’ll address at the conference is a ballot initiative sponsored by Stand for Children. It promises to promote “Excellence in Public Education,” but if you read the fine print you’ll see that it threatens to further push our schools into overemphasizing testing and test scores, a problem that needs to be reversed, not worsened.
Read about a Gates Foundation backed “compact” between Boston public schools and charters, a commentary on new Boston School Committee rules to silence protest, impressions for the big Save Our Schools Rally in Washington, D.C., and a short story about an exciting new radio station dedicated to education.
As always, we welcome feedback and ideas from our readers. And don’t forget to pass the Backpack along to your friends and family.Note: Unless otherwise noted, all articles represent the opinion of the authors and not necessarily that of the organization.
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Lisa Guisbond and Jacqueline King are co-editors of The Backpack and CPS Board Members. Thanks to the outstanding contributions of Backpack editorial committee–Paul Dunphy, Jonathan King, and Ann O’Halloran.