Citizens for Public Schools

We had a full room, and a packed schedule on Thursday for Citizens for Public Schools’ 2018 Annual Meeting! 

Some highlights: 

Executive Director, Lisa Guisbond gives opening remarks, stating “CPS has been a voice for public education [in Massachusetts] for over 35 years.”

Julie Johnson (Executive Board Member) leads voting process to elect Carol Savage and Tito Jackson as CPS’s new Board members

Norma Shapiro (Executive Board Member) gives a moving dedication of the Annual Meeting to Kathleen Kelley, former President of the Boston Teacher’s Union and American Federation of Teachers- MA, as well as former CPS Advisory Board Member

Daniel Koretz, Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Education at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, gives the keynote with some memorable quotes: 

• “The bad news– absolutely pervasive bad test prep… much of it is just gaming, and it’s particularly pervasive in low-income schools.”

On January 8, 2018, the Somerville School Committee passed “Resolution to Support Senate Bill 308 and House Bill 235: Acts to Mandate Recess for Elementary School Children.” 

See the full text of the resolution here: http://www.somerville.k12.ma.us/sites/default/files/Approved%20Recess%20Resolution%20SPS%20010818.pdf

It is powerful for local school committees to pass resolutions support state senate and house bills to demonstrate support from the local level. If you have questions about how to strategize around doing this in your district, email us at lesstestingmorelearning@gmail.com.

    → Read More

Join us for CPS’s annual meeting on Thursday, March 22 at the Church on the Hill, 140 Bowdoin Street, Boston, 5:30 pm refreshments, 6-8:30 pm program.

Our guest speaker is Daniel Koretz, author of The Testing Charade: Pretending to Make Schools Better. 

Click HERE to register now.

All are welcome. Capacity is limited, so register now. 

• Hear our guest speaker
• Learn about our advocacy campaigns
• Elect officers and board

CPS non-members are welcome – Suggested donation of $15 (can be applied to membership). Click HERE to join, renew your membership, or donate.     → Read More

Visit our Less Testing, More Learning Blog!

We are collecting stories from parents, teachers, students, and other education professionals to document the damage done by overuse and misuse of MCAS and other standardized tests to:

1. create a more public dialogue about these harms
2. use as evidence with school committees, and other decision-makers

Please share, and if you have a story, please send them to lesstestingmorelearning@gmail.com!

See our FAQ if you have questions or visit lesstestingmorelearning.tumblr.com   → Read More

What: Keynote speakers Jeanette Deutermann and Ricardo Rosa, along with Brookline educators, will puncture myths about MCAS testing. The forum will address questions such as these:

• What is MCAS? Is it required? What is the opt-out movement?
• How has the MCAS changed public education in Brookline?
• What are the facts about MCAS and equity?
• Does my child really need to practice taking standardized tests?
• Does the MCAS enrich or impoverish our children’s experience in the schools?

When: Tuesday, January 30, 2018, 7 – 8:30 pm (Light refreshments at 6:30pm)

Where: All Saints Parish, 1773 Beacon St., at Dean Road, Brookline

Who: The event is sponsored by the Alliance for Brookline Schools, a project of Brookline PAX, the Brookline Parents Organization, Brookline for Racial Justice and Equity, the Brookline Educators Union, and Citizens for Public Schools.

Jeanette Deutermann is a mother of two boys and one of the founders of Long Island Opt-Out, a movement for whole-child education in New York state public schools.   → Read More