Standardized Testing Battle in Seattle: Union votes for a complete moratorium on all standardized tests!

I am bursting with pride for my union. The Seattle Education Association voted at this week's Representative Assembly to support a resolution calling for a moratorium on all standardized testing!  This vote comes in a long line of organizing and opposition to high-stakes testing in Seattle. In 2013, the teachers at Garfield High School voted …

Continue reading Standardized Testing Battle in Seattle: Union votes for a complete moratorium on all standardized tests!

From May Day to Testing Day: Puerto Rico’s Teachers Battle for the Schools Their Students Deserve

On May Day, thousands of Puerto Rican teachers, parents, and students launched strikes and boycotts to push back against austerity measures that would close nearly 300 schools, lay off 7,000 teachers, convert public schools into privatized charters, and cut public sector pensions. I spoke with Mercedes Martinez, President of Teachers Federation of Puerto Rico, about …

Continue reading From May Day to Testing Day: Puerto Rico’s Teachers Battle for the Schools Their Students Deserve

Teachers and Parents of Puerto Rico Launch Historic Strike & Boycott against Standardized Testing: “We want a just, equitable world for our children.”

Today, my third grade son is supposed to take the Common Core high-stakes test, "Smarter Balanced," at his school here in Seattle. He decided, however, that he would rather do a research project about a leader who has helped to make the world better. So my wife and I are writing the opt out letter …

Continue reading Teachers and Parents of Puerto Rico Launch Historic Strike & Boycott against Standardized Testing: “We want a just, equitable world for our children.”