Save Our Schools March & National Call to Action

Ravitch, Kozol and a bunch of other union apologists/lackeys have organized a "Save Our Schools March & National Call to Action!" (www.saveourschoolsmarch.org), which I'm going to name (in honor of Jon Stewart) The Rally to Continue the Insanity.  On July 30^th in DC, they will rally, hear from "Diane Ravitch, Jonathan Kozol, José Vilson, Deborah Meier, Monty Neill, and other speakers, musicians, performance poets, and more", and then they "will march to the White House, where the demands will be read, we'll demonstrate, and engage in a call for continued action to reclaim schools as places of learning, joy, and democracy."  Here are their demands:

 

For the future of our children, we demand:

 

1- Equitable funding for all public school communities

2- An end to high stakes testing used for the purpose of student, teacher, and school evaluation

3- Teacher, family and community leadership in forming public education policies

4- Curriculum developed for and by local school communities

 

It'll be interesting to see what kind of crowd they draw.  I suspect it will be robust because the unions (who are, of course, the real ones behind this) are very good at delivering busloads of people – and it would be a major embarrassment to them if the rally fizzled.

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Save Our Schools March & National Call to Action!

July 28-31, 2011 in Washington, D.C. and around the country

We're putting the Public back in public schools!

We, a collection of people from all walks of life and every corner of this nation, embody a mixture of ideas and opinions regarding how we can improve educational opportunities for all children. We stand united by one belief – it's time for teachers and parents to organize and reclaim control of our schools.

As concerned citizens, we demand an end to the destructive policies and rhetoric that have eroded confidence in our public schools, demoralized teachers, and reduced the education of too many of our children to nothing more than test preparation.

A well-educated society is essential to the future of the United States of America. Our students must have access to a fully funded, world-class public education system, and it is our responsibility to hold our government accountable for providing the means to achieve it. Please join us!

July 30: DC Rally & March

The rally will officially begin at noon at the Ellipse, but arrive early to enjoy performances, art, and more!

At noon, Diane Ravitch, Jonathan Kozol, José Vilson, Deborah Meier, Monty Neill, and other speakers, musicians, performance poets, and more will encourage, educate, and support this movement and the Save Our Schools March demands.

At 1:30 p.m., we will march to the White House, where the demands will be read, we'll demonstrate, and engage in a call for continued action to reclaim schools as places of learning, joy, and democracy.

If you can't make it to DC, follow the site to find out more about ways to participate in or plan actions in your local area!

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Visit the Events section to learn more about what is being planned. Follow the March on Twitter and causes.com to stay up-to-date; learn, plan and network on our discussion boards; and explore the rest of the site to get informed and GET INVOLVED!

Here's the agenda:

Keynote addresses by: Jonathan Kozol (7/28) and Diane Ravitch (7/29)

Activism workshops will include:

• curriculum and activism
• truth and justice in activism work
• families, parents, and children as activists
• policy, legislators, and legislative activism
• using poetry, performance, and the arts in activism
• educational rights
• teachers and teaching for activism

July 25-29: Film Festival at American University

Films include: August to June, Granito De Arena, Race to Nowhere, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman, Speaking in Tongues, and more!