This Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee will begin hearings on the re authorization and/or revision of No Child Left Behind. One of the biggest issues is whether or not to maintain the federal mandate for annual testing.
Committee chairman Lamar Alexander is asking for public input and has set up an email account for citizens to send in their comments: fixingNCLB@help.senate.gov
This is a critical moment and it is absolutely essential that EVERYONE take a moment to respond. As Peter Greene wrote on his Curmuducation blog, “You do not have to be brilliant or super-articulate. Just speak from the heart. Don’t write Moby Dick in email form. Keep it brief (aka “readable”) and if you have a lot more to say, send several emails. If you just have a sentence or two and can’t figure out how to add to that, just send that. If you’ve read something that really said it for you, email a link to the piece and write ‘Read this. I believe it’s true.'”
This is sound advice, but we need to go one step further. Writing your own email is great. Writing a few is even better. But that’s still not enough. Now is the time to apply pressure to your colleagues, your family, your friends, etc, etc, and get them to send emails as well. Post this on Facebook, Twitter, Google+. Send emails to everyone you know – especially folks around the country. The ONLY way to counter the tremendous influence of corporations and lobbyists is through an overwhelming public outcry.
As Greene writes: “This is the biggest opportunity we’ve had to be heard in the education debates since the federal government first stuck their nose in. We have no excuse not to use it, and shame on us if we don’t.”
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