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D.C. Rally Seeks to Save Our Status Quo

Participating groups fight to end school reform and parental choice

July 29,2011

This Saturday’s Save Our Schools rally is holding itself out to be an effort to restore parent and student influence in education, but a rundown of the participating groups raises questions about the authenticity of this goal. Many of the participating groups are strong, vocal opponents of testing, accountability and school choice.

The National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and their allies have long advocated for more money, less accountability, no high-stakes testing, and against anything the gives parents more control over their child’s education, such as charter schools and vouchers.

“This coalition is the same coalition of the past 35 years,” said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform. “It advocates for the status quo and reform to them is about money, control, and no high stakes tests or accountability.”

The rally participants have a long track record of opposing public charters schools, opposing school vouchers, opposing merit pay, opposing the closure of failing schools, opposing the freedom of parents to choose where their child goes to school – including home school – and opposing student testing performance as a means to evaluate teachers.

“S.O.S is about deforming education, not reforming it,” said Allen. “They put up the guise that this is for the families and students, but in truth, these groups want to restrict and remove any power parents have in their child’s education.”