The Cause

School reform law in the United States currently centers on the use of standardized test results to reward or punish schools, students, and teachers. Aptly labeled “high-stakes testing,” failing scores on state tests are used to deny diplomas to high school seniors, place students in remedial classes, label and sanction schools and districts, and dismiss teachers and other school staff.

The Community

Many parents, educators, and researchers share evidence and concern that the use of high-stakes testing leads to race and class discrimination and privatization of public schools. Large numbers of citizens find support within a nationwide community of internet activists-- a community built on the cause of educaitonal justice, working to reverse the policy and practice of high-stakes testing in public schools. Welcome to The Resistance.

Internet Colleagues Meet in Birmingham to Conference and Provide Support

A Community of Communication and Support

The Resistance brings together people and organizations from throughout the nation. Changing education policy requires communication and action on many levels. Resistance members support and inform students, parents, and teachers and educate lawmakers and the general public.

Resistance Members:

· Email, Phone, and Send US Mail
· Rally, Protest, and March
· Write and Send Press Releases
· Interview with Mass Media
· Testify at Government Hearings
· Write Letters to the Editor
· Present at Conferences and Small Group Meetings
· Write Books and Magazine Articles
· Create and Maintain Websites and Listservs
· Design Wearable Messages (t-shirts and buttons)
· Organize Petitions

The Resistance on the Road

"When we were sued for $1 million by Paul Vallas and Richard M. Daley and they took away my teaching job in February 1999, many people in Chicago (except for my closest friends, actually) were afraid. Chicago's tyranny is now well known, but back then the attack on me and Substance came as something of a surprise, since the brutal reign of the testocracy was just beginning. The support we received (both moral support and financial support) from people from the National Resistance like Juanita Doyon, Rich Gibson, Monty Neill, Jerry Bracey, and Susan Ohanian (and too many more to name) not only helped keep our morale up, but provided us with a way to learn more about the context in which we were now working. Inspiring, it was." --George Schmidt
"Just this past week, I have had many e-mails and several telephone calls from parents who want to know their rights regarding high-stakes standardized testing. Many of them feel bullied and intimidated by school administrators who are so limited in their thinking that they seek only to force compliance to an inhumane testing regimen. It is always a source of strength for me to let them know that we here in Colorado are not alone. This testing madness, I tell them, is going on throughout the country. But we do have sister organizations… This sense of community, despite the geographical distances, makes our cases stronger and our voices more resonant." --Don Perl

A Parent's View of Community Support

Nancy Vernon shares her experiences with high-stakes

testing and Internet community support.

Meet the Blog Creator

For more information, contact

Juanita Doyon Jedoyon@aol.com

Juanita is a Communication Leadership

student at Gonzaga University

and the author of Not With Our Kids

You Don't! Ten Strategies to Save

Our Schools.

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