Here in Oklahoma public education we have been living a
dystopian nightmare…with a Superindentist, driven by out-of-state overlords, to
rebrand, reshape education in our state. From the public schools described in
our populist Constitution, to charters and online schools, to vouchers and tax
credits for ‘contributions’ to private schools. She has, as her Information
Ministry, one of the two major newspapers in the state. Close ties between the
paper and the Superindentist are well documented and she wields her power over
the paper to smear opponents, to force half-hearted endorsements, and to slant
news in her favor.http://www.thelostogle.com/2014/06/16/the-oklahoman-issued-a-sad-eye-rolling-and-suspect-endorsement-for-janet-barresi/
The Superindentist takes her marching orders from Jeb Bush,
leader of Foundation for Excellence, as in
FEE-D his political ambitions on the backs of children and teachers….he wants
to use his minions to create a national presidential campaign. His minions are
charged with creating little ‘utopias’ around the nation to which he can point
and crow of his success.
Unfortunately, if you’re not the overlord or his
Superindentist minion, you’re not living a utopian existence…You’re living with
the control, the shortages, the fear. We have seen more mandates, more demands
being placed on schools as support has dwindled. Schools are being starved to
prove they are failing. The disdain for our work. The single-minded
concentration of power. The disrespect for privacy of our students.
As is often the case, we contributed to our own misery in
this dystopian society…we voted for the Superindentist. Or, worse, we didn’t
vote at all. We were too busy, or too uninterested. We couldn’t be bothered. We
gave the Superindentist and her overlord dominion over public education. And we
suffered mightily.
From the first Board Meeting it was clear she would have her
way. She bullied, fired, defied. She enlisted the Governor and Legislators. She
encouraged bills that changed the landscape of educators’ and students’ work in
the classroom. Third graders now flunk based on one test…well, not this year
and next. But the law is still in place and it is a labyrinthine task to bring
your third grader safely through the red tape and requirements. What did the
Superindentist do? Called the legislators who overrode her wishes, “Pathetic
and outrageous” and fumed at the insurrection…
Now schools and districts are graded…in a system so deeply
flawed research scientists have twice declared it a disaster. What did the
Superindentist do? She hired her own researcher, and paid her to disagree with
the scientists. So there. The Superindentist continues to support her A-F
grading system, recently calling it ‘great’ in a candidate debate. She was the
only one.
The Superindentist pledges to work for expansion of charters
and vouchers. It’s part of her platform. She pledges to restore the punitive
aspects of third grade testing. She pledges to install merit pay, based on the
state’s version of value-added measures, a completely discredited system,
proved to be junk science.
She travels the state, occasionally
dropping in on candidate debates, smiling her insincere smile, speaking in
her carefully-modulated hypocritical voice, sounding much like Professor
Umbridge from Harry Potter. She has a
plan for her second term. She’s been open about much of it. More high stakes
tests, more charters, more vouchers.
With HB3399 now law, whoever holds the power in the OSDE
will control the manner in which our new Standards will be written. Power to
include or ignore educators. Power to revise at will, even after groups have
agreed on the Standards. Power to control what and how we teach. If we give her
this power, we are fools, willing accomplices in our own destruction.
Unlike dystopian societies in literature, we have the power
to change, to reject the Superindentist and her overlord. We created this
landscape by our own neglect, and we can change it.
All it takes is a vote…my vote. Your vote. Your neighbor’s
vote. Your family’s vote. Your Sunday School class’s votes. Each of us doing
our part.
Indiana overthrew the overlord’s representative. Sent him
packing back to the overlord, defiant until a scandal brought him down too low
for even the overlord to save him.
We can do this…we can vote…vote early, vote Tuesday. We can
vote and end this dystopian world now.
Because if we don’t do it Tuesday, the odds will never be in
our favor.
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