(NAME-MCE) Another petition for Secretary of Ed.--may be of interest

Tue Nov 18 14:01:34 EST 2008

Petition regarding US Sec of Education, 11/17/2008

Forwarded from Alma Flor Ada and Stephen Krashen:
Please consider signing a petition at http://teacheractivistgroups.org/ regarding the appointment of the secretary of education.

Dear supporters of public education,
Many of you have by now heard the rumors of Obama's potential appointees to the position of Secretary of Education. This list includes several people whose records show a history of
dismantling democratic public education in the name of private interests. As people committed to public education, this strikes a hard and fast blow in the euphoria that we have felt since Tuesday, November 4th.  But it's not too late to make our voices heard once again. Let's build on the sense of representation and democracy we have just experienced to send a clear message to the Obama Administration.

Please click on ENDORSE THIS STATEMENT in order to sign the following statement that voices our concerns about the kind of Education Secretary that we want. Additionally, please FORWARD this message to your friends and colleagues who are also concerned about the future of public education.

Thank you!

The National Network of Teacher Activist Groups

STATEMENT ON THE SELECTION OF THE US SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

Today, we celebrate Barack Obama's momentous election as President of the United States. We recognize it as a historic culmination of the centuries-long effort for dignity and justice, human and civil rights, and enfranchisement of the U.S. people, and we pay particular tribute
to the African American freedom struggle, which played a decisive role in bringing the first Black man to the presidency.

We look forward, as educators, parents and students, to participating in the opportunities for change afforded by this moment. We are excited about the possibilities for improving educational opportunities for all students. Our vision of educational justice, access, opportunity, and equity includes having a Department of Education whose officials embrace the idea of a quality education as part of the common good. We wish to turn away from a
corporate model of education that claims that teaching and learning can only improve by imposing market perspectives and processes onto our public education system. Education should be a fundamental human right, not subject to privatization by firms whose primary concern is a profit motive and the bottom line. We have all witnessed the failures of this free market system in recent months and do not support this model for our public schools.  Toward these ends, we urge President-elect Obama and his transition team to choose a Secretary of Education who is committed to the full development of human beings who are prepared to actively participate in civil society. We strongly encourage the selection of
someone dedicated to equity and the education of all children with a proven track record in these areas, such as Linda Darling-Hammond, a key member of Mr. Obama's education team. We want a person who is a  professional, experienced, and knowledgeable educator, not a corporate executive such as New York City's Education Chancellor Joel Klein or Chicago CEO Arne Duncan, who have demonstrated their vision of privatized, corporatized, and anti-democratic schools.

Over the last 20 years in the U.S., education is becoming the business of education, and we emphatically reject that model. We call upon the President-elect to choose someone who will embrace the ideas of civic involvement and public participation. We look forward to collaborating with that person, as well as with students, parents, and the broader public, in developing a truly meaningful and just education for all students in the U.S.
--- On Fri, 11/14/08, sheila hamanaka <hamanaka at optonline.net> wrote:

From: sheila hamanaka <hamanaka at optonline.net>
Subject: (NAME-MCE) If not Powell, WHO? Fwd: Petition for Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond for education secretary
To: "National Assn Multicultural Educators Multicultural Educators" <name-mce at nameorg.org>
Date: Friday, November 14, 2008, 1:58 PM

A teacher friend of mine sent me this petition in support of an educator for
Sec'y of Education. Is anyone familiar with her work? And, does anyone have
other suggestions/petitions for the position?

thanks for all the responses re Powell
Sheila Hamanaka

Begin forwarded message:

From: Evan Tobias <evantobias2010 at u.northwestern.edu>
Date: 14 November, 2008 11:51:19 EST
Subject: Petition for Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond for education secretary

Hi All,
(sorry about the mega mass email)

Wouldn't it make sense to have an outstanding educator and expert in the
field as the next secretary of education?! Read below about an initiative to
have Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond as the next secretary of education and then
consider signing the petition.
 If you are not familiar with Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, author of "The
RIght To Learn", here is her bio:
http://ed.stanford.edu/suse/faculty/displayRecord.php?suid=ldh

http://www.petitiononline.com/DHammond/petition.html

-E 
Please feel free to forward this along:
The following original email is from Gail Burmaford:

Hey Folks,
There's a movement starting up to convince President-Elect Obama to 
appoint Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University, the new 
Secretary of Education. There is an online petition and we would like 
 to get as many signatures as possible.  Here are my thoughts - and 
some possible language if you want to go on Obama's website - and/or 
sign the petition.  The key for me is that she really has a handle on 
 the triangle -RESEARCH, POLICY, AND PRACTICE.

The district bureaucrats focus on policy, the academics rely on 
research, and the teachers care most about practice.  She is able to 
bridge all these communities.   She's really the only one I know of 
 right now who can do that.  Darling-Hammond can convene the smartest 
people (isn't that the Obama way?) who will actually attend and 
participate with her leadership (can't say the same for Joel Klein, 
 Arnie Duncan or Colin Powell - yes, you heard me right - that's the 
word).

There's more information about Dr. Darling-Hammond at the petition site.

http://www.petitiononline.com/DHammond/petition.html

Please pass this along to as many people as you can - we want to make 
this go viral!

This morning's Times noted that Education is way down on Obama's 
list.  I can tell you that LDH will NOT let it stay there.

gail

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