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Two education systems in America 1. Suburban Schools 2. Poor and Urban "Test-preparation boot camp" -scripted lessons -practice test-preparation exercises -endless stream of test

Why is this happening? Parents "State and national policy makers have diverted attention away from the deep political, social, and economic forces hat have conspired to segregate our schools, our neighborhoods, and futures of our children by using the high-sounding rhetoric of equal educational opportunities for all children - "all children can learn" and "no child left behind" - and the vocabulary of business accountability measures - test, inspect, and reconstitute."

Professional Education Organizations and Academic Communities "have remained silent about the conditions, the facilities, the predagogy, and the curriculum that urban children are subjected to on a daily basis, but have supported and pursued accountability that can only worsen the educational future of urban youths" "many have promoted "how to" approaches for implementing accountability measures that straitjacket teachers and systematically destroy whatever self-esteem urban children bring when they enter the school house doors."

Professors and Deans "Strong Professors of Education should be using their classrooms, the educational media, and their research interest to identify and provide a rationale for curricular approaches and pedagogical techniques that are not harmful to urban young people and to expose the gross inequities that now exist in our public school system. Strong Deans of Education should use their authority to voice opposition ot accreditation measures and policy initiatives that intensify punitive acountability measure and that continue to promote inequailities in how we fund our schools."

School Administrators "must have the courage and skill to become Strong Educational Leaders. It is dishonest for school administrators to portray themselves as "pawns" in the hands of powerful political interests"

STOP TREATING RACE AND POVERTY AS SILENT VARIABLES IN URBAN SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT...

"We, as professional educators, do possess the strong messages about what needs to be done in urban schools. Waht we are missing is the courage."