In an email, Devoted Reader and fine edublogger Daryl Cobranchi said, "You've got to see this." And he was right:
Bob Dylan they ain't, but the musicians featured on "No Child Left Behind? Bring Back The Joy" bring just as much passion and protest to what they view as an abomination of the 21st century: federal education policy. No Child Left Behind Songs.
The recently released folk album features 15 songs by professional folk singers, educators and children's choirs. What makes them unique is the subject matter. Lyrics urge support for schools, less emphasis on standardized tests, and freedom for teachers to teach and students to learn.
"I believe in what I call reform, but this [federal policies] isn't reform," says Cap Lee, a retired Milwaukee educator and the inspiration behind the album. "This is damage...
Inspiration for the album struck when Lee was visiting an alternative school in Birmingham, Ala., with other educators, parents, musicians and authors.
"Cutting out recess? It's insanity," Lee says. "It doesn't make any sense. It's
like telling a teacher they can't have a break or a superintendent that they can't go to a conference. So what did they do in the '50s and '60s down in Birmingham? They sang. We thought, 'Why don't we do the same thing to protest [judgments of school quality] on a single standardized test?' Music is a great form of communication."
For now, let's leave aside the condescension, arrogance, and historical ignorance that is required to equate - with a straight face - a folk album protesting school reform with marchers (who were denied the rights to vote, work, or be treated equally by the law) getting battered by fire hoses and attacked by police dogs. Let's just skip over that nasty stuff and appreciate these fine, fine, lyrics:
Track No. 6, "Test the Kids" (to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It"):
No Child Left Behind says test the kids/While teachers are maligned, test the kids
If the CEOs are liars, put the kids' feet to the fire/Shouting "Vouchers, we desire!" test the kids.
If your schools they are crumbling, test the kids/And Congress it is bumbling test the kids.
Business wants more competition and public school demolition/It's a hunting expedition, test the kids.
I don't care if that sounds good while sung. It doesn't even make sense. Is it supposed to be anti-voucher? Pro-crumbling schools? Against making judgments about bad teachers and bad teaching? Against any sort of competition in schools? But that can't be right, given that the proceeds go to an alternative school, the World Of Opportunity. Of course, it's not really a surprise that Susan Ohanian is involved with this, because she's a proud "test resister" who happily quotes anti-testing "experts" like Monty Neill on her website.
I suppose it's no surprise in general that the hippies who have refused to grow up have latched on to opposing NCLB, opposing vouchers, and opposing school choice. But I think they might find it surprising how many minority families disagree with them. I'm all for alternative schools, but I also believe that it's just as silly to insist that true education can't happen in conjuction with testing as to claim that testing, in and of itself, will improve education.
Posted by kswygert at September 27, 2004 08:30 PM