Graphic adapted from nomoretests.com

Citizenship in Teacher Education

• Prepare teachers and administrators who passionately defend all students.

• Teach and model alternative methods of assessment in courses.

• Prepare teachers and administrators who know their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

• Educate teachers and administrators regarding norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests.

• Model engaging citizenship.

Engaged Citizen-Educators• Speak candidly with administrators and board

members prior to action.• Keep issue(s) pure—convince others to join

through the integrity and justice of the cause.• Start small and non-confrontational—build an

advocacy group.• Differentiate between speaking as a school

employee and a concerned citizen.• Keep personal activism outside your school.• Maintain detailed, dated records of actions and

conversations with employers.

Will free speech be protected?

Will we be protected if we…• publicly speak out against testing?• encourage parents or students to boycott

tests?• write editorials in local papers?• expose testing problems in local

schools?• instigate letter campaigns, petitions, or

rallies?

How might teacher educators make a

difference?

How might you make a difference?

Resources

• www.nomoretests.com

• www.fairtest.org

• www.rethinkingschools.org

• www.pipeline.com/~rgibson/education.html

• http://www.alfiekohn.org