And a child will lead us....

I've been remiss in my blogging so this should've been up a long time ago. A dkos diarist on Mia Kang in Texas:

It's important to know that this is not anti-testing at work here. As the superintendent in the article states, "There is a real punitive flavor to all of this. If you're testing to be diagnostic, to identify weaknesses and work on them, that's one thing. But all we hear about is dropping the hammer on schools."

The superintendent also states, "In both cases, it's not a matter of whether these students could pass or not. They're very, very capable students. I just hope they don't restrict opportunities in the future by doing this." Ironically, that is exactly the impact high-stakes testing has on students and on schools, in general.

As Mia, the very wise, says:


Test preparation dominates classes, Mia says, squeezing out time for meaningful discussion or creative projects.
"These tests don't measure what kids really need to know, they measure what's easy to measure," she said. "We should be learning concepts and skills, not just memorizing. It's sad for kids and it's sad for teachers, too.

The diarist has the best idea: show your support for Mia by writing letters.

Write to Mia Kang at her school:
MacArthur High School
2923 E Bitters Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78217

Write a letter to the editor of the San Antonio Express-News:

Letters
c/o Express-News
P.O. Box 2171
San Antonio, TX 78297-2171

Or fax to: (210) 250-3465 Include your daytime phone number for verification purposes only.

Email her principals, her teachers, the superintendent in support of Mia.

You can find all those connection on the school website:
http://www.neisd.net/mac/
Education is a civil rights issue.
Mia Kang is a hero in this movement.

Update: True to form, I find Mia Kang is fearless and intrepid. She found my blog and wrote to me. And with permission, I put this up:

Hi,

This is Mia Kang, and I just found the post you put on http://www.blogger.com/profile/1481163. I wanted to tell you that I really thank you for your support and for spreading the word about my cause--that is really what I want to accomplish. Please post my email address: bookishballerina@yahoo.com, on blogging sites and stuff so that I can be contacted with questions and comments. Thanks again for your support and your help--which has a greater impact than you probably think.

Mia Kang