Today's Protest Against Tisch And King At Ward Melville High School

Mark Naison writes:

Woke up this morning in a GREAT MOOD, ready to join THOUSANDS of Long Island parents, teachers and students at 5:45 protesting another closed forum sponsored by NY Ed Commissioner John King at Ward Melville HS in East Setauket. Since Commissioner King seems constitutionally incapable of actually listening to parents, teachers and principals, I doubt if this demonstration will have any immediate effect on State Education policy, but it will send a powerful message to elected officials that King and Regents Chair Merryl Tisch need to go; and if those politicians don't listen, will lead to a Test Revolt and Opt Out movement of EPIC PROPORTIONS next spring. Equally important, this demonstration, which is likely to be quite large, will give a shot in the arm to people all over the nation fighting the insane tests and assessments that have descended upon the nations public schools

There will be pictures and videos forthcoming- and maybe someone will even live-stream the rally. As for me, it's a chance to reconnect with heroes of the Long Island Test Revolt from last April, as well as meet new heroes who have stepped forward this fall!!

It's true - students, parents, teachers and administrators from Long Island, along with students, parents, and teachers from areas upstate and in Western New York, have been leading the revolution against the state education reform agenda.

And while I, like Naison, do not think these protests will have any effect on Commissioner King and SED officials or Chancellor Tisch and the Board of Regents, you can bet the politicians are paying attention.

In the end, that's where  these protests are aimed - at the politicians who put the people pushing the state education reform agenda into positions of power.

With Cuomo's re-election campaign coming up next year and with his sights on the White House in 2016, he is looking to run up the score in 2014 in order to launch a viable 2016 presidential campaign.

He cannot afford to have a state-wide student, parent, teacher and administrator-led revolt against his education policies cut into his re-election numbers or dominate his re-election year press coverage.

If ever we were poised to force Sheriff Andy to comply with the will of the people rather than the plutocrats he serves, this would be the year.

So let the protests go long and and let them be loud, let Newsday and the upstate papers cover them even as the city media ignores the whole thing or, worse, smears the revolt as "special interest-led."

Outside of NYC, this revolution is getting notice from the powers that be and they are desperate to put the fires out.

But the more they try and suppress criticism and opposition, the more they fan the flames.