Opting Out

The Story of the Parents' Grassroots Movement to Achieve Whole-Child Public Schools

By: David Hursh, Jeanette Deutermann, Lisa Rudley, Zhe Chen, Sarah McGinnis

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Paperback | 15 January 2020

At a Glance

Paperback
125 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 0.64

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$72.75

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A 2020 AESA Critics' Choice Book Award winner

The rise of high-stakes testing in New York and across the nation has narrowed and simplified what is taught, while becoming central to the effort to privatize public schools. However, it and similar reform efforts have met resistance, with New York as the exemplar for how to repel standardized testing and invasive data collection, such as inBloom. In New York, the two parent/teacher organizations that have been most effective are Long Island Opt Out and New York State Allies for Public Education. Over the last four years, they and other groups have focused on having parents refuse to submit their children to the testing regime, arguing that if students don't take the tests, the results aren't usable. The opt-out movement has been so successful that 20% of students statewide and 50% of students on Long Island refused to take tests. In Opting Out, two parent leaders of the opt-out movement-Jeanette Deutermann and Lisa Rudley-tell why and how they became activists in the two organizations. The story of parents, students, and teachers resisting not only high-stakes testing but also privatization and other corporate reforms parallels the rise of teachers across the country going on strike to demand increases in school funding and teacher salaries. Both the success of the opt-out movement and teacher strikes reflect the rise of grassroots organizing using social media to influence policy makers at the local, state, and national levels.

Perfect for courses such as:
The Politics Of Education | Education Policy | Education Reform
Community Organizing | Education Evaluation | Education Reform | Parents And Education

Industry Reviews

"...the authors have crafted a compelling activist's handbook that parents, teachers, and other educational stakeholders will find useful as they set out on similar activist journeys. Importantly, it can offer hope in the face of resistance... I agree with the authors that "the opt-out movement can provide a model for how to work politically to develop more democratic, humane and equitable educational institutions and society" (p. 22). Anyone interested in seeking that future will find Opting Out helpful, inspiring, and informative."--Review excerpt by Stephanie Schroeder for Teachers College Record, ID No.: 23839, 9-10-21
"Opting Out documents one of the most important movements in education today. It helps us answer a crucial question: Can communities act back against the standardized testing regimes that dominate our schools? By centering the voices of community members who are actively engaged in acting back against these policies and practices, Opting Out provides us with a sense of real possibilities."--Michael W. Apple, University of Wisconsin, Madison, author of The Struggle for Democracy in Education

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