Ignoring educational research, these expensive turnaround campaigns begin with the mass dismissal of teachers. This immediately reduces the number of African-American teachers serving African-American communities

Bill Gates has made it clear that this was an experiment from the start. What he did not seem to allow for in his scenario was the possibility that his experiment would not succeed.

PARCC is a new, unproven, unfunded, state and federally mandated test to be taken on computers, MULTIPLE TIMES per year. Since the inception of NCLB, we have been adding to the pile of standardized tests that our students must hurdle.

The study found that 56% of teachers polled are "not engaged." They may be satisfied with their jobs, but they are not emotionally connected to their schools. Another 13% are "actively disengaged.

Nothing could be clearer, given the mountains of evidence cited here and that can be accessed very easily, that a strong school library program staffed with certified librarians has a very positive effective on learning within underserved communities.

Teachers are beginning to react. We have known all along that test-based accountability would yield data by the truckload, but data is blind without wisdom.

It was a Texan, Diane Ravitch, who rallied teachers when it seemed like public schooling was condemned to its Alamo. Now, it may be a Texan, John Kuhn, who points the way out of the educational civil war launched by data-driven reform.

A basic question is emerging as our schools are urged to embrace the Common Core and the computer-based learning systems aligned to the standards. Are these digital devices becoming central to the classroom -- and coming to dominate the way we teach and learn?

I wanted to tell a deeply personal story about teachers, students, and our ongoing efforts to craft more equitable communities in order to clarify the state of public schooling as it is -- and begin hinting at what it ought to be.

TestingTalk.org was opened for public comments on March 30, and is actively soliciting input from parents, teachers and students regarding their experiences with the new tests.