Community conversation on public education continues March 24

The Heights Coalition for Public Education will hold its third community conversation, The Myth of Failing Students, on March 24 at 7 p.m. in the Social Room at Heights High. The event will explore the failure of state and federal testing and accountability policy to improve student achievement and to address many of the issues that are part of the education equation.

The public is invited to participate in this free community event. Local public education advocates and educators will report on the complex issues that affect students and schools.

Co-sponsors of the public event include the Cleveland Heights Teachers Union AFT Local 795, CH-UH PTA Council, Reaching Heights and FutureHeights.

Heights Coalition for Public Education was formed a year ago following the community reading of Diane Ravitch’s book, Reign of Error, which describes federal policies that encourage privatization of public education, and the invalid use of test scores to make high-stakes decisions. More than 130 educators and community members participated in three guided discussions of the book.

Heights parents, community members and teachers who participated in the reding formed the coalition to continue to educate the community about the dangers of policies that attack public education rather than strengthen this critical democratic institution. The group takes the position that the accountability system is not legitimate, and that testing is not an accurate or meaningful measurement of school quality or what the community values.  

Visit the Heights Coalition for Public Education website, www.chuh.net/coalition, to learn more about the group and its position statement.