A quick review of the headlines…
Bush claimes NCLB is working…, while big business lines up its lobbying dollars to push for NCLB’s renewal, even though NCLB — even if you agree with it’s No Test Left Behind mandate — has been grossly underfunded since it’s passage. And meanwhile, the School District of Philadelphia is in a $70-80 million dollar hole and NYC parents are protesting the tests that sort and rank their children.

There are days when I question this country’s committment to public education. Heck, there are lots of those days. I’ve believed since the moment I closely examined NCLB upon its passage that it was designed to be the poison pill legislation, passed with one purpose — to discredit and dismantle public education.

But I also believe that there are so many good people in public education at the grassroots district and classroom level, and I believe that a majority of Americans know that the public educational system is a bedrock part of our democracy that I cling to the belief that we can weather this storm and still build great things.

But it there are days when it’s hard.

There are days when I see districts making draconian cuts because they have no choice. I talk to friends in other districts and hear the same story. I talk to friends all over the country who have to teach to the test because the test scores are all that matter, and I worry and wonder how long those folks who would support and defend project-based learning can hold out.

Some days are harder than others to maintain the optimism. Those are the days you watch the kids… listen to the joy they take in learning. You talk to them and hear the pride they have in their school… and you talk to other folks in SDP who believe in what you do and want to see you succeed… and you realize that tomorrow’s another day, another fight… and that no one ever told you this would be easy.

And the kids need us to keep fighting for them. The stakes are still too high.