New York City, September 1969
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New York City: Tens of thousands joined a silent march against “Stop-and-Frisk” and other racist police abuses, June 17, 2012.
Photo by G. Dunkel
I wish I had time to go to these.
A backlash against high-stakes standardized testing is sweeping through U.S. school districts as parents, teachers, and administrators protest that the exams are unfair, unreliable and unnecessarily punitive - and even some longtime advocates of testing call for changes.
The objections come even as federal and state authorities pour hundreds of millions of dollars into developing new tests, including some for children as young as 5.
In a growing number of states, scores on standardized tests weigh heavily in determining whether an 8-year-old advances to the next grade with her classmates; whether a teen can get his high school diploma; which teachers keep their jobs; how much those teachers are paid; and even which public schools are shut down or turned over to private management.
In 2010 something unthinkable happened – student debt surpassed credit card debt as the largest form of debt in this country, passing $800 billion dollars. In 2012 more history will be made as the amount of unpaid student debt climbs to $1 trillion dollars, with an additional $1 million dollars added to that number every 6 minutes.
The ripple effect that this has on our economy is crushing: students and recent graduates are forced into low-wage jobs in order to immediately start making payments back to banks and lenders; instead of stimulating the economy by spending millions of dollars, students and graduates are pinching pennies to just try to keep up with the interest on their loans; and the privatization of colleges and universities are expedited as the same loan agencies use the profit off of students to lobby for lower tax rates, forcing budget cuts to higher education in an economy where recent graduates struggle to find jobs.
Imagine students not working two part-time minimum wage jobs as they struggle to get through school, allowing them more time to participate in civic engagement. Imagine recent graduates not being pushed into a job market where they are forced to intentionally keep wages stagnant, allowing them the ability to work for non-profits or local businesses.
If we do not solve the student debt crisis the students of today will suffer, but the students of tomorrow may never have the opportunity to a college education. A generation of students will pay the hefty price of their student loans; but we must not forget that we will also pay the debt of an entire country ignoring the burden placed on those working to better their lives and communities by obtaining a college degree.
Operation Walk Out will take place on November 30th in solidarity with The National Association of Head Teachers.
Students and teachers have been greatly impacted by the economic crisis.
Our teachers have been continually laid off and schools have lost funding due to budget cuts.
We need to send our government a message, our education should be top priority.
The Walk Out will begin at 12 p.m. in all schools.
We ask students, teachers and faculty to march against education cuts and tuition hikes.
We shall be heard.
What started as a one-student march now includes more than 10,000 parents, children and elderly, in a goal to jog around the Chilean presidential palace for 1,800 hours in a row — 75 days — to urge education reform.
The march first began on June 13 when a lone drama student started running the half-mile loop around the presidential palace in Santiago. Then his girlfriend joined the protest run.
Soon, dozens of Chileans were taking turns in the exercise that is part of a nationwide effort to gain substantial education reforms.
Chile has been occupied for months by student protests where youth are demanding free education for all.
For the marathon protest run, there is always at least one person walking the half-mile stretch amid the central and congested streets of downtown Santiago with their black, tattered flag demanding “Free Education Now.”
The 1,800-hour goal symbolizes the $1.8 billion each year that, according to students, would be required to fund education for the 300,000 most vulnerable students in the system.
Chilean student protester vs. riot cop
Why Revolution? published by the Revolutionary Students Union at Utah Valley University, 2011
View or download the pamphlet in PDF format here
Everyone get this.
“Make the banks and millionaires pay!” March on Wall Street, May 12, New York City.
Photo by G. Dunkel
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Friday urged leaders and cadres to attach great importance to the study of Marxist theories and to creatively use them in analyzing and solving the country’s practical problems.
Xi, also president of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), made the remarks at the school’s opening ceremony for the spring semester’s second group of students.
Officials can enhance knowledge and insight, as well as foster a down-to-earth work style through their study of Marxism, said Xi, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
Officials cannot do without the guidance of Marxist philosophy and the methodologies of dialectical materialism and historical materialism in making proper judgements on situations, keeping a sober mind in complex situations, and analyzing scientifically the country’s development opportunities and challenges, he said.
Furthermore, he encouraged CPC officials to enhance learning socialist theories with Chinese characteristics and to make efforts in solving prominent problems which may restrain the country from developing in a scientific way.
More than 1,100 people, including CPC officials attending the school’s spring semester and the school’s leaders, attended Friday’s ceremony.
