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Education Policy Critics Take Heated Message to White House Door

People march to the White House during the "Save Our Schools" rally in Washington, D.C., on July 30. Marchers chanted and carried signs expressing their demands after hearing speeches nearby.

—Nicole Frugé/Education Week

‘Save Our Schools’ group seeks to refine aims

By Nirvi Shah

Washington

The rousing speeches that boosted teachers’ morale at a July 30 rally here and at others around the country showed many people’s disaffection with standards- and testing-based accountability, but the potential long-term effect of the activism is unclear.

“There are tremendously high spirits,” said Bob Schaeffer, a spokesman for the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action, which sponsored the Washington rally and march near the White House as part of four days of issues-oriented events. “Everybody thought the march and conference that preceded it did exactly what they wanted. They delivered the right message.”

While the events got the attention of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the White House, the loosely organized group has no specific policy proposals or immediate plans to weigh in on education legislation, including reauthorization of Elementary...