By Amalia Oulahan
(No number-two pencils were harmed in the making of this movement.)
Instead of watching students fill in test bubbles last school year, a few teachers around the country risked their jobs and career prospects by refusing to hand out standardized assessments. Their actions administered new life into a stirring antitesting movement. The real test, though, will be how the antitesting movement can harness the momentum generated by these actions.
Connecting local actions to build a strong national movement has proven difficult. To begin, every state has its own test and alternatives to testing. Another factor is the vulnerability of teachers in a fight against the district, a fight where public support might be limited at best.
It's unlikely that NCLB-mandated standardized testing will inspire mass civil disobedience. Nonetheless, national organizers say individual acts of protest can expose the most pressing problems with standardized testing and inspire broader activism, perhaps coalitions across state borders.
"The actions and civil disobedience highlight the damage being caused to the kids," said Monty Neill, deputy director of the antitesting organization FairTest.