As practicing educators, regardless of race, sex or religious origin, do we vote for politicians who currently represent inner cities who are blatently supporting racist educational practices? Ex. Sen. of New York...or do we demand proof of actions taken prior to election? Do we presently have anyone running who is more action than talk? The president we have now stood for and eductional system who was pulling the wool over the eyes of its citizens. How do we keep this from happening again?

I tell you where it begins...it must begin in our own homes and in our schools. We've got to move past educating our students the Standard Course of Study, the ABC's, the and AYP's. I am tired of our communities depending on news analyst telling what the platforms are. WE as a people better start asking these folks the right questions boldly.

This country is in a mess, Rosanna. Our children are going to have to be taught right from wrong, taught to be honest, and taught that when they make a mistake to not keep making it, but change the way they think and their actions. Our problem is that we choose the lesser of the evils, when we need to be choosing what is the best for our country.

I sense the same frustration when we look at the field of political candidates. All run on the belief of the importance of education. Few seem to really mean it when education is stacked against other priorities. Until the realities of how bad things really are hits all Americans things may change little.

It's tough to determine which politician would best serve our public schools. Come to think of it I can't name a politician who supports policy that deemphasizes test scores, accountability, etc. Of all the literature I've read since entering grad school, I can't remember an instance where education experts and politicians agreed. To me that's the irony of it all. Policy is made for public schools that is in direct contrast with what the latest research tells us is best. This conflict between best practice and raising test scores is a dilemma that teachers face everyday. On a national level the rhetoric from our presidential candidates is too ambiguous for me to know exactly where these candidates stand. It's my responsibility to dig deeper.

Most of today's politicians only stand for what the polls have determined to be the best. They support testing and accountability because it is the "in-thing." Let testing become an anathema, they would scurry like rats to find the "in-position" to support.

Okay...so we're all focused on testing. Suppose testing was a non-issue, what do we need to do about the fundamentals...warm clean classrooms, teachers in every room, equal education systems. Let's face it folks, our public school system is the responsibility of the government. How can we as educators hold our political leaders more accountable to their responsibilities as stewards of public education. I agree with Alicia that families need to come together and be more involved in the education of their children, but the fact remains that we wouldn't let our own children attend public schools in some inner city schools. Do we just turn our backs on the families who can't afford to move to areas with better schools? We need to stop "waiting for the world to change" and do something to change it. If educators stood together for the rights of all students and not just focus on their own school or children, we could make a difference.