The Rouge Forum Presents:  
     Brer Rabbit 
  
"Standardized Testing and Teaching for a Democratic Society"
 
January 29th and 30th 1999
 
Wayne State University

Featuring:  

    E. Wayne Ross ­ Associate Professor in the School of Education and Human Development at State University of New York at Binghamton. He is the of editor of "Theory and Research in Social Education" and has written several articles and books on teaching for a democratic society.  

    Monty Neill ­ Executive Director of FairTest (The National Center for Fair & Open Testing), an advocacy organization working to end the abuses, misuses and flaws of standardized testing and ensure that evaluation of students and workers is fair, open, and educationally sound.  

    Detroit Storyliving -- This group of professionals from the Detroit Historical Museum develops and facilitates programs which fully engage participants in local historical events.  Participants travel back in time and are able to experience the events through creative drama.

This is our second International Social Studies Conference. This will be a discussion-based moment for people to share their ideas on education for a democratic society. While we do have brief opening remarks and an introductory (participatory) skit planned, this is not a series of presentations from those who know to those who don't. We hope to maintain and enrich a continuing dialogue about what needs to be done and how we can best do it. Come prepared to help provide leadership, to discuss ideas, research, strategies, and tactics we all might employ.  
 
There is NO CHARGE, register now: E-mail elethinker@geocities.com
 
 
Friday, January 29, 1999: 
      7 – 10 P.M. Gathering at The Traffic Jam 
          Join the conference conveners and presenters for dinner and 
          conversation. Your only cost will be the cost of your dinner. 
         
Saturday, January 30, 1999: 
      10 A.M. - 6 P.M. David Adamany Undergraduate Library, Wayne State University 
     
        9:30 — 10:00 A.M.  Registration 
      10:00 — 10:30 A.M.  Opening remarks 
      10:30 — 12:00 P.M.  Two nationally prominent experts on standardized testing, 
                                        E. Wayne Ross, editor of Theory and Research in the Social 
                                        Studies doing "Standards, Testing and Curriculum Control" 
                                        and Monty Neill from FairTest 
      12:00  —   1:00 P.M. Lunch — on your own 
       1:00   —   3:00 P.M. Detroit Storyliving 
       3:00   —   5:00 P.M. Plenary session, agenda to be set by participants; small group 
                                        sessions will break out from plenary, based on interests of the 
                                        participants 
       5:00  —  6:00 P.M.  Regroup for sharing and concluding remarks 
 

The Rouge Forum is a group of educators teaching for a democratic society. You are invited to join us. We are school workers, professors, students, parents, and community people concerned about questions like these: How can we teach against racism, national chauvinism and sexism in an increasingly authoritarian and undemocratic society? How can we gain enough real power to keep our ideals and still teach? We are both research and action oriented. We want to learn about equality, democracy and social justice as we simultaneously struggle to bring into practice our present understanding of what that is. We seek to build a caring inclusive community which understands that an injury to one is an injury to all. At the same time, our caring community is going to need to deal decisively with an opposition that is sometimes ruthless.  

We have had some modest success in defeating the MEAP in Michigan, working in faculty organizations to deal with the racism and sexism in academia, exposing the bogus new tests in Pennsylvania, and in working in our various unions to try to press forward questions of class size, curricular freedom, and a just tax system. As part of the Whole Schooling Consortium, we have sponsored forums in the U.S., bringing together hundreds of people to mutually build an agenda for democratic change.  
  
For map and locations, click here. 

   
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To Rich Gibson's Home Page for a Democratic Society