Yesterday, we shared a link to the pdf of our official press release. It's easy to print and hand to someone you think may be interested. Today, we are sharing the full text of that press release, making the information it contains a little easier to share around on Facebook and Twitter. 

Iin the release, Kirsten Lombard, Resounding Books' founder and editor-in-chief, clearly calls out the deceptive language games taking place in the education reform game. We'd be grateful if you could the post on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. It's just one more way to wake people up about what's really happening and get people thinking about how they could make a difference in their respective communities...and beyond.

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For Immediate Release: January 26, 2016
Contact: Kirsten Lombard at kirsten@resoundingbooks.org

RESOUNDING BOOKS STRIKES AT DECEPTIVE USE
OF LANGUAGE IN ED REFORM WITH NEW INITIATIVE 
“COUNTERACT [false] ACCOUNTABILITY”

(Madison, WI) – Late yesterday evening, independent publisher Resounding Books PAC announced its official launch of “COUNTERACT [false] ACCOUNTABILITY,” a project-based, citizen-led initiative. The initiative is designed to push back against a false narrative of accountability now prevalent in state and federal education policy.

“In education, accountability no longer means what the average citizen likely assumes it does,” notes Kirsten Lombard, Resounding Books’ founder and editor-in-chief. “Education reformers regularly leverage the term to get public buy-in on key initiatives. It sounds responsible, particularly when public moneys are involved. However, few people understand the nature of the measures on which accountability is based today. Nor do they ask to whom the accountability is actually due. The public assumes. The problem is, the assumptions are false.”

While the assumptions are entirely understandable, Lombard adds, they facilitate the continued advance of reforms that undermine true education. “Accountability is feeding into children being denied substantive learning opportunities. It results in the marginalization of concerned parents and teachers. Moreover, it bilks taxpayers. It’s time to shed some light on what amounts to a crooked word game.”

Resounding Books formulated its initiative as a direct response to the Fordham Institute’s recent announcement of a competition for the design of state accountability plans. 

“Quite simply,” says Lombard, “some things shouldn’t go unchallenged.”

The false narrative of accountability affects students, parents, teachers and taxpayers alike, as well as society more broadly. While some might believe it relates only to the public education system, it also negatively impacts alternative educational pathways such as private and home-based schools.

COUNTERACT [false] ACCOUNTABILITY invites engaged citizens and local grassroots organizations of any political or ideological stripe to submit proposals for creative projects designed to inform one’s community—and potentially beyond—about accountability’s many troubling aspects and its relationship to a broader reform agenda. That agenda notably includes Common Core, the Every Student Succeeds Act, and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act.  

Resounding Books has assembled a five-person judging panel for the purpose of evaluating submissions and determine for which projects the organization will seek funding in the form of $500 mini-grants. Three “Judges’ Choice” projects will become eligible for additional assistance, with the nature of that assistance to be determined in relationship to the specific projects. Projects will be evaluated based on criteria such as: creativity, simplicity, and potential impact. The judging panel includes: 

• KIRSTEN LOMBARD – founder, Resounding Books PAC, and editor of the book Common Ground on Common Core
• KRIS L. NIELSEN – teacher, public education advocate, and author of the books Children of the Core and Uncommon
• LYNNE M. TAYLOR – education policy researcher, activist, and blogger at Common Core Diva
• JEFFREY D. HORN – data scientist, education activist, author, and admin at Stop Common Core in Wisconsin
• GAIL NELSON – founder and editor-in-chief, Learning Tangent Homeschool Magazine 

Official guidelines for project submissions are posted on Resounding Books’ website at: http://resoundingbooks.org/counteract/, along with an online submission form.

Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. on February 15, 2016.

For additional information, to request official comment, or to schedule an interview regarding this announcement, please leverage the contact information provided above, or use Resounding Books contact page.