Mr. Bishop,
Thanks so much for your response to my article. Although I definitely disagree with the way in which you've chosen to characterize me ("reactionary, head-in-the-sand teacher"), I welcome the chance to dialogue with you on the issues presented in my opinion piece.
Perhaps one of the reasons that UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education and Access chose to publish my piece was because it runs counter to the hegemonic discourse (so prevalent and unquestioned at present) that equates school reform with more tests and increased punitive measures. While I certainly don't know enough about you to attempt to characterize you in any way, I assume that you have accepted such discourse as true and unproblematic. Your reference to improved SAT9 scores suggests that you operate on the assumption that the test is an objective and accurate measure of student learning. Unfortunately, while most politicians and educational policymakers share your views, there are many qualified and experienced teachers who do not.
Incidentally, before you accuse teachers of impeding the progress of "Low SES Hispanic kids," you would do well to visit those teachers' classrooms (so that you might have the opportunity to search for some substantial evidence on which to base your preposterous accusations). Were you to visit my classroom, for example, you would be surprised to find that my students are actually making substantial progress and that I am able to assess their progress (using multiple measures) without the help of norm-referenced standardized tests.
You should also know that my opinions do not represent an isolated voice, but rather a growing social movement to transform public education. The Coalition for Educational Justice is a citywide organization of parents, students and teachers who are organizing at the grassroots level to ensure an equitable education for all students. Although I am usually suspicious of people who preface their pronouncements with the phrase "I believe in everyone's right to speak," (I've found that people who make such statements often do so to conceal the fact that they believe the very opposite.), I invite you to respond to this email, so that we can engage in constructive dialogue. Finally, for the sake of clarification, you should know that "reactionary" is not defined as anyone who disagrees with your personal views and opinions.
Looking forward to your response,
Ramón Martínez
