Diane Ravitch, a Research Professor of Education at New York University, runs a blog about how to improve education, in addition to writing numerous books about the topic. She posts about various topics, including advocating against high-stakes standardized testing. Her posts about standardized testing can be found here, and you can also follow her on Twitter or on Facebook.9
Susan Ohanian, a self-described “longtime teacher and opponent of national standards and testing,”10 argues against the Common Core and standardized tests. In addition to her website, you can follow her on Twitter for more up to date posts.
Dr. Shaun Johnson discusses progressive, pro-public education topics every Sunday night on his radio show and hosts a forum, @ the Chalk Face, “dedicated to teachers, students, parents, and activists dedicated to public education.”11 You can follow him on Twitter and on his Facebook page.
The Scrap the Map movement supports teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle who unanimously voted to boycott the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test in January, 2013. The teachers declared that the test “is not good for our students, nor is it an appropriate or useful tool in measuring progress [as it] wreaks havoc on limited school resources during the weeks and weeks the test is administered.”12 For news and updates on the testing boycott, visit their Facebook page.
Peggy Robertson, co-founder of United Opt Out National, runs a blog advocating for the end of corporate education reform. Arguing against the Common Core and the testing accompanying the new standards, Peggy has written numerous posts against high-stakes testing from 2011 up to the present. Connect with Peggy on her Twitter and on Facebook.13
Valerie Strauss writes a blog called AnswerSheet for the Washington Post, where she discusses the Common Core and test-based accountability. In addition to her blog, you can follow her on Twitter for her opinions on current issues in education.14
Carol Burris, a high school principal and former Spanish teacher, advocates against the Common Core and high-stakes testing in her blog Round the Inkwell. Burris is “convinced that the present corporate reforms based on high stakes testing have the potential to destroy public education especially for our most vulnerable students.”15 She frequently guest blogs on the Washington Post’s AnswerSheet, and you can follow her on Twitter for further information.
The Long Island Parents Against Standardized Testing is focused around the belief that children are not a test score, providing a “forum for the sharing and discussion of ideas related to our opposition to high-stakes testing & its impact on our children and schools.”16 Follow their activism on their Facebook page.
Jean McTavish is a current middle school principal in New York, who believes that “that tests rob students of the quality instructional time, adequate resources, and an effective measurement of skills that they deserve. She speaks, writes, and acts to effect change in this area and opts her own children out of high stakes testing.”17 Follow her activism on the Facebook page, Our Village Our Schools.
Jesse Hagopian is a teacher who writes a blog called I Am An Educator, “dedicated to defending the humanity of the educator and a vision of education that contributes to creating a socially just society.”18 He advocates against standardized testing and blogs for social justice in schools. You can follow him on Twitter.
*All images were taken from corresponding, linked websites