Teachers take lessons of No Child Left Behind to D.C.

In the past couple months, thousands of teachers and parents have been calling for radical change in the education system, citing issues with the No Child Left Behind policy. 

Teachers, students, and parents across the country have come together with one goal in mind: fix a faulty education system.

Organizers are calling for a march on Washington, where they hope to inspire change.

Anthony Cody is a national board-certified teacher and mentor teacher for the Oakland, California, schools. He is one of the organizers of the Save Our Schools March, set for Saturday. He recently spoke to CNN about the march, its purpose and what teachers hope to gain.
 

Where did the idea for the Save Our Schools march come from?

Cody: The idea was born after President Obama was elected. Teachers, especially, were tired of No Child Left Behind and the emphasis on standardized test scores to judge students, schools and teachers.

Teachers really hoped for change. When we didn't see that change coming, we got concerned. I got involved last December with teachers, parents and professors.

We started doing the hard work of building our coalition, strengthening our guiding principles and figuring out what we wanted instead. There was a lot of dissatisfaction with education policy, and we needed a positive agenda and not just be critics.

 There's a lot of momentum building for the march, rally and conference. Endorsements are lining up from parent organizations, students, academics and, of course, from teachers. People are excited about the chance to get our voices heard.

Opinion: Why America's teachers are enraged

Why do the organizers feel it's necessary to "save" our schools?

NEWS BY:http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/07/29/teachers.sos.march/