The students who boycotted the MCAS last year and the group Massparents are among those chosen to receive Peace and Justice Awards from the Cambridge Peace Commission. There will be a dinner, slide show and presentation of awards to the various people and groups being honored. A number of the recipients are involved with education. 


Kathy Hoffman 
Cambridge Peace Commission 
349 4694 

Thanks to the efforts of parents, educators and students, Cambridge has been in the forefront of the movement to raise awareness about the way the MCAS harms education and students, and to demand equity in schools. Far from being a fair measure of education reform, the "one size fits all" MCAS discriminates and widens inequalities, with income levels largely determining MCAS results. In 1999 65% of students in low  income districts and 12% of students in affluent towns failed a portion of the test. To further their demand for genuine education reform and an authentic system of accountability, MassParents and the Boycotting Students of CRLS have planted the seeds of a community-wide grassroots movement and seen some impressive results: their vigorous outreach, lobbying, rallies, signature gathering, and the biggest student MCAS boycott in
the state have received ample regional and nationwide attention, with the promise of more to come. 

In the words of MassParents organizer Tim Wise, "Are your kids really failing these tests, or are the tests failing our kids?" Thanks to MassParents and the CRLS boycotters, more and more people in Cambridge and around the state are beginning to ask themselves -- and their legislators -- this question, and to demand more thoughtful answers than those packaged by MCAS backers. With high-stakes MCAS results beginning "to count" this year, MassParents and Cambridge students will soon be knocking on your door.