Silence the Enemy of Change

“Breaking the silence is the first step.  It makes it possible to stake out an issue, draw others to it and empower people, who may have been silenced by the policy, to begin to use their influence…Silence is the enemy of change.”  This thought-provoking quote appeared on March 1 in the Heights Observer.  The column was written by Susie Kaeser, a long-time resident of Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District (Ohio) and a national board member of Parents for Public Schools.  Like public schools across the nation, her district has been deeply affected by the adoption of federal and state policies that have made testing, accountability and privatization the key levers for affecting school quality.  A staunch advocate for public education, Susie was instrumental in the formation more than four years ago of the Heights Coalition for Public Education, an all-volunteer group of concerned community members who are calling on Congress and the Ohio Legislature to end their war on public education.