Patricia Polacco & Censorship

You've probably already heard about the whole censorship issue that's been heating up around Patricia Polacco, and the cancellation of an invitation to speak at the an IRA (International Reading Association) conference in Chicago this year. Polacco has been highly critical of the 'No Child Left Behind' Bush initiative, and was told to stay away from the subject in her speech. One of the major problems as I see it is that private companies such as SRA-McGraw/Hill play such an important role in funding such educational conferences. The fact that the publisher was footing the bill for her speech meant that they felt that they could dictate the content. If educational policy isn't addressed at conferences like these, where will it be addressed? Check out the article in Publishers Weekly at http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6334219.html One of the things that surprises me even less than the question of censorship, is Polacco's dedication. She may have been silenced at the conference, but she continues to stand her ground in her continued criticism of the band aid school of medicine to heal our bleeding education system. Polacco says it much more elegantly than I though. Check out her website at www.patriciapolacco.com