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(Please welcome author Linda Perlstein, author of Tested: One American School Struggles To Make the Grade and her fabulous brother Rick Perlstein to chat with us in the comments today -- JH)
I've been a proud member of the FDL extended family for a couple of years now. ("Kobe is a big Rick Perlstein fan", dammit!). Today, I'm proud to introduce you to a member of my immediate family: my little sis, Linda Perlstein.
For years, Linda was at the Washington Post as an education reporter. I used to love visiting her there, where I got to schmooze with the likes of David Broder (I kid you not!), even watch a superannuated Herblock shuffle past to sharpen his pencils (again: I kid you not). But I didn't really get to see Linda in action. Like all great reporters—and Linda's a great reporter—she did her most important work in the field. And for Linda, wherever possible, that meant in the classroom. You'd be surprised, or maybe not, at how many people who claim to speak as experts about our educational system spend little or no time in the classroom.
Linda's deeply unsatisified with that fact. For her first book, Not Much Just Chillin': The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers, she embedded herself in the classrooms (and after-school gymnastics classes, and student dinner tables, and faculty faculty lounge) of a middle class suburban school to unravel the mysteries of 'tween culture. Mysteries like the way they answer the IM'ed "Whassup?": "NMJC"—"not much just chillin.'" Which is, of course "a lie, a front, a shrug as old as adolescent angst." What Linda did was report what was behind the front, and the results were enormously entertaining—and, to the middle class parents who still flock to her lectures, enormously useful.
I was really thrilled, though, when Linda told me about the next book she wanted to do. There has been a revolution in the American public education system, everyone knows that: thanks to No Child Left Behind, high-stakes testing now rules the roost. Reems upon reems of studies about high-stakes testing have been written, Linda knew. Her frustration, though, was that the "new world of school"—a phrase, if I recall correctly, Linda put in one of the draft subtitles— was a revolution in what happened in the classroom. And no one, it seemed, was systematically looking in on classrooms to see what that revolution looked like.
Characteristically, sis did exactly that. She did it, too, via a brilliant narrative contrivance. She found a school in Annapolis, Maryland full of underprivileged minority kids that scored surprisingly well on Maryland's annual Maryland Standard Assessment (MSA) tests. Could Tyler Heights Elementary School keep up those scores a year later? What would the consequences for the everyday routines of education be in this very high-stakes quest?
Well, here was one. The principle's supervisor did a walkthrough inspection to "'zero in on the posted outcomes'--the daily objectives teachers wrote on the board for each subject. Writing objectives has become a big deal in schools. Teachers actually take classes in this—the more jargon the better, it seems: We will demonstrate the ability to perceive, perform, and respond to music" in music, Develop expressive and receptive vocabulary to begin to classify things in the home environment: in a kindergarten play kitchen." Linda writes of that walkthrough:
Passing through the gym, where kindergartners wafted a colorful parachute in the air and scampered under it in turns, Leone said of the teacher, "I can't see his goal." In pre-kindergarten where Leone saw not only "sight words" like is and and but also the MSA scores displayed on the wall, she said, "I love the way these are all posted." In fifth grade she was dismayed to find some of Mrs. Williams's students sitting at their desks reading books while others finished a test. She encouraged McKnight to come up with a school-wide protocol for spending time after completing a test, one that didn't include free reading.
So has No Child Left Behind turned our schools into a "fascist nightmare"? One of Tested's reviewers said exactly that. I know, however, that this review frustrated Linda enormously, because she sees the status quo ante—the world before NCLB—as rife with exactly the flaws the legislation seeks to fix: an indifference to accountability. She's not anti-standarized testing. She's struggling to find a middle ground, for more nuanced assessments.
Where that middle ground may be found would be an excellent topic for today's discussion.
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Welcome Linda and Rick! So glad you could join us.
Linda! Welcome!!
I’d like to begin with the question on everyone’s mind:
Is. Our. Children. Learning?
OK. That was a joke. Here’s a real one. In an interview in USA Today, you said: “I wrote this book because school reforms intended to abolish a two-class system were in some ways exacerbating it. There’s one world where students pass the test as a matter of course and get to write poems, and another where children write paragraphs about poems.”
Tell us more about how school reforms have exacerbated the two-tier system.
Welcome, Rick and Linda!
Or should I say, “Woof!”
Hi Rick, hi Linda. Welcome and thanks for being here. Kobe is indeed a big fan.
Welcome, Linda and Rick. Thanks for coming.
I’d like to turn Rick’s question a little sideways: “What are our children learning, and how do you feel about that?”
I fear Linda thinks bloggers are weird, so I won’t tell her Kobe is a standard poodle. We’ll say Kobe is, um, Jane’s second cousin or something.
Lots of teachers in my family including my son..
Nothing wrong with standardized testing- and nothing wrong with establishing criteria to measure success by- but unfortunately, NCLB is way too simple minded (surprise).]
It measures only ONE thing- the percentage of students who meet minimum standards- then it throws EVERYTHING including the kitchen sink at that one narrow measure..
What’s the consequence? Those teachers under pressure aim ONLY at those children who are just slightly below standard to get them up within the year….
Forget the bright kids who will always pass the test anyway- forget the really slow ones who could NEVER pass it- forget anything that the test doesn’t test.
We have more than one problem in our educational system- and even if this thing were to be successful in its ONE goal- it would still leave 80 percent of the problems untouched…
We BADLY need more grad students in math and science- this program is unlikely to produce ANY.
It’s an example of what happens when narrow minded politicians take over the educational system- and fuck it up.
Rick Perlstein @ 3
Hello everyone, and thanks to Rick for hosting.
There is enormous pressure to do well on the annual state tests used to measure schools under No Child Left Behind. That pressure exists in the schools poor children attend, and in the ones rich kids attend. Some of what results looks the same in both types of schools, but it’s far more intense in low-income schools. So you see subjects that aren’t on the test ignored; skills (critical thinking) that aren’t on the test ignored; more time learning test-taking vocabulary than real-world vocabulary, and so on. The poor kids, the ones the law was designed to help, need those skills and subjects more than anyone else, though — if they don’t get it at school, they don’t have a great chance of getting it outside of school.
A nit: ream.
As the mother of two children who had learning disabilities, I am so glad that they graduated HS, graduated college or are attending college without having to pass these tests.
These tests would be a nightmare to my children. They were adopted from Korea at the age of 4 & 7, non-English speaking and with different learning disabilities. As far as I know, there is no exceptions here in AZ for kids that fall into this category.
rwcole @ 8
That definitely happens in schools. But even where children are being given enough attention, I am concerned about what kinds of attention. In the end, NCLB tests fourth-graders on fourth-grade material. Schools react accordingly, all year. So if your daughter is mildly retarded and reading on a first-grade level, she is going to be wasting her time getting metaphors and homonyms shoved down her gullet when she needs to be learning basic skills — because that is what fourth-graders are supposed to do on Day 51 in Whatever County. I will be explaining this issue more in an upcoming Washington Post op-ed piece.
New poster here, but have an interest. Is the emphasis on testing and training to the tests rather on learning? My concern - children being indoctrinated to believe that learning by rote is important, but developing skills i.e. thinking, developing ideas, critical path, etc; is not important.
Linda, we’ve talked about the way schools get scape-goated for what are in fact social problems: poverty, broken families. People act as if a school that does poorly on a test does so because it is a poor school–when it may have more to do with the fact that it’s simply in a poor neighborhood.
Can we fix the system to get around this fallacy? We all want better, more effective schools. But isn’t talking about schooling a way conservatives excuse not caring about the underlying social problems?
Linda, we’ve talked about the way schools get scape-goated for what are in fact social problems: poverty, broken families. People act as if a school that does poorly on a test does so because it is a poor school–when it may have more to do with the fact that it’s simply in a poor neighborhood.
Can we fix the system to get around this fallacy? We all want better, more effective schools. But isn’t talking about schooling a way conservatives excuse not caring about the underlying social problems?
GoodGrief @ 13
Yes, that’s fair to say, and something college professors are complaining about as well, when kids come to them with so few reasoning skills and the obsession with one right answer.
Had to laugh about NCLB the other day. Because of the PJ vs. State of Connecticut ruling, all children previously in self-contained classes are now being mainstreamed. Unfortunately, their paraprofessionals aren’t following them, and there is no way the few of us special ed teachers can possibly cover their ‘hours’ mandated on their IEP’s.
However, our NCLB issue is that their Connecticut Mastery Test scores will be counted as equal as their peers. We have several who can’t read - like they don’t know their letters - and are expected to take an on-grade level test. It really is beyond ridiculous.
Our teachers are excellent (they have to be, or they wouldn’t survive in our environment). NCLB asks for accountability, but it needs to reflect the learning levels and strengths of the students. Thoughts?
Rick Perlstein @ 15
Not sure what you are asking here. But yeah, this is a way more significant problem than anyone is willing to admit. It’s laughable to think that one federal policy can “fix” the schools. It’s also unfortunate to assume every school needs fixing — though of course there is room for improvement. At the most desperate schools in the most desperate communities, problems are so far beyond the reach of the educators to solve, though many try.
How do you feel about state efforts to allow some schools to offset test scores in tested subjects with progress in other no-tested areas? Is this necessary flexibility? Escaping accountability? How is it being used/abused?
Tell us more about the social problems the teachers in the school you wrote about have to deal with.
The punishing aspects of the policy are an example of human engineering done by idiots…
Supposedly- good behavior gets rewarded and poor behavior gets punished- but what REALLY happens is that SCHOOLS and TEACHERS get punished for having lower class kids- higher incidences of behavior problems- higher incidences of no native english ability- higher incidence of illiteracy at home, etc…
So the teachers who are good have a motivation to get OUT of schools that have these kids and run off to all white suburban districts- leaving the kids with the teachers who can’t move.
It’s reverse Darwinism- the unintended consequences are enormous- and in the end the poor kids will have the worst quality staff..
What a great idea! Who thought of THAT? Oh Clusterfuck? Kinda figures don’t it?
rwcole @ 8
This is my problem with how schools are working these days. I’m not a parent, so I don’t know the ins and outs of why it happens, but children at both ends of the mental spectrum are neglected. This strikes me as particularly tragic in the case of the smart children. Their minds are the most precious resource we have, and we’re wasting them by not teaching them as much as they’re able to absorb.
Sue @ 17
See my post #12. This is a huge problem, and one that none of the policymakers and politicians are willing to address. It’s not just about that one test being over a student’s head, it’s about everything the schools do in response all year. I do think teachers and principals share in the blame: They need to explain these problems to people, and have the courage to refuse to teach in ways they know aren’t best for children.
Scarecrow @ 19
A little of both. It’s not going to solve the fundamental problems of the law.
NCLB
A program invented by people who wish to destroy the public school system and substitute a voucher program to send kids to private for profit schools…
Is it working?
Linda Perlstein @ 23
This says good teachers must excel at civil disobedience — and risk their careers. Is that where we are?
I’m curious about the tests themselves. ARe they mostly multiple choice? How much room is there for short answers, long essays, fill in the blank, etc…?
jane hamsher @ 5
I always assumed that was because of the similarity in hairstyle.
I want to avoid asking about politics, but I can’t help it. What do you think of the theories–conspiracy theories?–that some of the conservative architects of NCLB hoped it would discredit public education as a whole, to accelerate the privatization of the system?
Rick Perlstein @ 29
And on that issue, has there been measurable increase in movement away from public to private schools?
rwcole @ 21
Are failed schools shut down? Isn’t that a huge waste of resources?
The R Party has not been shy about their contempt for public education. R’s do not want to pay to educate other peoples’ children.
If a child goes to a failing school, his parents are given a voucher and the child can use the voucher money to pay a private (often church-connected) school. Its a ponzi scheme.
I hope our new President will give NCLB the axe.
Linda Perlstein @ 23
And yet, these principals and teachers owe their budgets to these policymakers and politicians. Thus, any attempts to “explain these problems to people” gets painted as “you just don’t want to be held accountable” and they get threatened with further budget cuts and/or micromanaging.
Are we talking here about what makes good teaching from a bureaurocratic standpoint?
Good teaching is good teaching regardless of the audience.
Rick Perlstein @ 20
Well, last week one of the third-graders in my book was taken from the school in handcuffs, when he was having a violent tantrum that could not be stopped. Police told teachers they had been at his house the night before, because he was going crazy with a knife and slashing furniture. His mother is an abusive alcoholic (though because of horrific policy loopholes not abusive enough in the ways that lose you custody), his brother is institutionalized, his sister was a mother at 14.
Of the other kids in the main class I followed, one had to go into hiding after his mom was attacked by gang members in front of him, one’s dad was murdered, one went to live with an aunt who never bothered enrolling her in school. … There’s more I can’t think of right now.
What did the teachers at the school you write about think about NCLB? Did they think there was anything positive about it? Anything salvageable? Did they have any ideas about other things that could be done to help low-performing schools and students?
Scarecrow @ 26
Rick Perlstein @ 29
I would have pshawed that notion at the beginning of the administration but now think it is a legitimate question.
Also, somebody had to think through the logic at some point and realize kids with emotional problems, behavoral problems, learning disabilities, bad family situations, drug and alcohol problems and a host of others would get pushed out of the system in order for schools not to incur draconian funding penalties. Which is going to make just about every one of these problems worse. There had to be some real callous indifference at the onset not necessarily with regard to standardized testing per se, but certainly with the levers with which they sought to incentify the schools in the process.
rwcole - that’s what I see at our school - really good teachers getting hammered by test scores and threats from on high - they burn out after awhile… why work in a “low performing school” (where more than half the students are non-native english speakers and many newly arrived in the country), when they could just go to a nice, white, middle class school and not have the grief?
The test scores are treated as gospel by many parents—they are printed in the local newspapers. The result of this in California is to push parents out of school districts with high levels of recent immigrants because the overall scores are poor…They may be GREAT schools- and your kids may do GREAT there but because some other kids AREN’T you move into the woderbread school district—separate and unequal is the net result.
vulture @ 35
They thought it was silly and punitive and created too much paperwork. In some cases they blamed things on the law that weren’t necessarily the fault of the law, but rather of the climate, the bad decisions of higher-ups, other laws and policies, and so on. I think more than anything they resented the standardization of the curriculum and being forced to follow scripts that didn’t always fit with what their children needed.
Scripts! Tell the folks about the “bank teller” quote from one of the reading programs.
Rick Perlstein @ 29
I’m not a conspiracy theorist; I don’t buy this argument in its starkest form. However, I don’t think the architects were losing sleep over making public schools look bad, either.
I work in a HS in Texas and I am appalled at how much time is spent teaching to the test and preparing for the test.
I work with new immigrants who often need to take the tests in their second year in the country. Goes against all the research about how long it takes to learn to read in a second language.
One of the things that bothers me most is that the students who have no chance of passing (in my case, refugees with five-plus year gaps in their education) are completely ignored by the administration and the district. There are no provisions for helping them learn at their level. This was not the case before NCLB.
Who here thinks of himself or herself as being a good teacher?
Spent a lot of years helping to dream up “performance system” to enhance employee performance on the job..
It’s always tricky and there are ALWAYS unintended consequences– in THIS case- it’s almost ALL unintended negative consequences.
Should be shit canned.
Linda,
Do you know what the parents, teachers and staff at Tyler Heights think of your book?
Ian Welsh @ 27
States differ. Multiple choice mainly; the states that do have written answers are slowly abandoning them, because (1) they are too time-consuming and costly to grade and (2) they encourage formulaic writing. Maryland just announced it was getting rid of written answers altogether on its high school graduation tests. (1) was the main reason; (2) was also mentioned, though I’m sure not a significant factor.
Jonathan @ 44
I do, but I am no longer in the classroom.
George Carlin, in one of his recent shows mentioned that if you ask someone what the problem is in America, he would answer:
How do you respond to this?
Coming from California, I graduated just before Prop 13 gutted the pulbic schools and community service networks and capacities.
Now - with impacted wait lists for community/social services and defunded schools - the privatization cult drives by the car wrecks they caused by tearing up the road to education…
and say it proves every student needs to take driving school in a Hummer.
Thanks for your work, Linda.
Here is a link to the Texas tests given in 2006, grades 3-11.
welcome…….
what do you think about charter schools?
what do you think about home schooling?
my mom is a retired reading teacher/principal…..sister 9th grade english/language arts, all levels…….best friend high school art-has bumper sticker—bush legacy-leave no child a dime….another friend 4th grade special ed….all are anti-nclb, vehemently….so, could have asked a lot of things, but only asked the two…….for now.
The whole business of using the same standards for all kids and all schools is INSANE- it rewards people who are actually showing DECLINING performance- and punishes those who are showing huge improvements but still fall short of the arbitrary standard…It’s NUTS!
It’s like saying that every division in a company should have exactly the SAME profit goal….Totally STUPID!
Good teaching is giving to your students how you think. And letting them say what they will in response. And being open to change.
Jane Hamsher @ 37
I’m wondering if the Repubs saw this as a way to drive a wedge between parents and NEA.
hackworth @ 31
Linda Perlstein @ 34
But if he fails the test, blame the teacher. AGH!
Here in CA, they’re making it harder and harder to get a teaching credential. In the end, they’ll simply issue more emergency credentials.
Until and unless we confront this reality in its entirety - it is a CLASS issue, we’ll never get anywhere with it.
Linda Perlstein @ 56
Parental education levels are also a factor here.
Thing one: My son, who was recently a teacher in Teach For America, tells me that when a school in NYC fails, they change the name, and then, it is no longer the same, failing school.
Thing two: Here’s a link to my web-page when I ran for State Senate against the fellow who introduced exit-exams in Alaska.
podcat @ 49
George Carlin is part of the problem here, I’d say. The problems that lead to a 14 year old slashing the furniture cannot be “fixed” by education.
But it is deeply comforting to maintain the fiction that they can.
Peterr @ 46
I have only heard from the people who like it. There may be some who don’t, but I haven’t heard from them.
California tests are all multiple choice, except for a writing assessment in 4th and 7th grade.
Lea (no uh) @ 63
Texas has writing components and most grades.
podcat @ 49
Indeed, the bar for success in many cases is not very high. Ninety percent of the third graders I wrote about passed the test, but they lacked basic skills. When their teachers found out the pass rate, they laughed, they were so stunned.
Every state can establish it’s OWN standards as I understand it..
The test in Mississippi?
“Count your head”.
dmac @ 52
I have no problem with people choosing home-schooling or charters, if they’re done well — which is no guarantee in either case.
BigMitch @ 60
I am suspicious about the current fad of getting rid of middle schools in favor of K-8 schools, which I think in many cases is done to mask the traditionally declining scores of middle schoolers.
TexBetsy @ 48
What should a good teacher do in the classroom?
Jonathan @ 69
Teach the students to think, engage them in their own learning, inspire them to continue learning outside of class.
Something that I feel is neglected is the fact that, in California at least, students are expected to learn and then pass tests on material that is not necessarily developmentally appropriate. Most of the curriculum standards were shoved down a grade a few years under the theory that making kids learn stuff earlier would make them smarter. They are also expected to learn a tremendous amount of discrete “factoids” and a vast array of math concepts.
In my credential program, we were told over and over that research shows middle schoolers do better in K - 8. My understanding is that this is socially and academically, but I can’t say I’ve actually read the research myself.
Linda Perlstein @ 47
Sad. I spent a decent chunk of my childhoold in boarding school. We had “exam week hell” twice a year. Multiple choice questions (even well done ones) do not test knowledge, they test familiarity. If that’s what passes for testing then better off without them.
While I don’t know what the current situation is, in the old days British Columbia used to test grade 12 students (and grade 12 students only). I found the tests quite well done, though somewhat easier than we do.
And while there were certainly multiple choice questions, they weren’t just multiple choice questions. I am always leary of the “costs too much” argument - if it isn’t worth doing right, it isn’t worth doing.
I dunno. I find it strange that testing and breadth have come into such competititon. There didn’t seem to be any real competition when I grew up, even in regular schools.
But perhaps that’s because, with the exception of that grade 12 test, we were tested in-house.
Which leads to the thought that perhaps a solution is to have the school’s teachers mark the exams. To get around the “marking up” problem, simply institute a properly designed audit. Do it right and if there’s grade inflation you’ll catch it in most individual school within a few years.
Then you can make the tests a bit more wide.
As for writing - dont’ insist on formulaic writing, make the guidelines
1) Is there a clear argument?
2) Is it supported?
3) Does the writing help me follow it?
4) For an (A) - is it one of original or funny or moving?
5) take marks off for bad spelling and grammar.
Just some thoughts. I really don’t understand why testing can’t be done well. It smacks to me of a refusal to really try to do it well, to always say “we can’t do that” and go for the lowest common denominator (like multiple choice questions.)
Rick Perlstein @ 41
When someone from the county school system I wrote about presented principals with “explicit curriculum” — highly scripted reading lessons — she said that “a bank teller could come in and teach this lesson.” Would you want to teach in that environment?
Linda Perlstein @ 74
NO! I’d hate it. We have a bit of that in the elementary schools here.
Jonathan @ 69
Engage in minor acts of subversion that allow her to teach kids the way she knows is best. If she hates the kids or is burned out, find another profession (or at least another school that might be a better fit). Learn about the world. Spell correctly. Let the students know she cares about them. Connect the material with the real world. Etc.
I think trying to make middle schoolers grow up too fast is part of why middle schools are failing. My children went from elementary school to middle school and the changes were intense. Suddenly two hours of homework a night were required (as stated in the handbook). This was not the case in elementary school where they were given a little each night.
I think it was too big a shift at the wrong time. Trying to make middle school kids act older by force and higher expectations. It might work better to let them continue to be leaders in their respective schools, continue to develop self esteem in a predictable less stressful environment and then face highschool. I think the stress of moving to middle school is really emotionally difficult from both a physiological stand point as well as from a developmental point of view.
TexBetsy @ 70
I agree entirely.
To me, the class doesn’t matter.
The objective is always the same.
rick at 29 says-”I want to avoid asking about politics, but I can’t help it. What do you think of the theories–conspiracy theories?–that some of the conservative architects of NCLB hoped it would discredit public education as a whole, to accelerate the privatization of the system?”
this has to do with why i asked my 52……….every person i know in education, at all levels, including college, thinks exactly that….every single one…..these are not tinfoil hat kinds of people….it’s a reality…….more and more funding going to charter schools and home schooling……lots of it, and it’s private……sucking money from the public schools and going into private pockets…..you would be shocked…….
but in ohio, all but eight charter schools flunked this year and will close if they don’t improve by next year……..they ‘jimmy’ their numbers and look good at first, but then later level out and they flunked out. by that time, they’ve already sucked from the public schools……big expensive experiment for someone to make a buck…..at the expense of the kids……makes me sick……
The home-schooling movement is by-and-large a disasster for education in America, in my opinion. (I wish I were humble, but facts is facts.)
Home schooling is a front for extremist, fundamentalist education. (Naturally, such a broad brush covers over many exceptions.)
Home schooling avoids one of the important functions of universal education which is to give students a sense of community, and joint responsibility for the future.
Nothing has promoted success in the great American experiment of the melting pot as much as has public education. Home schooling is its enemy.
Just my opinion.
The major problem with scripted programs is that they don’t take into consideration that students are children. Children who don’t all learn at the same rate or the same way. Scripts don’t allow for teachable moments and teachers can be penalized for going off-script.
Katie Jensen @ 77
It’s not an either-or. I think middle schoolers are capable of high-level work, but they do need training wheels still as they learn study skills and their frontal lobes develop and they start to understand why they are learning what they’re learning.
Lea (no uh) @ 81
DING!
Linda Perlstein @ 74
Oh, but you get such a great salary as a teacher . . . right?
rwcole @ 66
LOL. It is understood that the smart kids with smart parents are the ones who abandon the failing school, thus failing the school even further, eventually making a failing school a failed school. Are there any documented cases of failed schools that have been shut down and no longer used?
Hmmm. maybe some good real estate deals to be had.
This describes the ultimate outcome of NCLB teaching to the test/failing schools.
Linda, you wrote an amazing article for the Nation called “The Issue Left Behind” basically arguing that the Democrats had punted on the issue–or that the Republicans had done such a good job of framing the issue that to criticize No Child Left Behind made it look like you were for leaving children behind.
What’s the political state of play now?
hackworth @ 85
That’s our experience here.
I’m late to the party. Has anyone mentioned the decision by the Georgia Department of Education to raise standards for high school graduation and emphasize science and math and make language and art “optional”?
Ms Perlstein,
Thanks for writing on such an important topic. In this city, we’ve seen veteran educators of acknowledged excellence within their communities fired, quality magnet school programs in the arts and sciences sabotaged, and the drop-out rate skyrocket, as a direct result of one (now fortunately ex) superintendent’s fanatical institution of No Child Left Behind proscriptions and the reading fundamentals obsession behind it. The superintendent? Former US Attorney Bersin, border czar (the butcher of San Ysidro to some), rethug icon and, by some local rumors, the instigator of US Attorney Carole Lam’s inclusion on Alberto Gonzale’s hit list…. a politicla hatchetman with no educational experience whatsoever when he was first appointed to run the city schools. Everything’s linked with these people… education and politics.
Rick Perlstein @ 86
There’s no significant difference between the parties, still. The primary Democrats involved in the debate appear to think that a few tweaks to the law — paying teachers based on kids’ test scores, tracking kids’ individual progress on grade-level tests rather than comparing this year’s third-graders against last year’s third-graders — are reform enough.
Actually, I would venture to guess there are as many Republicans who want to get rid of NCLB as Democrats.
Rick Perlstein @ 29
And the ability of smaller textbook publishers to compete. Each state has it’s own standards, and the standards must be introduced in the texts. (Makes the texts really awful, btw.) Only the giant corporations can afford to put together and publish these tests that cost about $60. each in all 50 states.
Failed schools are burnt down- with all the books–BAD SCHOOL- BAD!!
CTA (California Teacher’s Association, or something like that) has come out strong against the reauthorization of NCLB, mainly because they want to mandate merit pay. I’m sad that that’s what it took for them to get into the fight, but if that’s what it takes, so be it. It sure makes it easier to watch that money go out of my check every month. Too bad they couldn’t do it because of how it’s hurting the children.