If you want real education reform eliminate poverty.
Otherwise, Congresswoman Judy Chu from California has a grasp on what it will take to make American education more effective. Starting on page 4 of this proposal she outlines what is needed. Namely, flexibility and support.
I have seen many of these elements at work in my own district. It would be wonderful if the national focus through No Child Left Behind became one of opportunities for success instead of carrots and sticks. Effective strategies instead of rewards and punishments.
Imagine a battle where soldiers had to implement a military strategy regardless of what they found when they engaged in the battle. Then, when they are defeated, another group of soldiers is thrown into the battle following the same strategy. Race to the Top has been called NCLB on steroids. Implementing the same strategy more vigorously will only waste more time and money. It will also damage or destroy the institutions we are trying to improve.
You might argue that things would be different in education with full implementation of Race to the Top because the unions would be gone and teachers would have greater financial incentives through merit pay and fears of being fired. Without flexibility and support these changes are all window dressing. Teachers are much more likely to enter into survival mode when they can be fired arbitrarily and in fact these conditions lead to high teacher turnover and much less collaboration between staff members. A culture of learning, collaboration and success cannot grow. Student outcomes will not change and may even get worse. Many charter schools, promoted by Race to the Top, perform worse than comparable public schools, some perform as well and a few, 17% perform better. Amazingly and alarmingly these results are true even though charters routinely engage in selective admission and return students with academic and behavioral problems to their public schools. Something public schools cannot do.
Race to the Top, Waiting for Superman, No Child Left Behind, expansion of charter schools are misleading and failed ideas. Education is a messy and imperfect process, but it is important enough that our efforts need to be based on an approach that builds capacity to meet students' needs. Real education reform is not to be found in an effective political strategy wrapped around failed education policies.
Otherwise, Congresswoman Judy Chu from California has a grasp on what it will take to make American education more effective. Starting on page 4 of this proposal she outlines what is needed. Namely, flexibility and support.
I have seen many of these elements at work in my own district. It would be wonderful if the national focus through No Child Left Behind became one of opportunities for success instead of carrots and sticks. Effective strategies instead of rewards and punishments.
Imagine a battle where soldiers had to implement a military strategy regardless of what they found when they engaged in the battle. Then, when they are defeated, another group of soldiers is thrown into the battle following the same strategy. Race to the Top has been called NCLB on steroids. Implementing the same strategy more vigorously will only waste more time and money. It will also damage or destroy the institutions we are trying to improve.
You might argue that things would be different in education with full implementation of Race to the Top because the unions would be gone and teachers would have greater financial incentives through merit pay and fears of being fired. Without flexibility and support these changes are all window dressing. Teachers are much more likely to enter into survival mode when they can be fired arbitrarily and in fact these conditions lead to high teacher turnover and much less collaboration between staff members. A culture of learning, collaboration and success cannot grow. Student outcomes will not change and may even get worse. Many charter schools, promoted by Race to the Top, perform worse than comparable public schools, some perform as well and a few, 17% perform better. Amazingly and alarmingly these results are true even though charters routinely engage in selective admission and return students with academic and behavioral problems to their public schools. Something public schools cannot do.
Race to the Top, Waiting for Superman, No Child Left Behind, expansion of charter schools are misleading and failed ideas. Education is a messy and imperfect process, but it is important enough that our efforts need to be based on an approach that builds capacity to meet students' needs. Real education reform is not to be found in an effective political strategy wrapped around failed education policies.
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