"States Redefining Public Schooling" is the internet headline for this story; the actual headline is "With Vouchers, States Shift Aid for Schools to Families." If you have a puzzled look on your face, join me. I almost couldn't bring myself to read this story.
This is what happens when you put the priority on a test score rather than on the learning. This story just gets more sad and frustrating. What exactly is going to come from jailing these folks? The situation that bred their crime has not changed, who will be next? Be fired or cheat, but get those meaningless scores up.
I was torn about what kind of news round up should include this story. Since the story itself named the education system, I thought I would go ahead and include it here. Just in case there was any doubt that life circumstances affect student achievement, here is some *proof*. But, really, educational attainment and achievement is far more complex than poor health or poor dental health.
This story is almost enough to make one laugh out loud. What does it mean if states with the new teacher evaluations don't find droves of inefficient teachers, according to their evaluations? Why is it that the article has the percentages of teachers "passing" but without any word to the "passing" rates of the students. Hmmm.... curious.
When I read the headline on this piece "School Reformer Sends Child to Private School," I just hoped it was someone like Michelle Rhee who claims to *love* public schools and especially teachers, that's why she is squeezing them to death, Elmira style. And then it was her! Hooray for hypocrites! The best part of the story is how Amy Graff unravels the half-truths to demonstrate the level of hypocrisy. She tells people, "I am a public school parent" even though one of her daughters attends a fancy private high school. She could blame it on her ex-husband, but he is also a former TFA-er and currently commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Education. As the article rightly points out, they are sending their daughter to the kind of school that does not fit into the category of schools they advocate for others: "'a corporate-based school-reform agenda that uses standardized test scores as the major accountability measure for students, schools and teachers.'" It is probably best that I never meet Michelle, I will just have nothing nice to say, Thumper notwithstanding.
I am running out of snark, and I am mostly left with disappointment verging on despair:
There are less classes available, more students trying to take general education, and, in general, severe budget cuts. And, less students are gaining traction either on transferring or attaining an AA. If you hadn't already guessed, I am writing about California community colleges. They started under the a great goal to help people who didn't *need* college for advancement, rather those folks needed certificates, programs in specific training, etc. Well, indeed, the community colleges are between a rock and a hard place -- they have been there for a while, and now they are going to be judged harshly without taking into account that spot. I haven't had time to read the "report," and probably won't have time until July to think about it, but I will share the link to the "Student Success Scorecard" published by the outgoing chancellor.
I would like to buy Michelle Rhee a t-shirt, it will simply say: LIAR. I post this here just so you can read the way she handles questions, or being questioned, and I will pull out the pertinent part so you don't even have to click the link:
"Ms. Rhee issued a statement saying that she did not recall receiving the memo. She added that both the city inspector general and the Education Department had already 'reviewed the memo and confirmed my belief that there was no widespread cheating.'”Um, I didn't get no memo, and if I did then it was cleared... uh huh.
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