Herb Kohl's open letter to Arne Duncan

Dear Arne Duncan,

In a recent interview with NEA Today you said of my book 36 Children, "I read [it] in high school … [and] … wrote about his book in one of my college essays, and I talked about the tremendous hope that I feel [and] the challenges that teachers in tough communities face. The book had a big impact on me..." (Read the rest in the latest issue of Rethinking Schools).

Music & Art Kaput?

Here's an example of what Herb is talking about:

Music and art instruction in American eighth-grade classrooms has remained flat over the last decade, according to a new survey by the Department of Education, and one official involved in the survey called student achievement in those subjects “mediocre.” (NYT)

Why Duncan will spend $350 million for more reading & math tests

Here's another one:

"Having real high standards is important, but behind that, I think in this country we have too many bad tests," Duncan said. (Washington Post)