Monday, August 2, 2010

N.Y.'s reform shipwreck

In N.Y. top-down, corporate school reform is in shambles. Nine years of Mayor Bloomberg's testing madness with inflated results, school closings, charter-izing and privatizing have produced little besides demoralization and conflict. The Sunday Times ("When 81% Passing Suddenly Becomes 18%") reports that test scores have plummeted and that the gap between white and students of color has grown wider. Charter schools continue to under-perform neighborhood schools. His only message to the city's educators, repeated often by the mayor's toadies: stop complaining and work harder. Problem is--the ship, headed in the wrong direction, has washed up on the rocks and rowing harder just won't work.

Barack, Arnie--you watching this?

2 comments:

  1. See how Wall Street Journal spun the story as great success for charter schools. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704702304575403412555922220.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

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  2. the entire school system in NYC has been spiraling out of control. I was so hopeful when Obama promised money toward education, especially early childhood education, but I have certainly failed to see anything positive...only more scrambling, cutbacks, and layoffs.

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