Re: Democratic presidential candidates on education

[Brian LeCloux <neaguy@hotmail.com>]

Quan,
Nader had a very interesting education platform in 2000.    He seemed to have extended the thinking he developed 
when he worked with Alain Nairn on the ETS study around 1980.    Unlike every other candidate Nader recognized the
problems with basing accountability only on standardized testing.   He advocated accountability instruments
that had a lot of teacher input and development.    When Hillary answered Alan Young's question in Iowa, she posed
herself as critical of testing, but came back to it as necessary, not realizing there are other ways to augment
the tests qualitatively (portfolios, performance exhibitions, learning records, etc.).   Strikingly, the 28 school New York
Performance Standards Coalition operates right in her state.  Is she even aware of it?    It's 2007 and after decades
of work showing the importance of these other measures of accountability we still have zero discussion in the
mainstream media political reporting about them.
 
Brian LeCloux



> From: QCao009@aol.com> Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2007 10:05:29 -0500> Subject: Re: [arn-l] Democratic presidential candidates on education> To: arn-l@interversity.org> > > In a message dated 3/2/2007 11:19:34 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, > neaguy@hotmail.com writes:> > With this kind of thinking in the Obama camp, doesn't seem to be much chance > of> reform there.> > > Brian:> > That's exactly why we have to look beyond the issue of race and qnswer the > question with electability with a degree of courage. While Hilary is a known, > Obama is not. Americans made a paralyzing mistake in going with the unknown > W because his father did a brilliant job covering his tracks.> > Someone who is charismatic isn't always a great leader. We found that out > with Bill Clinton who sold out on NCLB and managed to win over enough members > of the BRT to get in the door. I still contend that if we give in to this > club of millionaires and this crowd of "pretty faces" for the next crop of > leaders, we have indeed given up on the future of the next generation, and by > association, our very own future and the future of this country.> > That's why I am not willing to accuse Nader for W's election. That's why I > stand by those who worked for Nader and for a third party candidate. > Ironically that position has been seen as one of naivete.> > My question to our listserv this morning is: since when did we become so > jaded that we are willing to recycle Al Gore as safekeeper of the future ? My > question concerning education beyond 2008 is: now that we have seen the > abysmal failure of half-assed attempts at vouchers and charters, what do we see as > the next wave of reform? Do we have the ability to use technology to uplift > the brains of the future, or do we accept the corporate resignation of using > technology to further the social divide and neither motivate nor educate ? > > Quan > <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free > email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at > http://www.aol.com.