Re: FairTest reaction to Sec Spellings announcement of nclb 'differentiated accountability' pilot program

["Joseph Bottini" <jpbottini@adelphia.net>]

Margaret Spellings needs a copy of "The Blueberry Story."

It is about a corporate giant who thought he could use business practices to
improve schools.
He found out differently and is now a proponent of education.

-----Original Message-----
From: arn-l-owner@interversity.org [mailto:arn-l-owner@interversity.org] On
Behalf Of MONICALUCIDO@comcast.net
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 7:01 PM
To: arn-l@interversity.org
Subject: Re: [arn-l] FairTest reaction to Sec Spellings announcement of nclb
'differentiated accountability' pilot program


My, my, how sickly sweet she is through this whole thing. It has a whole lot
of  "I want to make this new version JUST palatable enough now, so that the
wealthier districts/parents (which are rising in arms against NCLB) with
fewer problems in 'achievement' will support this new scandalous version of
the NCLB". A few points below:


Spellings: "Industries from medicine to commerce, from finance to
entertainment, have leveraged data and accountability to improve efficiency
and effectiveness, as well as customer service, satisfaction, and quality of
life. Together, we can support the same transformation in education."

-Translation: Corporation$ will now be given the red carpet to come on in
and take over your "failing $chool$". They will be allowed to use busine$$
practice$ in school$, even though there ha$ been no evidence to show that
they are any better.

Spellings: "Of course, we will only achieve this goal if we continue facing
our problems head on, instead of rejecting data and measurement because they
can cause discomfort."

-Translation: We will continue to jab really pointy things into your
backside until you give in and collapse the entire public school system
under a program of standardized teaching-testing-widget-producing. Oh, and
here's a band-aid for that.

Spellings: "After all, don't our children deserve to benefit from the same
spirit of possibility and innovation that has made our country great?"

-Translation: I don't read any research that shows real innovation comes
from the freedom to think. Even though Scandinavian countries outperform our
kids and understand how the development of the human spirit is integral in
education, I will choose to ignore that data.  I also don't read U.S.
History and don't acknowledge all of the success our schools HAVE
made--without massive corporate influence. In fact, I may not know how to
read. (I am pre-programmed..zzzzzrt...crackle..pop...)
 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Monty Neill" <monty@fairtest.org>
> Sec Spellings has announced a pilot NCLB "differentiated accountability 
> plan" for up to 10 states. Spellings talk today is at 
> http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2008/03/03182008.html and that
contains 
> a link to the memo outlining the policy.
> 
> Here is FairTest's react to this announcement:
> 
> FairTest
> National Center for Fair & Open Testing
>  <>for further information contact:
> Dr. Monty Neill   (617) 864-4810
> Robert Schaeffer  (239) 395-6773
> 
> 
> for immediate release, Tuesday, March 18, 2008
> SEC. SPELLINGS "DIFFERENTIATED ACCOUNTABILITY" PLAN
> IS "FUTILE EFFORT TO RESCUE A COLLAPSING LAW,"
> SCHEME IS EQUIVALENT TO "REARRANGING DECK CHAIRS ON TITANIC"
> REACTION OF NATIONAL CENTER FOR FAIR & OPEN TESTING
> 
> 
>       Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings' plan to allow ten states
to 
> pilot "Differentiated Accountability" approaches to comply with federal
"No 
> Child Left Behind" mandates is a futile effort to rescue a collapsing law.

> Though it correctly recognizes that NCLB identifies far too many schools
as 
> failing, the proposal is the political equivalent of rearranging deck
chairs 
> on the Titanic, not changing its misguided course. It will not slow the 
> ever-growing demand for complete overhaul.
>       At its core, "No Child" is unworkable. It makes impossible demands 
> such as expecting all children to attain proficiency by 2014, relies too 
> heavily on educationally destructive standardized tests which narrow 
> curriculum while encouraging "drill-and-kill" test prep, and imposes 
> counterproductive punishments.
>       Simply imposing a state-by-state patchwork of new rules onto the 
> top-down federal bureaucracy created by "No Child Left Behind" will not
lead 
> to improved education for the communities that most need it.  Far more 
> fundamental changes, focusing on identifying the real causes of weak 
> academic performance and building schools' capacity to address them, are 
> required.
>       FairTest initiated the Joint Organizational Statement on NCLB, a set

> of principles for overhauling the federal law, which has been signed by
143 
> national education, civil rights, religious, parent, disability, civic and

> labor groups. FairTest also facilitates the Forum on Educational
Assessment, 
> which works to implement the Joint Statement.
> 
> - - 3 0 - -
> 
> 
> The Joint Statement and other materials concerning NCLB, including
FairTest's 
> six-year "Report Card" on the law's impact, are online at: 
> http://www.fairtest.org
> 
> 
> 
> Monty Neill, Ed.D.
> Deputy Director
> FairTest
> 342 Broadway
> Cambridge, MA 02139
> 617-864-4810 x 101;  fax 617-497-2224
> monty@fairtest.org
> http://www.fairtest.org
> Donate: https://secure.entango.com/servlet/donate/MnrXjT8MQqk 
> 
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