We just received this from Leonie Haimson through our affiliation with Parents Across America. Each of the links is to an article providing evidence that current reform efforts are not only not working, but are counter to where we should be going in public education.
From: Stan Karp [mailto:SKarp@EdlawCenter.org]
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2011 7:23 AM
To: NJSecondary
Subject: “Let them eat tests”
The Service of Democratic Education
Linda Darling Hammond
At the commencement ceremony for Columbia University’s Teachers College on May 18, Stanford education professor Linda Darling-Hammond—a nationally renowned leader in education reform and former education adviser to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign—was awarded the Teachers College medal for distinguished service. Professor Darling-Hammond marked the occasion by delivering the following address:
Panel Finds Few Learning Gains From Testing Movement
Education Week
Nearly a decade of America’s test-based accountability systems, from “adequate yearly progress” to high school exit exams, has shown little to no positive effect overall on learning and insufficient safeguards against gaming the system, a blue-ribbon committee of the National Academies of Science concludes in a new report.
U.S. Reforms Out of Sync With High-Performing Nations, Report Finds
Education Week
The United States’ education system is neither coherent nor likely to see great improvements based on its current attempts at reform, a report released this week by the National Center on Education and the Economy concludes. The NCEE report is the latest salvo in a flurry of national interest in what can be gleaned from education systems in top-performing or rapidly improving countries.
Five myths about America’s schools
Paul Fahri, Washington Post
The end of the school year and the layoffs of tens of thousands of teachers are bringing more attention to reformers’ calls to remake public schools. Today’s school reform movement conflates the motivations and agendas of politicians seeking reelection, religious figures looking to spread the faith and bureaucrats trying to save a dime. Despite an often earnest desire to help our nation’s children, reformers have spread some fundamental misunderstandings about public education.
