Friday, January 8, 2010

Let Education Reform Begin?

It looks like California is making some changes. What do you think:
  • Should Minnesota follow suit?
  • Should RAS support these changes?
  • Will this make a difference?
  • What is missing?
ED.gov Race to the Top
KGO Radio Gov Signs
SFGate State Ed Plan makes Parents Responsible
281 Exp Loan Sharks?
USA Today Educ Reforms

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. What is missing is any recognition that these changes, if given more than just lip service and fancy legislative language, will have a positive impact on education, by providing what school reformers have long asked for: accountability and competition.
J. Ewing

John said...

I guess that is what I was wondering? If Obama is as liberal and socialistic as many conservatives say... And if Californians are often a bit off... Is this real or lip service?

If it is real, does this mean his administration is doing something right?

Definitely something interesting is happening here.

Anonymous said...

Do you have to ask? It's lip service, even moreso than QComp is. The only way to get the teachers unions to go along with something /called/ "merit pay" is to put a pot of money out there to be distributed according to "lip service" rules controlled by the unions. If Obama really wanted to demonstrate seriousness, he would be demanding that Congress re-instate the school choice program in DC. Symbolic and limited, but it actually SAVES money while improving education. If half of the kids in DC were given (and could use) the DC vouchers, it would save enough money so the other half could have them, too, and there would be enough money left over to fix up and staff up the new private schools! Until that start is made, anything else is just lip servie.

Not that it shouldn't be taken seriously, because many districts will take the money and the strings and, like NCLB, some good will come out of it because higher expectations will be set. Those schools that do not participate, or those who fail to make modest gains, will no longer get a "pass" that most parents want to give them.

R-Five said...

The "status quo" reform script is: 1. Pass a reform that sounds good, usually with associated funding. 2. School districts ignore or dumb down requirements, like PA is doing according to yesterday's NT Times. 3. Keep the money anyway.

Seldom do you see A. What will you measure to see if it worked? B. Will you expand or end the program as results indicate? C. Who will get fired if it doesn't work?

After so many consecutive failed "new" programs, I'm not interested in N+1 unless someone is willing to be their job on it.