[regional_school] Fw: Ravitch's Amazing Turn-Around
- From: Dan Drmacich <dandrmacich@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Denise Bartalo <denisebartalo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Bill Bendschneider <bamboo789@xxxxxxx>, Carolyn Bennett <cwriter85@xxxxxxx>, Mary Berger <mpresber@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Wasa Bouphavong <daboupha@xxxxxxxxx>, G Brown <gjb0145@xxxxxxxxx>, Amy Brown <scottvbrown@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Pat Cavanaugh <cavanaughpat22@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Jason Charno <jasoncharno42@xxxxxxxxxxx>, A Colon <aacolon@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, Rochelle Corey <archer14611@xxxxxxx>, Kelly Damick <kelli2478@xxxxxxxxx>, Deana Darling <jddarling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Deana Darling <darlin3@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Brian Erway <brian_erway@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Tracey Farmer <Tracey.Farmer@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Karen Fisher <fishekh@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Dennis Francione <d.francione@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Shalanda Garfield <Shalonda_Garfield1@xxxxxxxxx>, Lynn Gatto <lynn.gatto@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Nancy Gersh <nancygersh@xxxxxxx>, RJ Glomboski <parallax@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Synthia Green <sng4979@xxxxxxxx>, Richard Greene <richard_greene@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Gretchen Haag <gretchenhaag@xxxxxxxxx>, Shawn Haarer <drhaarer@xxxxxxxxx>, Kate Hathaway <kaytea@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Kyra Hawn <khawn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Joseph Henderson <jhenderson11@xxxxxxxxx>, Sara Hughes <sara@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, Julia Kantor <julia.kantor@xxxxxxxxx>, Doug Klick <douglasklick@xxxxxxxxx>, Jack Langerak <jlanger0@xxxxxxx>, Barb Lemcke <b_lemcke@xxxxxxxxx>, Joan LoCurto <locurto135@xxxxxxxxx>, Tom Mackey <tmackey@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Jennifer Malinchak <jenjenfuller@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Katheryn McCullough <katmccullough@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Gena Merliss <merliss@xxxxxxxxx>, Jessica Metras <jessicametras@xxxxxxxxx>, Nancy Monachino <nmonachino@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Gwynne Mosch <Gwynne.mosch@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Barbara Moynihan <barbara.moynihan@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Kevin Murray <kmurray@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Jessie Nimeh <jgnimeh@xxxxxxxxx>, Maureen Nupp <Maureennupp@xxxxxxxxx>, Rich Ognibene <richard_ognibene@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Tom Pappas <tjp18@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Sheila Pearlman <yspearlman@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Norreen Pelusio <njpelusio@xxxxxxx>, Todd Pschierer <psch811@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Kari Ritter <kritter84@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Rosemary Rivera <rrivera@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Emily Roberts <emilymarkelle@xxxxxxx>, Peter Rosenthal <prosenthal@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Scott Schaefer <mister_schaefer@xxxxxxxxx>, Chojy Schroeder <chojy.schroeder@xxxxxxxxx>, Sharon Silvio <ssilvio@xxxxxxx>, Steve Skidmore <steve.skidmore@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Pete Smith <petersmith71@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Ralph Spezio <rspezio@xxxxxxxxx>, Gail Stoddart <stoddart.g@xxxxxxxxx>, Mathew Taber <sundevil108@xxxxxxxx>, Leslie Vermeulen <ldvermeulen@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Jennifer Wheeler <jennifer_wheeler@xxxxxxxx>, Mary Wilkins <mtkwilkins@xxxxxxxxx>, Ruth Young-Card <cardjrb@xxxxxxx>, Lee Zelazny <lee.zelazny@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:29:14 -0700 (PDT)
The Big Idea -- it's bad education policy
One simple solution for our schools? A captivating promise, but a false one.
Opinion
March 14, 2010|By Diane Ravitch
There have been two features that regularly mark the history of U.S. public
schools. Over the last century, our education system has been regularly
captivated by a Big Idea -- a savant or an organization that promised a simple
solution to the problems of our schools. The second is that there are no simple
solutions, no miracle cures to those problems.
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Education is a slow, arduous process that requires the work of willing
students, dedicated teachers and supportive families, as well as a coherent
curriculum.
As an education historian, I have often warned against the seductive lure of
grand ideas to reform education. Our national infatuation with education fads
and reforms distracts us from the steady work that must be done.
Our era is no different. We now face a wave of education reforms based on the
belief that school choice, test-driven accountability and the resulting
competition will dramatically improve student achievement.
Once again, I find myself sounding the alarm that the latest vision of
education reform is deeply flawed. But this time my warning carries a personal
rebuke. For much of the last two decades, I was among those who jumped aboard
the choice and accountability bandwagon. Choice and accountability, I believed,
would offer a chance for poor children to escape failing schools. Testing and
accountability, I thought, would cast sunshine on low-performing schools and
lead to improvement. It all seemed to make sense, even if there was little
empirical evidence, just promise and hope.
Today there is empirical evidence, and it shows clearly that choice,
competition and accountability as education reform levers are not working. But
with confidence bordering on recklessness, the Obama administration is plunging
ahead, pushing an aggressive program of school reform -- codified in its
signature Race to the Top program -- that relies on the power of incentives and
competition. This approach may well make schools worse, not better.
Those who do not follow education closely may be tempted to think that, at long
last, we're finally turning the corner. What could be wrong with promoting
charter schools to compete with public schools? Why shouldn't we demand
accountability from educators and use test scores to reward our best teachers
and identify those who should find another job?
The Big Idea -- it's bad education policy
One simple solution for our schools? A captivating promise, but a false one.
Opinion
March 14, 2010|By Diane Ravitch
(Page 2 of 3)
Like the grand plans of previous eras, they sound sensible but will leave
education no better off. Charter schools are no panacea. The nation now has
about 5,000 of them, and they vary in quality. Some are excellent, some
terrible; most are in between. Most studies have found that charters, on
average, are no better than public schools.
On the federal tests, known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress,
from 2003 to 2009, charters have never outperformed public schools. Nor have
black and Latino students in charter schools performed better than their
counterparts in public schools.
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This is surprising, because charter schools have many advantages over public
schools. Most charters choose their students by lottery. Those who sign up to
win seats tend to be the most motivated students and families in the poorest
communities. Charters are also free to "counsel out" students who are unable or
unwilling to meet expectations. A study of KIPP charters in the San Francisco
area found that 60% of those students who started the fifth grade were gone
before the end of eighth grade. Most of those who left were low performers.
Studies of charters in Boston, New York City and Washington have found that
charters, as compared to public schools, have smaller percentages of the
students who are generally hardest to educate -- those with disabilities and
English-language learners. Because the public schools must educate everyone,
they end up with disproportionate numbers of the students the charters don't
want.
So we're left with the knowledge that a dramatic expansion in the number of
privately managed schools is not likely to raise student achievement.
Meanwhile, public schools will become schools of last resort for the
unmotivated, the hardest to teach and those who didn't win a seat in a charter
school. If our goal is to destroy public education in America, this is
precisely the right path.
Nor is there evidence that student achievement will improve if teachers are
evaluated by their students' test scores. Some economists say that when
students have four or five "great" teachers in a row, the achievement gap
between racial groups disappears. The difficulty with this theory is that we do
not have adequate measures of teacher excellence.
Of course, it would be wonderful if all teachers were excellent, but many
factors affect student scores other than their teacher, including students'
motivation, the schools' curriculum, family support, poverty and distractions
on testing day, such as the weather or even a dog barking in the school's
parking lot.
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The Big Idea -- it's bad education policy
One simple solution for our schools? A captivating promise, but a false one.
Opinion
March 14, 2010|By Diane Ravitch
(Page 3 of 3)
The Obama education reform plan is an aggressive version of the Bush
administration's No Child Left Behind, under which many schools have narrowed
their curriculum to the tested subjects of reading and math. This poor
substitute for a well-rounded education, which includes subjects such as the
arts, history, geography, civics, science and foreign language, hits low-income
children the hardest, since they are the most likely to attend the kind of
"failing school" that drills kids relentlessly on the basics. Emphasis on test
scores already compels teachers to focus on test preparation. Holding teachers
personally and exclusively accountable for test scores -- a key feature of Race
to the Top -- will make this situation even worse. Test scores will determine
salary, tenure, bonuses and sanctions, as teachers and schools compete with
each other, survival-of-the-fittest style.
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Frustrated by a chronic lack of progress, business leaders and politicians
expect that a stern dose of this sort of competition and incentives will
improve education, but they are wrong. No other nation is taking such harsh
lessons from the corporate sector and applying them to their schools. No nation
with successful schools ignores everything but basic skills and testing.
Schools work best when teachers collaborate to help their students and strive
together for common goals, not when they compete for higher scores and bonuses.
Having embraced the Republican agenda of choice, competition and
accountability, the Obama administration is promoting the privatization of
large segments of American education and undermining the profession of
teaching. This toxic combination is the latest Big Idea in education reform.
Like so many of its predecessors, it is not likely to improve education.
Diane Ravitch, a historian of education, is the author of "The Death and Life
of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining
Education."
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