Monday, October 31, 2011

NCLB Waivers-Thanks for the flexibility to do only what you want us to do


The link below takes you to a recent NY Times article someone sent me that shows the ground level impact of NCLB.  It comes from New Hampshire, a state not usually on the radar of education reform.  Too bad above average schools like Oyster River are now labeled as failing and must completely redesign their approach to instruction and learning.  Think it is not your problem?  Your division is different?  Your local leadership will make things right?  Think again. Arne Duncan and the neo-reform NCLB folks know better than the thousands of educators and are acting like it. Want waivers from NCLB?  Let's make a deal. 


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/education/no-child-left-behind-catches-up-with-new-hampshire-school.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&hpw


"Ms. Rief fears that public schools where teachers are trusted to make learning fun are on the way out. Ms. Rief understands that packaged curriculums and standardized assessments offer schools an economy of scale that she and her kind cannot compete with."

 Is this the system we want?  
This is a quick clip that summarizes what they are telling you to do...I mean choose to do.


"The kind of progress we want to see"
"States are going to have to embrace the kind of reform that we believe is necessary to move our education system forward"
"Accountability will remain one of the  bellwethers of our administration"  


Thanks for letting us do what you want us to do. 


2 comments:

  1. Also worth watching:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpVOpEy1H8w

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  2. Nice video Anonymous. It seems like "test-based" accountability is the real "new normal." On the political level, all real debate seems to happen within this parameter leaving real education reform out of the picture; and perhaps even worse, we're not admitting that many schools and divisions are doing a good job-- and our current direction is setting them back.

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