History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
Politics, not evidence, drive education reform
- 09-03-2010
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Opinion by Bruce Fuller/San Francisco Chronicle Bruce Fuller, professor of education and public policy at UC Berkeley, is the author of "Standardized Childhood."
President Obama's ambitious effort to lift the nation's schools draws heavily from the playbook employed in Chicago and New York City: Test kids more often, open more charter schools and tie teacher pay to student performance. California's schools and politicians are promptly obliging Washington, like kids lining up for recess. Obama's education secretary, Arne Duncan, is praising Los Angeles' move to link teacher promotions to a single score that allegedly captures the "value added" of each teacher in raising pupil test scores. The science for calculating these magical numbers remains hotly contested among scholars. Sacramento has bowed to Washington pressure to spawn more charter schools, despite three national studies that now show no discernible benefits for children attending charter campuses relative to their peers in regular public schools. (more…)
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