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
Schools need real solutions, not magic-bullet fixes
- 05-16-2011
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Opinion by Randi Weingarten/San Francisco Chronicle
Randi Weingarten is the president of the American Federation of Teachers.
In the nearly 30 years since publication of the national wake-up call, "A Nation at Risk," the United States has used the silver-bullet approach to fix what's broken in education, trying every fad and ideological whim to improve student achievement. Today we favor the "business" or market approach, hoping to spur higher academic test scores by creating private-school choices, simply measuring achievement through standardized tests or threatening teachers by firing staff or shuttering public schools. But left in the wake are ineffective charter schools and voucher programs that are largely no better, and perhaps worse, than regular public schools. And many new teachers are leaving the profession within their first five years, frustrated by the lack of support or respect they are due. Meanwhile, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan estimates that this year, 82 percent of America's schools could fail to meet education goals set by No Child Left Behind. While the United States has been searching for the magic bullet, the top-performing countries have been using common sense, replicable strategies that provide teachers with the tools, resources and time they need to succeed. (more...)
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