Archive for May 19th, 2009

Ed Reform Devil’s Dictionary

Published by Robert Pondiscio on May 19, 2009 in Humor. 5 Comments

Flypaper’s Mike Petrilli laments the tendency of both opponents and proponents of “school reform” to vilify the other side with caricatures.   “I think both sides care about improving children’s lives, want an education system that works for all kids, and think they are on the side of the angels,” Petrilli writes.  “So let’s keeping fighting the good fight, but by engaging over ideas, not by demonizing our opponents.”  Mike is right, of course.  But assuming old habits die hard, it might help to have an ed reform Devil’s Dictionary. This handy device will help you keep track of who is saying what about whom and why. 

It’s easy to use.  When you read one of the following phrases, simply substitute the definition provided for maximum clarity!

“Education reform”
     My cause or idea.

“Real reformer” 
     Someone who agrees with me.

“Champion of reform” 
     A powerful, rich or influential person who agrees with me

“Distraction”
     A colossal blunder made by a champion of reform.

“Puts the interest of adults ahead of what’s best for kids” 
     People who disagree with me; cf. “status quo”

“It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a step in the right direction.” 
     The data doesn’t support my pet reform.

“More study is needed”  
     The data says my pet reform has a negative effect. 

“I support merit pay”  
     Teachers are fundamentally lazy

“Data-driven accountability”  
     Children frighten me.

“Children are not data.” 
     Accountability frightens me.

“It’s important to listen to teachers”
     I will sit in the room while teachers vent, then go back to ignoring them.

“It’s important to listen to parents” 
     Everyone knows parents want what’s best for their kid and no one else    

“Bad schools threaten America’s economic competitiveness” 
     I will never see a social security check .

Educational Trash Talk

Published by Robert Pondiscio on May 19, 2009 in Assessment and Testing and Education News. 2 Comments

Associated Press education correspondent Libby Quaid looks at some standard ed shibboleths and finds evidence of false alarms being rung in oft-quoted statistics comparing American students with children in other countries on test scores, instructional time and graduation rates.

On test scores, the U.S. trails high-scorers Singapore, Taiwan and Japan, Quaid agrees.  But the U.S. ”holds its own in the group that comes next, a group of developed countries that, depending on the test, includes England, Germany and Russia.”  In fact, Quaid writes, the U.S. has gained on some of its toughest competitors since 1995, “making bigger strides in math than Singapore and Japan, and in science than Japan.”

On instructional time, “the U.S. has more instructional hours than many better-performing countries, though that raises a separate question about how well American schools spend classroom time,” she notes. 

On graduation rates, comparing the U.S. to smaller nations with declining populations is “comparing apples to oranges.” Comparisons are “based on entire populations, not on what actually happens to students who enter college in a given year,” Quaid writes.  In addition many European countries have switched to three-year degrees from four-to-six year degrees, in the past decade making their rates look better than before.

“Educational trash talk is not new. It is typical at both ends of the political spectrum,” Quaid observes.  “Liberals use poor performance to justify school spending. Conservatives use it to make the case for private-school vouchers and tax credits.”