Margaret Spellings Pleased with Failure to Re-Authorize NCLB

Interviewed at the GOP convention on Monday September 1, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings says that she is happy that NCLB was not re-authorized this year, according to EdWeek. "Where we were headed would have been a bad reauthorization."

Her comments referred to the bill drafted by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, that would have permitted some states to use local assessments in their accountability systems, among other changes. She said that advocates of strong accountability would now have additional time to pass a new bill supporting the law's central principle of accountability.

While noting that education has taken a back seat in the presidential campaign, she sees that as a positive development, on the principle that "no news is good news". She said that Sen. John McCain would make a better education president, but also had kind words for Sen. Obama. "I think it was bold for him to speak out on merit pay. Let's see it happen."

Mind the Gap (s)

Philip Kovacs at the Educational Policy Blog has this important post which all readers of Social Issues could keep in mind. Philip has added links to data sources for each of the gaps on the original post.

Reducing the “achievement gap” to what goes on inside of schools has proven to be an effective way for policy makers to ignore all of the other “gaps” outside of America’s classrooms.

While researcher after researcher has shown that outside influences contribute to student performance and achievement, proponents of high-stakes, standardized reforms continue to press for more “rigor,” as if harder work alone will mitigate every outside factor influencing children’s lives.

Rather than focusing exclusively on the “achievement gap,” policy makers and educational reformers might consider policies that help reduce other “gaps” that exist within our country. Gaps that could be narrowed in order to improve the lives and schooling of all students include but are not limited to:

• The incarceration gap, where six times as many African Americans are behind bars compared to their white counterparts;

• The homeowner gap, where 72.7% of white Americans own their homes compared to 48.2% of African Americans;

• The healthcare gap, where 71.4% of white Americans are insured compared to 53.9% of African Americans;

• The earnings gap, where white Americans average over $20,000 more a year than African Americans;

• The poverty rate gap, where 8.7% of white Americans live at or below the poverty line while 24.7% of African Americans do so;

• The unemployment gap, where 5.7% of white Americans are unemployed while 13.2% of African Americans are without work;

• The happiness gap, where 72% of white youths say they are happy with life in general compared to 56% of their African American counterparts;

• The murder gap, where 49% of murder victims in the United States are African Americans, who make up 13% of the population.

Close one of these and I warrant the "achievement gap" shrinks.

Diane Ravitch Urges Major Overhaul of NCLB

Diance Ravitch has an op-ed article in the New York Times today urging major overhaul of NCLB.

Her proposal is first, to abandon the silly rhetorical goal of 100% proficiency, and second, to abandon the flawed state level tests.

In place of the tests she proposes that the federal government collect all statistical data, in line with the national assessment of educational progress or NAEP, and then support the states in providing local solutions for the specific problems the tests reveal.

See her article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/opinion/03ravitch.html.

Ravitch's article can be a good jumping off platform for further thoughts on NCLB. Please consider offering a comment about it.