"The whole people must take upon themselves the education of the whole people and be willing to bear the expenses of it. There should not be a district of one mile square, without a school in it, not founded by a charitable individual, but maintained at the public expense of the people themselves." -- John Adams

"No money shall be drawn from the treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution." -- Indiana Constitution Article 1, Section 6.

"...no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities." – Thomas Jefferson

Thursday, June 3, 2010

More proof...

Race to the Top relies heavily on teachers' pay and evaluation being tied to student "performance" i.e. scores on high stakes achievement tests.

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet reported recently on the results of a study of Chicago's teacher performance-based pay. It turns out that it doesn't work well.
A study released today by Mathematica Policy Research Inc. shows no evidence that the Chicago Teacher Advancement Program improved student math and reading tests when compared with a group of similar schools that did not use the system, Education Week reported...

The concept ignores the fact that standardized tests in schools today were not designed as teacher assessment tools and aren’t valid measures, but that isn’t stopping a headlong rush into implementation in school districts across the country.
There's a double standard at work here. Teachers and schools are being taken to task for not using research-based or scientific-based programs, yet the USDOE is ignoring research which goes against its political agenda.

The process at work today is guaranteed to fail. The Race to the Top requires that states use what doesn't work. When schools fail the teachers will be blamed, fired, and vilified.

Public Education in the United States is being pushed over a cliff.

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