William Mathis, a former school superintendent in Vermont, now associated with the National Education Policy Center, analyzed the proposed legislation of both Democrats and Republicans and finds that both parties have no understanding of the damage wrought by No Child Left Behind.
Washington insiders continue their hapless crusade to “reform” the schools by high-stakes testing and privatization. The Democrats want the federal government to do more of it, and the Republicans want the states to do it. Neither has a vision for the future.
Neither shows the slightest indication that they understand the real problems of American education, many of which have been inflicted by NCLB and Race to the Top.
So instead of ditching the failed policies of the past dozen years, both parties cling tenaciously to them.
He concludes:
“When Abraham Lincoln called on the mystic chords of memory, he drew upon those principles that bind us together. He drew upon the common good. At that time, equality was so embraced that it found Constitutional power and protection in the thirteenth amendment. At the beginning of the twentieth century, a wave of state Constitutional amendments enshrined public education because a functioning democracy demanded education and equality for all. In 1965, when we dreamed of a great society, we furthered our reach with the supportive help of the ESEA.
“Today, both Democrat and Republican versions of the reauthorization give vacant, distracted nods to these principles. They fail to ring with great purpose. They do not stir the soul. They are unlovely and parrot our social and economic strategies. In both they punish the poor, loudly proclaim liberty and
equality, and provide only the rhetoric of opportunities.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
One of the things that has happened, behind many of our backs, is that the Astroturfers have placed their trained cadre — often TFA alumni — into positions on Congressional and Senatorial staffs. Even were the majority of elected officials not brainwashed and supporting Arne Duncan and the current iteration of “No Child…”, they would still be subjected to those zealots who work with and for them. Three years ago (“SOS” DC), my family went to speak with Illinois “liberal” senator Dick Durbin. His arrogance in defending No Child Left Behind, high-stakes testing, and corporate reform was enough to leave my then nine year old son with some very low opinions of those we had elected. In Sam’s opinion, Durbin was arrogant and had no interest in hearing any information contradicting the “Truth” as he “Knew” it.
George Schmidt,
Your experience echoes mine. Three years ago, I met with Senator Tom Harkin. He vigorously defended NCLB and said “the disabilities community loves NCLB.” His staff told him so. One came from Senator Kennedy’s office, the other was TFA.
I would really love to know how “the disabilities community loves NCLB,” since it’s done enormous damage to kids, but particularly those with disabilities. My LD son is one of the casualties.
AMEN, George. Too TRUE!
And now he’s part of the Gang of Eight advancing Schumer’s Immigration Bill. Rubio is out with the Tea Party now for being part of that disaster.
Bill Mathis correctly points out that education legislation pending in the Congress “would still ‘disaggregate’ test results by ethnic affiliation and income levels so as ‘to shine a light’ on the disparities and inequalities of educational opportunities and outcomes.” He adds this: “These inequalities have been well-documented for the last half-century.” And yet, they persist.
The problem is that proposed legislation does nothing to address the inequities. To provide substance would “require politicians and inside the beltway actors to actually press for funding equal to the mandates. It would require significant investments in job, community and comprehensive educational support systems.”
Over at the Center for Education Reform, resident crackpot Jeanne Allen dispenses some horrifically bad information and advice on education “reform.” Allen claims (incorrectly) that “65 percent of America’s K-12 student population that is failing and falling through the cracks” (she must not read anything about NAEP scores or disaggregated PISA scores).
Allen says that “the federal role should be one of assessment and data gathering,” and “there must be firm consequences for federal spending at state and local levels” because “local control is a hallow theme when it is school board groups and teachers unions doing the controlling.” Yet, when it comes to charter schools, Allen wants no accountability whatsoever.
Allen demands merit pay for regular public school teachers based on student test scores, even though there is no solid research to support it. As Mathis notes, “test-based evaluation systems have such a high error rate that their use in teacher evaluation is unstable.” This troubles Jeanne Allen not at all. But then, the Center for Education Reform gets its funding from conservative organizations like the Arnold, Bradley, Broad, Kern, Milken, and Walton Foundations, and from the Gates Foundation.
To cite but two examples, the Arnold Foundation is a right-wing organization founded by a hedge-funder who resists accountability and transparency in derivatives markets but calls for them in education. Its executive director, Denis Cabrese was former chief of staff to DIck Armey, the Texas conservative who now heads up FreedomWorks, the group that helps to pull the Tea Party strings and gets funding from the billionaire arch-conservative Koch brothers.
And the Walton Foundation focuses on “competition”, “charter school choice,” “private school choice,” and teacher effectiveness. It funds groups like Teach for America, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (whose board of directors includes Rick Hess and whose advisory board includes a KIPP founder, a Walton board member, and education blatherer Andrew Rotherham) and the Charter School Growth Fund (interestingly, Kevin Hall sits on the board of both this group AND the Charter School Authorizers and was previously the “Chief Operating Officer of The Broad Foundation” and “worked at…Goldman, Sachs & Co., and Teach For America.”).
The corporate-style “reformers” – and their Republican and Democratic allies – care not for addressing the real inequities in American public schooling.
And that truly is a shame.
This is so upsetting.
I don’t know what else to say.
How can you fight if there is no entry into leadership to change things and nobody in leadership with the ability to change things who feels the pain.
There are no more songs for this soundtrack.
Just sad, sad music.
I feel like I am on Titanic.
My apologies to those who reached this point long before I did.
I get it now.
We’re going to take back the ship from the Democrats and Rino Republicans. Look for the liberty amendments to be announced. We are even below the grass roots. We are the Rock Roots.
Tell me who “we” is please. I am curious.
Are you a Libertarian?
We constitutional conservatives.