The U.S. Department of Education wants schools to offer a well-rounded curriculum. But it is not letting up on the pressure to raise test scores in math and English. John King has long believed in closing schools with low test scores and firing teachers who don’t raise test scores. So why should anyone take him seriously when he says he wants students to have a well-rounded curriculum? Next thing you know, he will suggest testing all those subjects too.
From Politico:
HELP WITH THE HUMANITIES: The Education Department today is releasing a Dear Colleague letter as part of the Obama administration’s push [http://bit.ly/29A4ne7 ] to help schools, districts and states deliver a more “well-rounded” education to students. That means teaching not only math and English, but also including art, music, civics, world languages and more. The letter is meant to help states and districts when it comes to using federal funds to improve teaching of the humanities, such as the study of history, philosophy, literature and languages. The department says in the letter that states and districts can use federal funds to purchase humanities-focused materials or devices, provide teachers with professional development in the subjects or better serve students with disabilities or English language learners through humanities courses. The letter: http://politico.pro/29LTFVX.
Pass the bread, here comes the baloney (or bologna, if you please).
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Hi Diane. This letter is behind a paywall. Are you able to copy and paste it into a blog post for your readers? Thanks in advance!
LikeLike
Oh?, Like it was before they stepped in to ruin things?
LikeLike
The kinder, gentler shift in ed reform rhetoric is interesting. I’m curious what brought it about.
I can’t help but notice it coincided with the opt out movement. Now they’re all about nuance and depth 🙂
LikeLike
I could not find a guidance letter, but the set up for the guidance letter may have come from the points in this speech (link below), which seems to me a series of advertisements of various initiatives. One is for a private/public partnership with multiple sponsors (including Crayola) with the arts “as a turnaround strategy.” What counts is the use of the arts as a bribe, reward, incentive to come to school (improved attendance) and some break from conventional test prep, with the payoff increases in math and reading scores. Nothing is new here. The arts are seen as remedial for a school culture gone wrong, very, very wrong by terrible federal policies. I will not say lipstick on a pig.
There are some token references to world languages and the humanities, but the real pitch is for computer coding and computer science for which there will be mucho dinero.
http://www2.ed.gov/documents/press-releases/well-rounded-education-excerpts.p
LikeLike
The same roster of ed reformers are behind the big push for “blended learning” in schools- same names, same foundations, same charter promotion outfits.
That alone should give people pause.
They’re massively ramping this up with no evidence that there’s any added value at all:
“The companies whose products are part of the pilot program gain a competitive edge with schools, something LEAP touts in its promotional materials: “Last year, 86 percent of Pilot Network school teams adopted their edtech product after pilots ended.” Though Lockett says personalized learning doesn’t require technology, so far, every one of the two dozen or so pilot schools have used it.”
http://catalyst-chicago.org/2016/07/a-27-million-market/
LikeLike
Promoted by the US Department of Education:
“New Tech Network @newtechnetwork Jul 12
“We need to teach students how to be competent, confident project managers.” – @tvanderark of @Getting_Smart at #NTAC16 keynote address
Round and round goes the echo chamber-virtually no line between the public entity and the vendors and marketing folks.
Seamless.
LikeLike
Most if not all of the community based, democratic, transparent, non-profit, traditional public schools were already doing all that before NCLB came along like a wrecking ball followed by a larger wrecking ball called RTTT & the Common Core Crap with its faulty and secretive profit-a-corporation through those high stakes tests that did nothing to improve education anywhere.
LikeLike
“Pass the bread, here comes the baloney (or bologna, if you please).”
I’m blaming you Diane if the jkingster soils my mind when I’m eating my next fried bologna sandwich!
LikeLike
I love your headline. I laughed out loud when I saw it. I remain amazed that the President of the United States could fish out a figure as preposterous as John King and make him Secretary of Education. I mean, just when you think they can’t possibly find anyone worse than Arne Duncan, they do.
LikeLike
I think it shows how much the President does not understand the challenges facing education, and begs the question: how uninformed is he in other areas of policy that I’m not as involved in or familiar with?
Is this the norm?
LikeLike
“In California, however, profit-minded companies have run up against laws requiring charters to be run by nonprofits, as a safeguard for state education funds. A few entrepreneurs have sidestepped these boundaries — by paying themselves high salaries, for example, or by making money through contracts for additional services to a school.
K12’s strategy allegedly involved driving the opening of nonprofit charters up and down the state. These schools then contracted with K12 for “substantially all of the management, technology and academic support services in addition to curriculum, learning systems and instructional services,” according to a state complaint filed last week.
The CAVA nonprofits became shells for the activities of the for-profit corporation, according to allegations in a second, separate complaint, which was filed under the authority of the state in conjunction with whistleblower Susie Kaplar, a former CAVA teacher.”
This is exactly what happened in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The nonprofit was simply a shell designed to get around state law.
Ed reformers must know this. It isn’t even a sophisticated scam- it’s blatant. They’re passing funding through a nonprofit entity- laundering it- it goes in the nonprofit and all of it lands in the for-profit. This isn’t complicated.
Why do they insist on this fiction that these schools are “nonprofits”?
http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-state-settles-with-cava-online-charter–20160708-snap-story.html
LikeLike
Why? Because it is working for now.
LikeLike
Why you insist on supporting Democrat party candidates when their universal support has been behind the charter school and ‘reform’ movements is beyond me. The Democrats are almost completely sold out to the money, but continue to spout populist sentiments while robbing us and stabbing us in the back.
I don’t like Trump either, but at least he is not owned by his donors and Goldman Sachs.
Another 4-8 years with a Democrat as president, and I think we can kiss public schools and elected school boards goodbye!
LikeLike
ItsSoSad,
Trump loves loves loves charter schools. All the GOP governors love charters, virtual charters, home schooling—anything but public schools!
We can fight Clinton on charters. We can’t fight a GOP President and Congress determined to obliterate public schools. They don’t care what we think. And we will be ignored. With Clinton, there is a glimmer of hope. With Trump, there is none at all.
LikeLike
Diane, I think you meant to say, “Anything but public schools.” No worries, since you post like crazy (which I appreciate so much!). I just wanted to make sure your point was clear.
LikeLike
Thanks for catching my error, Threatened Out West. I corrected it.
LikeLike
“With Clinton, there is a glimmer of hope. With Trump, there is none at all.”
I agree, Diane. As long as we understand and set our expectations appropriately that it’s just a glimmer! And we must vigorously rally around the glimmer if it’s going to happen at all.
LikeLike
What about state constitutions?
Aren’t states violating them if they stamp out their public schools.
LikeLike
I can’t wait to see this happen in NY State when they have slathered millions of gallons of mustard ($$) in the classrooms with the sour pickles (modules). I am still waiting for a huge Red Pop to wash this all away because my stomach can’t hold any more.
LikeLike