To my amazement and disgust, Democrats in the Senate and the House is that they have become forceful defenders of George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind-style legacy of punitive accountability. They love testing and accountability, which was always the GOP agenda.
During the debate about the reauthorization of NCLB, which produced the Every Student Succeeds Act, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut proposed an amendment that would have preserved the punitive AYP accountability of NCLB. Almost every Democratic senator supported the Murphy amendment, even Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren. See here and here. The only Democrats to vote against the Murphy amendment were Senator Tester of Montana and Senator Shaheen of New Hampshire.
Yesterday, POLITICO reported that Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington State and Representative Bobby Scott of Virginia commended Secretary of Education John King for his efforts to insert sharp teeth into ESSA, doing an end run around the Republicans’ decision to eliminate the worst features of NCLB.
“- Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Bobby Scott teamed up for their public comments. In a letter to Education Secretary John B. King Jr., they applaud a number of provisions, like the requirement that states come up with concrete evaluations or scores for schools. They also support the requirement that states test 95 percent of students annually, and include that participation rate in their accountability systems. But the lawmakers want to see changes and tweaks to a number of items, including the timeline for states to get their new accountability systems up and running, transportation for students in foster care, calculating graduation rates, “n-sizes,” resource equity and more. The department should change the definition of “consistently underperforming” when it comes to student subgroups, they write. Student subgroups should be identified for consistent underperformance based on all indicators in a state’s accountability system – not just a select few – and whether or not student subgroups are hitting interim and long-term goals set by the state, the letter states. Read the letter: http://politico.pro/2aHrmIZ.”
Recall that the idea of giving schools a “concrete” score of A-F came from Jeb Bush and won the approval of many Red State governors. Murray and Scott also support King’s effort to suppress and punish schools and districts with opt out rates that exceed 5%. This is astonishing. In the last round of testing in New York, the overwhelming majority of districts had opt out rates that exceeded 5%.
Murray is the senior senator in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Scott is the senior Democrat in the House Education Committee.
Question: Why are they defending George W. Bush’s legacy?
Mercedes Schneider writes here about the way that New York parents threaten to bring down John King’s desire to crush the opt out movement. 22% of the state’s eligible children didn’t take the tests. Should the school be punished for the actions and decisions of parents. As long as New York’s well-organized opt out movement keeps going, ESSA is unenforceable.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Once again, Democrats fatally adopt the destructive idea framing of Republicans. When will they ever learn? Tell the Democrats–no demand– that there is a better way to improve education: Invest and Trust http://www.arthurcamins.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/The-Better-Way-to-Improve-Education.pdf
In a theoretical sense, your points are well taken. In reality, the students I teach often lack strong family support systems and suffer the stresses of living in dangerous neighborhoods. How many middle class American children worry about being shot, or not having enough food to eat on weekends and school vacations? Do any children from affluent families ask their teacher if they can please take two crayons home so they can finish their pictures? How many teachers in poor neighborhoods have purchased a winter jacket,
or a pair of shoes for their students? Social class structures are in need of far more remediation than the teachers the powerful purport to improve.
“Why are they defending George W. Bush’s legacy?”
Because the oligarchs fund many of their campaigns and studies show that more than 80 percent of campaigns that win spend more money than the loswers; pay for the lobbyists that spread this fraudulent propaganda, and threaten to outspend anyone who stands in their way.
And we have a winner!
Living among the wee folk (and being one of them) my perception is that the wee folk cannot stand for those who claim moral and intellectual superiority as do those (both Dems and Repubs) in the House and Senate, who attempt to force their do-gooder beliefs onto the commoners through such laws as NCLB and ESSA.
“cannot stand” take out the for, ay ay ay
Democrats are becoming Republicans. Republicans became Trump. If Democrats continue to adopt anti-teacher, anti-middle class stances, they could lose this election to a mad man. Since no one supports teachers in America, schools suffer and anti-intellectualism gives us an easily manipulated voting public. It is as if establishment Democrats are watching the grass roots rejection of the GOP structure, but completely miss what is happening as a threat to their own party. Hillary is a very weak candidate as is Kaine. I don’t know which is worse – Democrat hubris or Trump’s insanity.
How about a thin-skinned nut for president?
On O’Reilly last night, O’Reilly warned Trump that he should attack only Hillary. He said, even if someone sets your pants on fire, thank them and say I never liked those pants anyway.
Trump’s response: But they (the Khans) attacked me first!
What will he do if some national leader criticizes him?
When I was a teacher in Brooklyn the 1980s, I had yard duty with 450 4th-6th graders. Unfortunately, breaking up fights between really angry kids was a too frequent necessity. After defusing the danger, but not the upset, I’d ask, “What happened?” Typically, the answer was, “He started it.” For a long time, I thought someone is lying because someone actually struck the first blow. After I time, I realized the power of self-involved perception. I realized that people believe their own lies. They don’t even know they are lying. It was a particularly dangerous time in the middle of the crack epidemic. Neighborhood violence was rampant and the prevailing ethic was never, ever let anyone see your weakness. Sadly, the school In which I work failed to establish a safe zone for our students. Hit back harder is Donald Trump’s ethic. Why is it appealing? When people feel threatened and there is no protection in sight, hit back often appears to be the only alternative.
Lesson for Democrats: If the average working person doesn’t come to see that you are unambiguously on their side, cynicism will lead them to identify with the bully, turn toward authoritarianism and maybe violence.
http://www.arthurcamins.com
I posted this link last night it deserves a post here .
http://robertreich.org/post/148298671395
well said
Reich’s right – the next election’s, inevitable bully, springing from the powerlessness of the people, will be far worse than Trump.
A stronger, more vicious bully will replace, regardless of who is elected this time, because both candidates serve the rich.
Trump claims the world is badly broken and only he can fix it. He’s a sociopathic demagogue. But Democrats seem tone deaf to what is going on. Drive though southeastern Ohio or West Virginia and you’ll find people living in run down houses or trailers with Trump signs. I watched Hillary’s speech at the DNC. It was a pandering list of promises she can’t keep. She failed to connect with working Americans struggling to get by. The odd thing in fertile Trump country is many people supporting him don’t really like him. The just have lost faith in government, institutions, and the establishment. Hillary looks to them like more of the same. She doesn’t relate nor emanate trustworthiness. So they turn to Trump who looks successful and inspires them with a message, as wrong as that message is to our country.
I’m not supporting Trump. I’m trying to understand how Democrats can be so determined to lose this election. Rather than Democrats attack teachers and take away parent rights to opt out, they should be listening to teachers and eliminating test and punish. Rather than support unfair trade and globalization, they should be working for threatened workers and ensuring American citizens get jobs – not immigrants and H1bs. Instead of viewing unions as the obnoxious uncle at Thanksgiving, Democrats need to take an aggressive stance against anti-union politicians like Ryan, Walker and Kasich. For Democrats, now is not the time to be timid or overconfident and just assume Obama 2.0 is sufficient. My grave concern is Democrats could lose this thing, or worse, completely be obliterated in 2020.
Vale Math,
Hillary’s campaign manager founded the Podesto Group. The firm’s CEO is a “veteran GOP political operative and deputy campaign manager for former Gov. Jeb Bush”. (Political party isn’t allowed to interfere with profits.) The Group’s website, “WINS” tab, blatantly, puts on display, the DC game. The DNC’s CEO, during the recent Wikileaks e-mail dump, has now been hired by Squared Communications, who assures clients that their “communication is effectively heard by the right audience”. Then, there’s the Albright Stonebridge firm, which, reportedly has Paul Singer, as a client. The list of PR firms dragging down GDP, when coupled with the financial sector’s drag, is a lot of ballast for American workers to carry.
We represent nothing more than opportunity for exploitation, at best and, at worst, cannon fodder.
The next step is for the federal government to withhold funding for districts that do not meet the 95% compliance requirement. Supporters of ESSA should not be surprised with the outcomes. Middle class parents in Long Island will not be to subjected to the same rituals to which the parents in poor urban communities have become accustomed. It is not a pretty picture.
“Middle class parents in Long Island will not be to subjected to the same rituals to which the parents in poor urban communities have become accustomed.”
Exactly!
When NCLB first went down my prediction was by 2010, it would be repealed because it would start to impact the wealthier suburban districts. I didn’t foresee state’s department of ed gaming the numbers so those districts wouldn’t be affected like the rural and urban poverty districts were. The state DoE’s knew/know where the political power lies and it’s not with the rural and urban poverty districts.
Disgusted yes. Amazed no.
I assume “progressive” Sherrod Brown joined his pack of right wingers?
My assumption as well, Linda. I used to write him emails until I got form response after form response citing chapter and verse from DFER and the mantras of Secretary Duncan.
Very discouraging and demoralizing, especially Warren and Sanders. Sanders does not take corporate or hedge fund money. Politicians who unabashedly support the real public schools are as rare as hens teeth.
They rely on staff briefings all to often only attended by their staff .
If the Republicans are against something than obviously I must be for it, The reverse is true as well.
There is a place for mass movements. I am perpetually amazed that with 600,000 NYSUT members and 200,000 opt outs in NY. There has not been mass demonstrations. There must be sedatives in the water,
From NY Newsday this morning .
“The threat of low ratings hit a particular nerve in suburban areas such as the Island, where opt-out rates run high. Local school representatives said such ratings could be misconstrued as evidence of low academic achievement and result in lower home values.”
The thought came to my mind that the opt out rate was probably a pretty good piece of information to put in a real estate add. If I wanted to sell quicker and higher.
high opt out in case there was confusion
DNC “CEO”, Amy Dacey, took a new job with Squared Communication, a PR firm, that makes sure “communication is effectively heard by the right audience”. She’s like Hillary’s campaign manager, Podesto, who counts his firm’s “wins” as “developing creative funding strategies to secure federal dollars and using media relations to change a federal agency’s course”. Dacey is also like Madelyn Albright, with her firm, Albright Stonebridge, which is described as influence peddling.
What matters in D.C. has nothing to do with evidence, it’s totally and completely, about how to make money from and for, the richest 0.1%.
Utah is in a unique situation. One of the things the ESSA is going to track is how many high school graduates immediately go to college. However, in Utah, this is a huge problem. LDS (Mormon) young men usually go on missions at the age of 18, most before going to college at all. This will significantly reduce the “scores” for Utah, and students here need all the money they can get. Another example of what the standardization of education is doing. http://www.sltrib.com/news/4186646-155/board-worries-federal-education-law-will
No surprise to me. The OTHER corporate party, the Democrats, are as ignorant of the realities of teaching and education, and as subservient to their corporate/Wall Street patrons, as the Republicans.
This is why, among MANY, MANY other reasons, the entire economic/political system is corrupt beyond reform and must be dismantled and replaced by one which TRULY represents workers, not the 1% Parasite Class and the Deep State sociopaths behind them.
I have ZERO illusions this dismantling will ever take place, so, with catastrophic climate disaster accelerating daily, and Obama and his violent, psychopathic neocon advisers trying to provoke war with Russia and China, regardless of their nuclear weapons (and ours), it will be only a matter of time until everything is destroyed by the arrogant insanity of these power-mad sociopaths.
Supporters of the testing requirement are certain that test scores are objective measures of the “performance” of the education sector.
They are certain that all educators will engage in overt and covert discrimination against sub-groups of students unless test scores are disaggregated.
They rely on briefing papers supplied to staff by lobbyists from the test-driven charter and “personalized learning industries,” by others who want market-based education with kids who are “at risk” and falling behind.” Tests identity markets.
Some think education can be fixed like a chair with a broken leg. The fix can come from “targeted” interventions which can have the bonus of enlarging the for-profit education industry.
Supporters do not think anyone working in education other than economists and Bill Gates can be trusted to advise them about effective education and what counts as “effective.”
Many have uncritically accepted the concept that there is “an achievement gap” that educators alone are responsible for and can close, especially if they listen to people who have never engaged in professional study or practice in teaching in public schools.
They are not willing to make public education a priority for themselves or for their constituents.
In addition, every member of Congress has a problem with in-basket requests for attention, often urgen, including the business of raising funds. Teachers are not among among the high rollers.
“Supporters of the testing requirement are certain that test scores are objective measures of the “performance” of the education sector.”
You forgot the “” on the phrase “objective measures”, Laura! LOL!
Be that as it may allow me to show the insanity in supposedly “measuring” student learning or “achievement”:
Richard Phelps, a staunch standardized test proponent (he has written at least two books defending the standardized testing malpractices) in the introduction to “Correcting Fallacies About Educational and Psychological Testing” unwittingly lets the cat out of the bag with this statement (notice how he is trying to assert by proximity that educational standardized testing and the testing done by engineers are basically the same, in other words a “truly scientific endeavor”): “Physical tests, such as those conducted by engineers, can be standardized, of course [why of course of course], but in this volume , we focus on the measurement of latent (i.e., nonobservable) mental, and not physical, traits.” [my addition]
Now since there is no agreement on a standard unit of learning and there is no measuring device calibrated against said non-existent standard unit, how is it possible to “measure the nonobservable” which is what all this standardized testing insanity, truly insanity if you think about it, is about???
So much harm to so many students is caused by the educational malpractices that are standards and testing or as Phelps contends in “measuring the nonobservable”.
How insane is this all???
Utterly beyond my comprehension!!!
Duane,
They don’t care what they are measuring. I have watched special needs kids with communications classifications who struggle under usual circumstances pore over these tests. It is heartbreaking. They were placed in self contained classes due to the learning challenges they face. What are we proving when we disaggregate the data?
Abigail,
To answer your question: Nothing! Since the data is invalid nothing can be proven with it. It means nothing! It really is that simple. Why most can’t understand that simple concept is beyond my understanding.
Duane,
Mucho dinero!
School ratings are driving an increase in economic and racial segregation in our cities. Talk to any realtor and they’ll confirm.
school ratings serve the re-gentrification (and subsequent cultural separation) of poor neighborhoods
You are right about school ratings and the real estate business. I’m surprised Wall Street hasn’t commoditized the ratings, yet. Or have they?
You are correct. The ratings at greatschool.org are for “lease” by zillow and other for-profit marketers. That website is paid for by the Gates Foundation among others.
The ratings are also rigged so that, for example, Success Academy gets a 10… In other words test scores are a biggie. The rating methodology moves all availble metrics in each state into a 10 point scale. Only 10% of schools in a state getting high ratings. For a fee, a charter chain can steer webusers to specific schools.
Greatschools is marketed as a tool to “involve parents in their child’s education.” As soon as a user signs on with a web address the user is targeted for zip-code specific ads in addition to ancillary promos that some company has paid for. This is to say that the .org tag at the website is misleading.
I have trouble believing Pat Murray could have done an about face from one year ago. I just can’t fathom it.
Dear Dr. Ravitch:
After I read this thread, I google a biography of both Senators Patty Murray and Bobby Scott.
It sounds like a contradiction within a soul and a mind in two conscientious Senators.
In the same vein, I do not believe that Senator Warren and Sanders would support NCLB and ESSA.
In political games where people or advisers are like Paul Manafort, I am sure that there is a death threat on their beloved family members, or a “indecently” dirty set-up to whoever dares to speak up against Trump.
In short, if all veteran educators in this website would agree with Robert Reich, then please strongly unify to defeat Paul Manafort, not Trump, not Conservative Party.
Since Robert Reich wrote that:
“… Hillary Clinton has a long list of good proposals for helping average working people, but none of them is going anywhere if Washington stays the same and the economic game remains rigged.” [My interpretation is that politicians in Congress and in state offices remain the same]
But he comes to conclusion that:
“…It’s the rigging of our economy – the increasingly tight nexus between wealth and political power. Big money has been buying political clout to get laws and regulations that make big money even bigger.”
Also, Secretary Hillary has acknowledge in her acceptance speech,
“I believe that our economy isn’t working the way it should because our democracy isn’t working the way it should.” [My interpretation is that Paul Manafort has had his claws over both two major parties’ Congressmen and women and States officials’d throats]
In short, If all educators cannot agree with your super duper and critical analysis, how can we expect ALL non-college, WHITE or all races, low earning income PEOPLE would understand Paul Manafort’s strategy?
I am very disappointed in Robert Reich who was “”Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration.”” for which Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century.
Cannot Robert Reich write a simple explanation and a clear guideline like yours in order to publicly educate a crowd in wherever he spoke?
For instance:
According to your critical analysis:
1) Elect people who share your values for city council, school board, state legislature, Congress, and governor.
That’s the long game.
2) The long game is to elect people who share your values from the city council to the state legislature to the Congress to the governor
Winning the presidency without changing the politicians in Congress and in state offices is not a viable strategy
3) You advance one step at a time. Sometimes you make a strategic retreat, so you live to fight another day.
While I appreciate all bloggers’ intelligence and experiences in Politics, I haven’t found any solution BUT only criticism as per PAUL MANAFORT has intentionally created and propagandized for the past 15 years. People, who are selfish, greedy, and egoistic, will fall into evils’ trap like Paul Manafort who gains fame and fortune from selling emotional turmoil to GULLIBLE PEOPLE.
I profoundly appreciate your dedication and selfless advocacy for Public Education in a whole child education concept.
I pray to God that all conscientious educators will strongly unite and support your ideal so that Democrat nominee will be confident to take an action according to her ideal and your ideal.
Together, we, people can imprison all people who commit treason and who intentionally destroy American workers’s stability.
Freedom with responsibility to sustain humanity would be American way of life.
Very respectfully yours,
May King
m4potw
ESSA votes by senators are known. Murray voted yes, Warren and Sanders voted no.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=114&session=1&vote=00291
I looked at the S1177 (ESSA) Roll Call–on that, Warren voted No; Sanders–Not Voting. While that’s how they voted on S1177, as Diane cited, they both, indeed, voted YEA on the Murphy amendment. I can’t imagine what Warren was thinking, but–not to be an apologist for Sen. Sanders–he was in the thick of the primaries, and his aides should have brought him up to snuff (or he should have not voted once again).
Thank you Dr. Chapman for the link. I really respect your knowledge.
I only guessed that Senator Murray’s TOUGH childhood has taught her to be competitive in learning. People, who have a strong personality, do not seem to understand the unfortunate’s fear, lack of intelligence, lack of nurture in confidence of their own “unique” talent.
People, who have lived through hardship like Senator Patty Murray and Nina Turner, would welcome more tests in order to prove to the world their smartness. However, the principle in civic life is NOT ALL ABOUT fame and fortune, BUT TRULY IS all about being considerate, alleviating others’ mishap, bringing hope and stability to people young and old alike and most of all creating a harmonious, peaceful, happy and secure environment at home, work place and schools.
I hope that you will NOT ONLY SUPPORT Dr. Ravitch’s ideal BUT ALSO you can convince all other conscientious educators to unify in order to defeat people like devious PAUL MANAFORT with your knowledge.
Respectfully yours,
May King
May–I think your statement “People, who have lived through hardship like Senator Patty Murray & Nina Turner, would welcome more tests in order to prove to the world their smartness” is presumptuous.
Especially these “standardized” (Duane, please interject some Wilson, here!) tests–the quotation marks referring to the unreliability & invalidity of said tests…which are simply money maker$ for Pear$on Publi$hing & $uch.
Hi retiredbutmissthekids:
I understand the Wilson logic which señor Swacker has repeatedly mentioned in this website.
Also, I only politely give both Senators Murray and Turner a benefit of doubt about their naivety.
Yes, it is the norm of all about nepotism in all public services, This is the reason why devious Paul Manafort can insert his craftiness of trickery on GULLIBLE and talent-less government officials. Ellen Lubic mentioned that Paul Manafort reminds her of a character Lago in Shakespeare.
I do not want to offend all Bernie supporters who turn to Dr. Jill Stein because of their frustration instead of thinking logically as per Dr. Ravitch’s solution. Educators should prioritize the common good over personal interest and the imminent danger of Paul Manafort’s strategy in waging war for his own pleasure, profit, and power of control all talent-less leaders like the majority of Republican congressmen and women and some of reformers in Democrat party.
Would you approve TFA graduates from Broad’s graduate institute to govern the education system where they do not have any experience in education at all?
So, why all Bernie’s supporters go after Dr. Jill Stein who does not have any experience at all in American domestic and foreign policies?
There is NOT ONLY times, knowledge, BUT ALSO experience and patient enough as well as tough enough with a record to help children and women for the past 40 years in political career. Yes, Presidential candidate MUST go through all stages from Councillor, Mayor and Governor in order to build their experiences in governing and to gain the trust in public. There is no short cut to be the best learner, teacher and leader.
If people are cultivated to understand that PAC (Political Action Committee) can be manipulated and controlled through all media outlets by the rich class and devious adviser like Paul Manafort, then please do not repeat all “make-believe” information.
Life is too short to suffer from gullibility and the cunning strategy from devious people who love fame and fortune at the expense of people with emotional disturbance. May.
May,
“I do not want to offend all Bernie supporters who turn to Dr. Jill Stein because of their frustration instead of thinking logically. . . ”
To suggest that Sander’s supporters would turn to Stein because of “frustration instead of thinking logically” is in itself very frustrating and hard to bear as your statement assumes/purports to know the mind set/feelings of those supporters. To me that is akin to “measuring the unobservable”. In other words it is not a necessarily a fair assessment of said supporters. My assessment of the Sanders supporters who vote for Jill Stein would be that they are thinking logically. Who’s right?
So where does that leave us? For me it shows that the political process can make for strange bedfellows and odd oppositions as we see here, as you and I normally agree on most things, and I think generally look at things quite similarly despite our quite different lives that we have lived up to this point. And those similarities and commonalities will, in the long run, serve us better than the political differences at this point in time.
Take care,
Duane
Hi, May–I was just responding to that one comment you’d made. I wasn’t talking about anything or anyone else–Dr. Jill Stein, TFA, PACs (the latter two which I am most definitely against), etc.
Therefore, I don’t know why you have brought all of these other issues/people up.
With all due respect to you, end of our conversation on this thread, at least, please.
Thank you!
Just wanted to express a point in the original article. I have puzzled over the question of how a Congress can decide to do what is best for itself over its own constituents.
In my query, I have found the most of the blame lies on Citizen’s United. By being forced to listen to big money because they fund all campaigns (other than Bernie’s) you tend to pick up their culture.
As a business person, data is your friend; let’s see who is productive and who is not. You care not for any other aspect.
Education is not business. We are growing people. These are human beings which by all scientific postulations, are among the most complex items in the universe.
To educate all we can really do is offer “opportunity”. Testing and accountability go against offering more opportunities….
When Citizen’s United is fixed, then we can seriously change the course of discussion. Till then, I’m afraid, we will only get a deaf ear to our pleas,
Thank you señor Swacker:
I hope that you acknowledge my respect for you and most of veteran educators in this website.
I would not challenge anyone in this debate of the imminent danger in Presidential election in November 2016.
Indeed, I really try to understand the process in American Presidential Election. I really appreciate Ellen Lubic’s link regarding Caroline McCain’s expression. Most of all, I treasure Dr. Ravitch’s logic and solution as well as the link to read about Trump’s adviser, Paul Manafort.
Honestly, I would never want to go for any job if I do not have at least 5 to 10 years working on the job or at least I have the support within the job that I am familiar and capable to handle on my own in emergency.
This is why I agree with all veteran educators to dismantle TFA and Broad’s Graduate institute.
This is also why I do not understand the majority of Bernie’s supporters CANNOT research to TRULY know the reason that Senator Sanders switch from being Independent over to be Democrat, BUT NOT Green Party. WHY?
I expect that you could have the answer or reason to cultivate some people who are like me. This is the educational website where Dr. Ravitch allows all expression including some Trump trolls’s ridiculous information from media that is operated in bias by rich people.
In short, I sincerely apologize to you if my expression offended you. I would not intend to upset anyone, except I try to observe, listen and learn from all gurus in education.
Respectfully yours,
May.
Hi retiredbutmissthekids:
Please accept my apology to you if I upset you. May