Don't Derail Reform

The National Journal blog focused on the world’s worst idea last week–Obey’s midnight robbery of the most important edreform grant ever is a terrible idea and a false choice.   My take below.  Other posts worth reading: Ariela Rosman, Delia Pompa, Sandy Kress, Arthur Rothkopf, and Checker.

Don’t Derail Reform from The Education Equality Project, Democrats for Education Reform, The National Charter School Alliance, and EdTrust sums it up–Obey’s amendment is a terrible idea.
RttT has produced more policy reform in 6 months than we’ve seen in a decade.  It would be a real loss to drop four of the bubble states (like FL, LA, NC, NY, MD, CO), they all have plans that deserve funding. We finally have a chance to get a critical mass of states with the infrastructure of reform–standards, assessment, data, accountability, choice and performance-based employment.  Killing the effort before they get started would be giving up a once in a generation chance.
This was a false choice and a dumb choice by the House but not likely to be repeated by the Senate or supported by the President.
And if you haven’t read it by now, this is also a great article in Newsweek about how Congress continues to muddle up the education reform big picture.

Tom Vander Ark

Tom Vander Ark is the CEO of Getting Smart. He has written or co-authored more than 50 books and papers including Getting Smart, Smart Cities, Smart Parents, Better Together, The Power of Place and Difference Making. He served as a public school superintendent and the first Executive Director of Education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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