'Race to the Top' - the view from Oakland

'Race to the Top' - the view from Oakland:

"We applaud Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums for refusing to join the Race to the Top parade by not signing the letter by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson ('Dellums ducks out of mayors coalition,' Chip Johnson, Jan. 5)."
Dellums should not be whipsawed into the frenzy just to run after more federal and state dollars that will do little to address the major issues of educational equity that we need in Oakland.
I was asked for the Oakland Education Association's opinion on the proposed letter and concurred with others that it would be a mistake to sign it. The lure of a minuscule amount of money is not justification for further decimating a compromised program in Oakland schools, especially when that money comes with serious strings attached.
Many talk about education reform but really seek to treat education like a business and students like test scores. They want to blame "failing schools" on teachers, denying the effects of poverty, language challenges, homelessness despair. They refuse to look at real funding reform that would provide the resources children and teachers need for an excellent public education. These same folks try to sell charter schools as a panacea for what's ailing our public schools, in effect setting up a separate and unequal system where students are often handpicked, dismissed if they're "not the right fit," and there is no accountability to democratically elected school boards.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/17/IN071BHUVL.DTL&type=education#ixzz0ct4ca9yn