Standards: 8 States Up, 11 States Down This Week In Education

This Week In Education

Standards: 8 States Up, 11 States Down

by Alexander Russo

Have states really been racing to the bottom like Duncan says?  Not really.
The USDE cites a NAEP report as showing that 11 states made changes in math during 2005-2007 that resulted in a lowering of their AYP standards, as mapped onto the NAEP scale.* From the chart:  "When states make significant changes in their state standards, they are more likely to make them less rigorous."
But the news is not all bad.  Eight states (GA, HI, ID, MT, MO, NY, NC, VA) increased their standards in math and/or reading.  Here's the press release (PDF) which includes reading and math.

Thompson: Alternative Schools and School Turnarounds

by john thompson

Much of the Gates Foundation's, This Works for Me series could have been written by teachers and their unions.  As urban teachers keep saying, usually to deaf ears, charters and other individual turnaround schools have the backing of a huge alternative school system - called neighborhood schools. Too many reforms require "creaming" of easier-to-educate students and the best educators, leaving a greater critical mass of challenges for neighborhood schools. Gates now recommends "Consider using different measures of success for off-track students" (emphasis theirs.) They also report "more than three fourths of teachers and principals supported what researchers described as alternative learning environments as a way to reduce the dropout rate.
In focus groups, 'educators felt these environments would provide at-risk students more choices in finding a school that is more relevant to their lives ...'"  So, in addition to the small schools, theme schools, and small learning learning communities that have widespread support among teachers, they make the recommendation that teachers would die for, investments in "transition schools," "alternative schools." and "recuperative schools." The Gates-funded Public Agenda poll also shows that 90% of teachers believe that discipline problems are serious impediments, and 68% believe that alternative placements for those students would be effective.  
The Public Insight poll further reported: