Some Resolutions for 2011
Another year about to go down in the history books. Are we any closer to truly improving our public schools? For every likely step forward we may have taken in 2010, it seems to be met with a similar step back. For every rhetorical push ahead, we had a very real headwind blocking progress.
So as we head into 2011, your friendly neighborhood Eduflack offers up a few "resolutions" for all on the education reform boat to consider as we start a new year. We need to come to accept the following:
1. True reform does not happen at the federal level. The federal government is an important lever in the school improvement process, offering some necessary financial resources and some bully pulpit language to inspire reform. But true improvement happens at the state and local levels. It is about what our SEAs and LEAs do with those resources and whether they embrace the call from the bully pulpit. Just as all politics is local, so too is all education reform. Why do you think groups like DFER are so keen on launching new statewide efforts, like the new one in California?
2. ESEA reauthorization really doesn't matter. As much as we want to fret about when ESEA is going to be
