Sacramento school a case study for NCLB waiver
Reforms alone can't erase "failing" school stigma
A couple hundred children sitting cross-legged covered the floor of the multipurpose room atOak Ridge Elementary School in Sacramento. Behind them, parents, grandparents, and siblings filled rows of metal folding chairs, while teachers stood beside their students. The room was abuzz with excitement as principal Doug Huscher bounded onto the stage and led everyone in a cheer.
“When I say ‘Oak Ridge,’ you say ‘Feel the pride,’” shouted Huscher. Three times he called and they responded.
It was the warm-up to the school’s first-ever awards ceremony for student performance on the California Standards Test (CST). Teachers presented more than 200 Olympic-style medals to their students: bronze for moving up at least one level on the exam, silver for