Many Things Are Disturbing
Steans called it “disturbing” that in 10 years, the percent of Illinois students hitting proficiency benchmarks on a national fourth-grade reading test has only moved from 31 percent to 33 percent. On the same national test, only a third of students were proficient in eighth-grade — the same amount as two years ago.This ten year timeframe is pretty much the effective range of NCLB and the rise of nonstop testing. These people's prescriptions involve intensifying things that don't work very well. I've never spoken to anyone who thinks this group is contributing anything worthwhile to the conversation, but then again, I'm not in Democratic policy-making circles. I've only been working in schools for the better part of 30 years.
I know I sound terrible, but this isn't personal. Everyone in these stories is perfectly lovely; even Arne Duncan is a pleasant man. Vapid, but pleasant. Michelle Rhee herself isn't a vampire in personal interactions, from what I