What’s Keeping America From Doing What’s Right For Children (Jeff Bryant)
“President Obama presented us with an opportunity to ‘do better’ for children when he included in his State of the Union address a call to provide education to every three- and four-year-old in America … But part of ‘getting it right’ for children is calling out and countering the forces intent on blocking this initiative and making the case to the American people in a way that clarifies minds, commits hearts and moves people to action.”
Equal Opportunity, Our National Myth (New York Times)
Economist Joseph Stiglitz observes, “President Obama’s second Inaugural Address used soaring language to reaffirm America’s commitment to the dream of equality of opportunity … Study after study has exposed the myth that America is a land of opportunity … The most important reason for lack of equality of opportunity is education … Unless current trends in education are reversed, the situation is likely to get even worse.”
Class Struggle – How Charter Schools Get Students They Want (Reuters)
“Charters are public schools, funded by taxpayers and widely promoted as open to all. But Reuters has found that across the United States, charters aggressively screen student applicants, assessing their academic records, parental support, disciplinary history, motivation, special needs and even their citizenship, sometimes in violation of state and federal law.”
Study: NCLB Waivers Weaken Graduation Rate Accountability (Associated Press)
“A new report says many states granted waivers from the No Child Left Behind law are relaxing or ignoring federal regulations designed to hold schools accountable for the number of students who graduate from high school on time.”
It’s Our Interest: The Need To Reduce Student Loan Interest Rates (Center for American Progress)
“Interest rates are at historic lows … borrowers can lower their monthly payments. There is one critical group, however, that is getting left behind in the refinancing boom: students and families who take out loans to pay for higher education … It is in the nation’s best economic interest to ensure that students are able to make timely payments on their loans, and it’s time for federal policymakers to take action.”
Teach For America: The Hidden Curriculum Of Liberal Do-Gooders (Jacobin Magazine)
History teacher Andrew Hartman contends, “The liberals of the education reform movement … have for decades advanced negative assumptions about public school teachers that now power the attacks by [conservative Republicans]. This is particularly true of Teach for America (TFA), the prototypical liberal education reform organization, where [Michelle] Rhee first made her mark. The history of TFA reveals the ironies of contemporary education reform.”