John Thompson: Texans Debunk Test-Driven Reform
Guest post by John Thompson.
Addressing the Save Texas Schools rally in Austin on Feb. 23, Superintendent John Kuhn nailed the essence of test-driven "reform." "Some people have forgotten that good teachers actually exist. They spend so much time and effort weeding out the bad ones that they've forgotten to take care of the good ones. This bitter accountability pesticide is over-spraying the weeds and wilting the entire garden." He later rebutted a key argument of market-driven "reform," reminding us that "They say 100,000 kids are on a waiting list for charter schools. Let me tell you about another waiting list. There are 5 million kids waiting for this Legislature to keep our forefathers' promises." (you can read and view his entire speech here.)
After the rally, the Texas Observer sponsored a panel discussion at the LBJ School of Political Science at Texas University. It began with a reality check for "reformers" who claim that charters have a 100,000 student waiting list. Texas charters have not even reached their current authorizations. Since charters aren't full, why is there a waiting list? Surely charters aren't "creaming" and leaving thousands in line until as they seek the easier-to-educate students.
Trinity University's Michael Soto, who serves on the State Board of Education, started the discussion with data
Addressing the Save Texas Schools rally in Austin on Feb. 23, Superintendent John Kuhn nailed the essence of test-driven "reform." "Some people have forgotten that good teachers actually exist. They spend so much time and effort weeding out the bad ones that they've forgotten to take care of the good ones. This bitter accountability pesticide is over-spraying the weeds and wilting the entire garden." He later rebutted a key argument of market-driven "reform," reminding us that "They say 100,000 kids are on a waiting list for charter schools. Let me tell you about another waiting list. There are 5 million kids waiting for this Legislature to keep our forefathers' promises." (you can read and view his entire speech here.)
After the rally, the Texas Observer sponsored a panel discussion at the LBJ School of Political Science at Texas University. It began with a reality check for "reformers" who claim that charters have a 100,000 student waiting list. Texas charters have not even reached their current authorizations. Since charters aren't full, why is there a waiting list? Surely charters aren't "creaming" and leaving thousands in line until as they seek the easier-to-educate students.
Trinity University's Michael Soto, who serves on the State Board of Education, started the discussion with data