Some things are simply too complicated for public public consumption.
Rankings are one such example. By their nature, rankings often send messages that are deeply distorted, but we persist in creating rankings where none are justified.
Education has a long and ugly relationship with rankings, making a mess even messier (if that is possible).
Two aspects of the perpetual education debate are worth noting for their complexity: (1) The eternal claim that schools need to be reformed (see Deleuze), and (2) the incessant charge that colleges of education and education certification are underperforming.
The problems with both issues lie with the complexity of the answers.
Have many (if not most) traditional approaches to US public education failed, and do public schools need reforming? Yes, but not in the ways being promoted by self-proclaimed reformers—such as competition/choice, new standards, new high-stakes tests, teacher pay linked to those tests, and more charter schools (see the empty claims from Secretary Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, Michelle Rhee, and others).
Are there historical and current problems with education degrees and certification policies for teachers? Yes, but, again, not the sort being shoveled by think tanks such as NCTQ.
NCTQ's Gradual Unmasking
NCTQ has partnered with US News & World Report with a review and ranking of teacher preparation programs across the US, a review that fails the US and the world with its sh
