Do we want to deal with the Achievement Gap: Then deal with the real problem (by Wendy Lecker) - Wait, What?

Do we want to deal with the Achievement Gap: Then deal with the real problem (by Wendy Lecker) - Wait, What?:

Do we want to deal with the Achievement Gap: Then deal with the real problem (by Wendy Lecker)

by jonpelto

Public school advocate and fellow columnist Wendy Lecker published another “must read” piece over the weekend.  This one entitled “Courts repeatedly uphold the right to a quality education,” explains the underlying problem facing public education in our nation and the sad reality that children, parent and our society have had to rely on the courts rather than elected governors and legislators to truly put children first.

Wendy Lecker’s column successfully lays out the historical context and the real issues surrounding our nation’s failure to close the academic achievement gap, and by doing so, she lays bare the lies and deceit being perpetrated by the education reform industry.

The must read piece concludes that, “Ironically, the most progress in closing achievement gaps was made in the late 1970s to 1980s, while the nation still funded programs to fight 

Crocodile tears from Achievement First Inc…

by jonpelto

The two CEOs of Achievement First, Inc.  the large charter school management company co-founded by Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, published a commentary piece in yesterday’s Hartford Courant entitled, “Charter Schools Changing Suspension Focus.”

In the piece, Co-CEO’s Doug McCurry and Dacia Toll wrote that, “Achievement First had an important wake-up call last week when a state report included several of our public charter schools because of their high suspension rates — posing a direct challenge to our promise to provide an excellent education to all our students. The last few days have been tough as we work to reconcile our values and our practices. We recognize that our