Serviceable Myths about School Reform: Second Time Around
This post initially appeared November 7, 2010 just after the U.S. Congressional election that brought Tea Party Republicans and anti-Obama candidates into the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, and local offices. The split among urban school reformers (“no excuses” crowd vs. those who advocate for a broader approach to reform encompassing the effects of poverty) still persists in mid-2013.
Even with the shift to the political right across the nation in last week’s election, both Republicans and Democrats, continue to tell a familiar story about American schools. That well-worn story often repeated by self-confident reformers (or “reformy types”) can be reduced to three statements.
1.U.S. children and youth have done poorly on international tests in reading, math, and science.
2. Students in other nations not only score better than U.S. students but also, upon graduation, possess competence and skills that surpass American workers thereby threatening America’s global competitiveness.
3. U.S. students do poorly on these international tests and in competition with workers elsewhere because the nation’s schools are broken. They can be fixed by holding practitioners accountable for student performance on tests, getting effective teachers