What the Bee Didn't Tell Readers About the NCLB Waiver for Sac City
Sacramento City Unified and eight other large districts across the state have been granted a waiver by the US Dept. of Education from No Child Left Behind. The waiver frees the districts from requirements to set aside Title 1 money for tutoring and transportation for students that request to attend another school with better test scores. It also requires district to set up new accountability systems that evaluate teachers on the basis of students test scores.
The Bee recently featured some articles and opinion pieces on the failure of the NCLB tutoring system, which has a poor track record and little oversight by the state. Like an artillery barrage before an assault, the Bee seemingly was softening up resistance to this new regime, which will set the districts on a separate course from the state's accountability system. Today's article on the story features the familiar adversarial relationship between dedicated "reformers", like the superintendents of these districts, and teachers' unions, who are against being judged on student test scores.
The Bee leaves out the crux of the story. In its article on the waiver the reporter neglects to mention that these districts will now answer to an appointed board of "stakeholders" that will hold districts accountable for meeting new standards. They will be the arbiters of actions taken by the districts. This board will be making decisions for over one million students and their parents, and thousands of teachers. Who will hold them accountable? They
U.S. Department of Education Grants California Districts' CORE Waiver
The Bee recently featured some articles and opinion pieces on the failure of the NCLB tutoring system, which has a poor track record and little oversight by the state. Like an artillery barrage before an assault, the Bee seemingly was softening up resistance to this new regime, which will set the districts on a separate course from the state's accountability system. Today's article on the story features the familiar adversarial relationship between dedicated "reformers", like the superintendents of these districts, and teachers' unions, who are against being judged on student test scores.
The Bee leaves out the crux of the story. In its article on the waiver the reporter neglects to mention that these districts will now answer to an appointed board of "stakeholders" that will hold districts accountable for meeting new standards. They will be the arbiters of actions taken by the districts. This board will be making decisions for over one million students and their parents, and thousands of teachers. Who will hold them accountable? They
U.S. Department of Education Grants California Districts' CORE Waiver
By Michele McNeil The U.S. Department of Education granted an unprecedented waiver Tuesday under the No Child Left Behind Act to eight California districts that together educate 1 million students, upending a long tradition of state-based school accountability. The first-of-its-kind waiver, good for one year, essentially allows the eight districts to set up their own accountability system outsid