John Merrow Is Back (at Least Part-Time) and His Wisdom Is Just as Timely
John Merrow retired from PBS after 41 years of stellar reporting. But, he's posted a couple of timely pieces demonstrating that Merrow, even as a part-time blogger, offers a full plate of wisdom. I'll start with his second reality-based piece.
As Merrow notes, Washington D.C. Chancellor Kaya Henderson "has taken pains to separate herself and her approach from her best friend, but they were joined at the hip during Rhee's tenure." Although Henderson claimed to have never read the confidential memo exposing the "Erasergate" cheating scandal, it's inconceivable that Henderson didn't help in the "orchestrated" coverup of the scandal.
Reformers promote Kaya Henderson as a "'kinder, gentler version' of Michelle Rhee, but she's still an acolyte and enthusiast for policies that damage learning opportunities for children." Even the American Institute's Rick Hess, who is usually good at punching holes in the pretentions of his fellow reformers, contributes to the spin in a report to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Hess makes it sound like Henderson's policies have done more good than harm to poor children of color. However, a close reading of his own data provides evidence to the contrary and supports Merrow's analysis.
Hess cites overall gains in NAEP growth under Rhee and Henderson, but those same NAEP studies actually support the common sense conclusion that the numbers reflect gentrification. Hess's charts show that from 2005 to 2013, the percentage of D.C. students who are low-income dropped from 66% to 61.6%. (In my world, a 61.6% low-income urban school seems danged-near rich.) Per student spending increased by 40% during that time. (The new spending, alone, comes close to the total per student spending in my 90% low-income system.)
Hess cites overall gains in NAEP growth under Rhee and Henderson, but those same NAEP studies actually support the common sense conclusion that the numbers reflect gentrification. Hess's charts show that from 2005 to 2013, the percentage of D.C. students who are low-income dropped from 66% to 61.6%. (In my world, a 61.6% low-income urban school seems danged-near rich.) Per student spending increased by 40% during that time. (The new spending, alone, comes close to the total per student spending in my 90% low-income system.)
According to Hess's chart, the percentage of the D.C. students who are black dropped by 1/8th from 2005 to 2013, and the percentage of students with disabilities dropped by 1/7th. And, the 2015 NAEP excluded as many as 44% of D.C.'s English Language John Merrow Is Back (at Least Part-Time) and His Wisdom Is Just as Timely | John Thompson:
