Monday, September 21, 2009

State politics could block Detroit's chance for educational progress | detnews.com | The Detroit News


State politics could block Detroit's chance for educational progress detnews.com The Detroit News:

"Another barrier to reform: ideological struggles between state Democrats and Republicans, who both try to write legislation to cater to their constituencies (union teachers for the Dems, charter schools for the GOP) rather than agree to research-based reforms that we know work for children. Then there are Michigan's public universities and colleges, which have not been forthcoming with commitments to adopt a K-16 data system that will allow Michigan to track students' graduation rates and other performance measures through college. The universities have avoided such accountability for years, but we rarely hear about them because they happen behind closed doors. Detroit's failures are on display for the world to see. The public universities' failures are covered up behind pretty ivy curtains."