Sunday, April 8, 2012

Jersey Jazzman: Astonishing Education Ignorance From the Star-Ledger

Jersey Jazzman: Astonishing Education Ignorance From the Star-Ledger:


Astonishing Education Ignorance From the Star-Ledger

I had promised myself (and Mrs. Jazzman) that I wouldn't blog on Easter. But then I picked up this morning'sStar-Ledger, and read the most ignorant paragraph about education reform I have seen to date:
[Newark] Superintendent Cami Anderson has presented a promising plan that draws heavily on the successes of people such as Joel Klein in New York City and Michelle Rhee in Washington. [emphasis mine]
Oh, dear lord.

Let's start with Klein, who left NYC to work as consiglieri to Rupert Murdoch while simultaneously running Murdoch's new education division; all for a hefty salary. As he took his victory lap, the media chose to heap praise on him, lauding his "successes."

The problem is the successes had been an illusion, caused by standardized tests that had grown easier over the years. This was huge story, covered by, among others, Michael Winerip in the NY Times:
JUNE 2009 In the previous decade, New York students’ average SAT verbal score has dropped to