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Monday, February 4, 2013

Big Surprise: Yet Another Ed Reform Turns Out to be Bogus | Mother Jones

Big Surprise: Yet Another Ed Reform Turns Out to be Bogus | Mother Jones:


Big Surprise: Yet Another Ed Reform Turns Out to be Bogus

| Mon Jan. 28, 2013 8:55 AM PST

WOW! Who Knew?

Do high schools with higher standards get better performance from their students? If you require everyone to take college prep classes, will more kids go to college? The San Jose school district has long been a poster child for this notion, but guess what? It turns out it was all a crock:
San Jose Unified has quietly acknowledged that the district overstated its accomplishments. And aTimes analysis of the district's record shows that its progress has not, in fact, far outpaced many other school systems'....In 2000, before the college-prep program took effect, 40% of San Jose graduates fulfilled requirements for applying to University of California and Cal State University. In 2011, the number was 40.3%.
My cynicism about the ed reform community grows by leaps and bounds every time I read a