No Sleazebag Left Behind; Gail Collins MURDERS Obamacation in today's NYT.

[Smarmie Doofus]

Encouraging to see more and more of this POV making an appearance in MSM recently, where it has heretofore been taboo. ( Funny how the truth so often has to travel that route.)

As Lucy said to Charlie Brown, "The mere fact that you recognize you have a problem suggests that you are not too far gone."

I hope Lucy's right. I *know* Gail is.


>>>>Now — finally — we have tumbled into my central point. We have turned school testing into a huge corporate profit center, led by Pearson, for whom $32 million is actually pretty small potatoes. Pearson has a five-year testing contract with Texas that’s costing the state taxpayers nearly half-a-billion dollars.

This is the part of education reform nobody told you about. You heard about accountability, and choice, and innovation. But when No Child Left Behind was passed 11 years ago, do you recall anybody mentioning that it would provide monster profits for the private business sector?

Me neither.

It’s not just the tests. No Child Left Behind has created a system of public-funded charter schools, a growing number of which are run by for-profit companies. Some of them are completely online, with kids getting their lessons at home via computer. The academic results can be abysmal, but on the plus side — definitely no classroom crowding issues.

Pearson is just one part of the picture, albeit a part about the size of Mount Rushmore. Its lobbyists include the guy who served as the top White House liaison with Congress on drafting the No Child law. It has its own nonprofit foundation that sends state education commissioners on free trips overseas to contemplate school reform.>>>>

The whole thing:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/28/opinion/collins-a-very-pricey-pineapple.html?ref=opinion

[Scuba]

1. Gail nails it, again.

Now — finally — we have tumbled into my central point. We have turned school testing into a huge corporate profit center, led by Pearson, for whom $32 million is actually pretty small potatoes. Pearson has a five-year testing contract with Texas that’s costing the state taxpayers nearly half-a-billion dollars.

This is the part of education reform nobody told you about. You heard about accountability, and choice, and innovation. But when No Child Left Behind was passed 11 years ago, do you recall anybody mentioning that it would provide monster profits for the private business sector?

Me neither.

It’s not just the tests. No Child Left Behind has created a system of public-funded charter schools, a growing number of which are run by for-profit companies. Some of them are completely online, with kids getting their lessons at home via computer. The academic results can be abysmal, but on the plus side — definitely no classroom crowding issues.

[Smarmie Doofus]

4. Hey... maybe Davis Guggenheim can make a documentary about it!

And maybe he can get funding from Bill Gate$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ !

$ !!!

$ !!!!

[Auntie Bush]

2. A Bush brother made millions selling his madatory teachings aids to schools. I think the

schools were contracted to buy them. Don't remember the details now but I remember being very angry another Bush was making millions on this lousy unfair law.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. And that was a ripoff of ultimate proportions

It was Neil Bush and he sold carts for laptop computers. Each cart holds 20 laptops. They have outlets so the laptops can be charged. Very convenient.

But are they worth $3800???? That's for JUST the cart; the laptops are extra.

[Egalitarian Thug]

8. His take from the S&L scam financed his entry into this one. n/t

[Egalitarian Thug]

3. K&R for the Kleptocracy. n/t

[Bolo Boffin]

6. Why did you call this "Obamacation"?

Was President Obama the one that lobbied and passed and signed this crap 11 years ago?

[HiPointDem]

9. nope. but his administration has maintained & intensified the policies. he owns them now.

[ctaylors6]

7. Thank you for posting this! The testing

in Texas is out of control.

The superintendent of our school district has spoken very publicly about the new testing system in Texas, which started this school year. He said that some level of testing several years ago help ensure that standards were being met. But that it's just spiraled out of control, especially the last few years. The number of testing days in the district now is ridiculously high. And don't get me started on the requirements for high school kids. For AP classes, for example, a high school student can end up having to take their regular classroom final exam, the AP exam, AND the end-of-course state exam. So he or she could end up getting AP credit for college and that's still not a sufficient standard for the state.

There are a few reasons why testing has been growing, seemingly out of control at this point. The first is as follows: A standardized test is introduced. At first, there's a wider range of scores. Then, as the lower scoring schools adapt to the test (ie teach to the test), the difference between the top and bottom scoring schools lessens. So federal and/or high state (not local) education officials suggest that a new test needs to be created. Coupled with the profit motive of the testing companies - the 2nd and another super big contributing reason for test growth- the state needs a whole new test. A supposedly better test. Which costs millions and millions to create and implement.

One thing I disagree with in the article is that there should be more federal control. I think that sharing of tests across states is a good idea, but I think federal intrusion into education is the opposite of the solution here.

The school district is trying very hard to work with Austin to change the amount of testing that's required. My hope is that as local districts and schools push back against the testing, that maybe the tide will turn. Instead of needing to test every grade from 3rd - 12th, the can test every few years. Especially if a school tests at a certain level.

The testing in Texas is especially frustrating given the budget cuts in education the last legislative session. Less $ for testing, more for education.

[Dawson Leery]

10. This is one of the few areas where Obama needs to not succeed.

NCLB needs to be scrapped.