Kerry Zeroes In on High School Dropout Levels (pushes accountability)

[papau]

Kerry appears to be renewing his commitment to educational accountability!!!


http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-dropout5may05,1,7033270.story?coll=la-home-politics

Kerry Zeroes In on High School Dropout Levels
Saying Bush has ignored a crisis, the Democratic presidential candidate makes his plan to reduce the rates part of a new focus on education.


By Ronald Brownstein and Matea Gold, Times Staff Writers


ALBUQUERQUE — Sen. John F. Kerry on Tuesday accused President Bush of ignoring a crisis in high school graduation rates and proposed a plan to reduce the number of dropouts by 20% annually.
<snip>

Kerry's speech opened a weeklong focus by him on education. On Thursday in San Bernardino, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee is to unveil plans to increase teacher pay and improve teacher quality.

The two speeches could reflect a subtle but telling shift in emphasis for Kerry on education. During the Democratic primary campaign, he mostly sided with those who contended that Bush had not provided enough money for education and that the administration-sponsored No Child Left Behind Act imposed unrealistic standards on students, teachers and schools.

With his new proposals to stem the dropout rate and improve teacher quality, Kerry appears to be renewing his commitment to educational accountability — a theme he stressed earlier in his career and that Bush emphasizes now.

"The corner that the Bush administration wants to put John Kerry in is to make this about money versus accountability," said Andy Rotherham, director of education policy at the Progressive Policy Institute, a centrist Democratic think tank. "And Kerry is very wisely staying out of that corner by saying, 'Here are the steps we need to make No Child Left Behind work, which requires both accountability and resources.' "<snip>

[BayCityProgressive]

1. GOOD

Kerry is beginning tog et a message out. Gov. Granholm in my state is having some success linking the importance of education to keeping jobs in Michigan. Perhaps Kerry will do something similar on a national scale.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. Might as well flag out Houston's phony numbers

the ones Bush pushed for to show how he turned around Texas' schools.

http://www.troho.com/issues/2003-10-14/miracle.html

[Southpaw Bookworm]

4. My thought as well

Campaign on the issue in combination with a look at the impacts of standardized testing.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. kick