It's simple really. And I don't understand why everyone doesn't see it. How can anyone proclaim to want to improve the education of all Americans but have states, schools, and students all compete for success?
The basic premise of Race to the Top is that the more that states comply with certain rules or ideals that the federal government lays out regarding education, the greater chance they have of receiving federal funding for education. So, this means that some states are going to get more money than others. Isn't the natural logic that the students in these states would "do better"? Doesn't that mean the government is promoting the success of students who happen to be in a state that complies with the Obama administration's idea of a good education system over those students who happen to be in a state that does not?
And, if it is a "race" to the top, is it even possible for ALL states to receive federal funding? What if all states scored all the possible brownie points they could get. Then what would happen?
The same thing is happening on a smaller level within states and districts. Here in New York City, for example, the way that the state tests are scored makes it IMPOSSIBLE for all students to score "proficient." In fact, when a high percentage of students scored proficient on the 2009 tests this was cited as a PROBLEM. The tests must be made harder. We will not stand for such high levels of proficiency!
The truth is that I may agree that the tests need to be harder and that students should be at higher levels than they currently are. But, theoretically at least, wouldn't it be GOOD if all students were proficient on a test? No one even mentions this as a possibility. The reflex assumption echoed even among liberal politicians and the "liberal media" like the New York Times is that the tests are problematic because too many students did well.
The same thing happened last year when New York City schools received their annual report cards. Too many schools received an "A". The horror! Something must be wrong if all of these schools are scoring so well! What should we do? I know, mandate that only 20% of schools can get an "A" next year. Once again, the city has set up a system where it is IMPOSSIBLE for all schools to succeed by their own measurement standards.
How does everyone not see how our states, our schools, and our students are being SET UP TO FAIL?
I understand that we are a capitalist nation. I understand that competition leads to innovation and progress. But do we believe this about education? Maybe some people do. And that's okay. What's NOT okay is when these people use rhetoric to proclaim that all of these "reforms" are "for the children".
No. They are not. If you want to reform education for the children start by acknowledging that races to the top among states and competition among students and schools for high scores BY THEIR VERY NATURE are designed to leave many, many children behind.
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