president obama & his education secretary, arne duncan, are attempting to influence state education law through the promise of federal stimulus funding. ultimately, their goal is to increase the number of charter schools & hold teachers accountable for standardized test scores. this continues the debate over the role of standardized tests in our education system, a debate that has raged since former president george w bush's landmark no child left behind legislation. some states, such as california, are already in the process of overturning laws that prohibit the use of standardized test scores to determine a teacher's effectiveness in order to receive federal dollars. obama's new plan will place an even greater emphasis on high-stakes tests.
one teacher is quoted, "i am a public school teacher who vehemently wanted to vote for a president who would save us from no child left behind, & the potential is there for the test frenzy to get worse." many share in her concern. obviously a teacher is not the sole determining factor in student success. a teacher has no voice in his schedule or student body. therefore, a teacher with lower track classes could be a disadvantage against a teacher of advanced placement students. there is also concern that simply awarding money to high-performing districts will simply increase the already staggering funding inequalities among schools.
[via nytimes]
