Critics: Obama’s ed policies no better than Bush’s
Ravitch, Rothstein, and Berliner gang up on Obama's approach to education, charging the new policies are just as bad as his predecessor’s were
By Dennis Pierce, Editor
Read more by Dennis Pierce
A trio of education experts take on high-stakes testing and accountability in interviews with eSchool News.
When it comes to education policy, President Obama is repeating the most grievous errors of his predecessor, charge a trio of venerable education policy analysts, including one—Diane Ravitch—best known for her past support of conservative positions on testing, accountability, and choice.
As Congress begins to rewrite No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the Obama administration has offered its own vision for how the revised law should look, including a focus on tougher academic standards and more flexibility for schools. But a growing chorus of critics contends that too many of the administration’s policies follow the same punitive cycle of high-stakes testing and accountability ushered in under the presidency of George W. Bush—and that these policies are actually hurting students.
Both President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have acknowledged the need for better standards and assessments to ensure that students graduate from high school ready for college or 21st-century careers. But critics of their approach toward education reform say it continues to rely on a flawed system of high-stakes exams and accountability measures that has narrowed the curriculum, fails to take into account the various social and economic factors that influence a child’s learning, and does a disservice to those students it purports to help most.
Rather than tinkering around the edges of NCLB, they say, policy makers should rethink the very assumptions that underlie the nation’s education law.
Such concerns over high-stakes testing and accountability aren’t new; they’ve existed since NCLB became law in 2002. But what is new is that the chorus of critics now includes some unlikely characters—including education historian Diane Ravitch, who worked in the Education Department under President George H. W. Bush and was a staunch supporter of the younger Bush’s policies as well.
Ravitch has a new book out called The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. Its thesis marks a radical departure from her earlier views on education—and in an interview with eSchool News, she explained what transpired to change her mind.
“This represents a big change for me, because for many years I have been associated with things like testing, accountability, charter schools, merit pay, et cetera,” Ravitch said. “But as I saw the evidence accumulating, I began to think … that I was wrong.”
She added: “The Obama administration, although it promised change when it came to office, in effect has picked up precisely the same themes as the George W. Bush administration, which are testing and choice—and I think we’re on the wrong track.”
Click below to watch Ravitch’s interview with eSN on eSN.TV
Ravitch was one of several education experts who spoke out last month during the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education against the Obama administration’s continued reliance on high-stakes testing and accountability to drive school reform. Other critics of the president’s policies included Richard Rothstein, a research associate at the Economic Policy Institute and former education columnist for the New York Times, and David C. Berliner, Regents Professor of Education at Arizona State University.
Under the nation’s current accountability system, Ravitch said, “we’re only measuring what we can, and not what matters most.” As a result, she said, we’ve narrowed the curriculum to the exclusion of other important subjects by focusing primarily on making adequate yearly progress in reading and math.
If you look at what is working in other successful nations, “it tends to be a far more holistic approach to schooling than what we are doing now” in the United States, she declared.
mgozaydin
March 12, 2010 at 1:15 pm
So far Obama education policy is wonderful.
He set up a technology plan for K2. More online.
He is after common core standards. That is a wonderful chose.
He is after lower cost text books and ebooks.
He is fantastic in one vision SHARE education. SHARE ONLINE Education. And I also say all the way from Turkey that SHARE is easyest in ONLINE . Look up Carnegie Mellon as an example. Why don’t see the good things.
He appropriated just the right amount to many educational issues on time. Chose of Duncan is also very good.
How about trying to increase the teachers salary. It is the most diffucult task. But he is attempting to do it.
We see all these from Turkey. I hope these three writers will see also .
mgozaydin
March 12, 2010 at 1:15 pm
So far Obama education policy is wonderful.
He set up a technology plan for K2. More online.
He is after common core standards. That is a wonderful chose.
He is after lower cost text books and ebooks.
He is fantastic in one vision SHARE education. SHARE ONLINE Education. And I also say all the way from Turkey that SHARE is easyest in ONLINE . Look up Carnegie Mellon as an example. Why don’t see the good things.
He appropriated just the right amount to many educational issues on time. Chose of Duncan is also very good.
How about trying to increase the teachers salary. It is the most diffucult task. But he is attempting to do it.
We see all these from Turkey. I hope these three writers will see also .
jerry.eads
March 12, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Bravo, sir. Well done piece. Bracey would be pleased.
jerry.eads
March 12, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Bravo, sir. Well done piece. Bracey would be pleased.
mgozaydin
March 12, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I think neutral people should comment on this article.
If one has some political mind he or she cannot be sideless.
Neutral.
I expect to hear the comments of educators themselves.
mgozaydin@hotmail.com from Turkey
mgozaydin
March 12, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I think neutral people should comment on this article.
If one has some political mind he or she cannot be sideless.
Neutral.
I expect to hear the comments of educators themselves.
mgozaydin@hotmail.com from Turkey
francjue
March 12, 2010 at 1:33 pm
The question is: How many high school graduates are able to read and comprehend the above article compared to graduates 20 years ago. And who is accountable for the decline in basic skills?
francjue
March 12, 2010 at 1:33 pm
The question is: How many high school graduates are able to read and comprehend the above article compared to graduates 20 years ago. And who is accountable for the decline in basic skills?
rprotsik
March 12, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Ravitch and others keep sawing the same log. It’s as if 200 planes were crashing a month–and the response of the FAA was, “Our air traffic controllers just need to do drink more coffee.” Or another way of looking at it: imagine if our hospitals did as poor a job with their patients as schools do with our kids. Could the system survive?
The solution is not tweaking. It’s not protecting the status quo (which frankly works pretty well for all but parents and students). It calls for bold measures to hold schools accountable, to upgrade the quality and training of teachers, and to give parents choice in the face of failing alternatives. When are we going to stop pretending that schools should be held to different standards than other organizations?
rprotsik
March 12, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Ravitch and others keep sawing the same log. It’s as if 200 planes were crashing a month–and the response of the FAA was, “Our air traffic controllers just need to do drink more coffee.” Or another way of looking at it: imagine if our hospitals did as poor a job with their patients as schools do with our kids. Could the system survive?
The solution is not tweaking. It’s not protecting the status quo (which frankly works pretty well for all but parents and students). It calls for bold measures to hold schools accountable, to upgrade the quality and training of teachers, and to give parents choice in the face of failing alternatives. When are we going to stop pretending that schools should be held to different standards than other organizations?
computerhead
March 12, 2010 at 1:56 pm
It sure would be nice if this site fixed the Print This Article feature.
Not high-tech. Basic.
computerhead
March 12, 2010 at 1:56 pm
It sure would be nice if this site fixed the Print This Article feature.
Not high-tech. Basic.
sherryharry
March 12, 2010 at 8:33 pm
I have been teaching for 12 years in elementary education. Yes, there is a decline in skills. Why? #1-Because with 26 students I spend more time with behavior management (aka crowd control) than I do educating. #2-Because colleges will give any student a degree to teach so long as they take the classes. It doesn’t matter if they got an ‘F’ for student-teaching! #3-Administrators won’t get rid of bad teachers (and they know who these teachers are). #4-Teachers have to spend so much time “preparing” for testing we only get to teach for six out of nine months! Education is a top-down system. Teachers have no control over class size, resources, curriculum, – this is all determined by the administration. We’re just expected to get good test scores! If you want to base my salary on merit – fine – but give me what I need to be successful! I can’t work miracles!
sherryharry
March 12, 2010 at 8:33 pm
I have been teaching for 12 years in elementary education. Yes, there is a decline in skills. Why? #1-Because with 26 students I spend more time with behavior management (aka crowd control) than I do educating. #2-Because colleges will give any student a degree to teach so long as they take the classes. It doesn’t matter if they got an ‘F’ for student-teaching! #3-Administrators won’t get rid of bad teachers (and they know who these teachers are). #4-Teachers have to spend so much time “preparing” for testing we only get to teach for six out of nine months! Education is a top-down system. Teachers have no control over class size, resources, curriculum, – this is all determined by the administration. We’re just expected to get good test scores! If you want to base my salary on merit – fine – but give me what I need to be successful! I can’t work miracles!
csidell
March 14, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I agree with rprotsik. If you get a bad meal or a bad haircut you do not return to that business expecting different results. In every other economic decision we make in life we “vote with our dollars.” Why is it that the most important decision we can make for our children we can’t? We choose what college we go to based on quality and expectations.
As a teacher, I am fortunate enough to work in a school that does NOT offer tenure and we are not unionized. This forces myself and my co-workers to continuously put out a “quality product” just like any other business. Education is a business. Our product is teaching.
csidell
March 14, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I agree with rprotsik. If you get a bad meal or a bad haircut you do not return to that business expecting different results. In every other economic decision we make in life we “vote with our dollars.” Why is it that the most important decision we can make for our children we can’t? We choose what college we go to based on quality and expectations.
As a teacher, I am fortunate enough to work in a school that does NOT offer tenure and we are not unionized. This forces myself and my co-workers to continuously put out a “quality product” just like any other business. Education is a business. Our product is teaching.
cocomo
March 14, 2010 at 9:33 pm
I am not opposed to testing and accountability. I understand we need to have standards to ensure our students are getting the same education, and the “same algebra course” no matter where they are in any school.
What I am opposed to is how it is rolled out. We currently are given a window of testing, that, if we went to the end of the window, puts us in direct conflict with the mandatory week for scheduled AP testing. In my school, this means we much test 6 weeks before the end of the school year. The best answer we get for this “window of time” from the state (CA) is that they need time to score these tests and give them back to us. This leaves us in a rat race to try and meet all the standards set before us before testing, and we all see 4- 5 weeks of time as a huge loss of time for learning. Because we have to scramble to get in all the standards in a shortened amount of time, It leaves less time for problem solving and application, projects and computer investigations to make the material applicable.
On a side note, I have begun to look at the draft of the National Standards set out, and so far, I think they are on the right track. It seems they are becoming more focused on mastery of less concepts at a each level, which is what the leading Asian countries do.
I am also opposed to testing being the “one measure” used to determine we, as teachers, are doing their job. I would invite anyone to come to my math department at Benicia High School in CA and see, (and scrutinize) the rigorous curriculum we provide and all we do to promote learning. It is hard to listen to self proclaimed education experts that have not set foot in our classrooms on a regular basis to see what is happening.
I also am flabbergasted at the insinuation by many that our students fail because teachers fail them. My husband works in a different district than I do and frequently calls parents to report on his students progress. Many of his responses from parents when he announces the student is failing is, “I know, that is just the way he/she is”. If a student’s own family doesn’t value education, a teacher already starts with a deficit that is tough to make up.
I am not arguing that there are no bad teachers, as we would all be ridiculous to state that any career or job does not have any incompetent employees. I do believe the majority of teachers who enter the profession work hard to provide an excellent education and do the absolute best they can with the resources given to them. Even with resources consistently being cut and our profession being slandered, we show up to work everyday, determined to make a difference in as many young minds as possible.
I have much more to say about education, as I have taught in both private and public systems, but obviously, I must stop here for now.
cocomo
March 14, 2010 at 9:33 pm
I am not opposed to testing and accountability. I understand we need to have standards to ensure our students are getting the same education, and the “same algebra course” no matter where they are in any school.
What I am opposed to is how it is rolled out. We currently are given a window of testing, that, if we went to the end of the window, puts us in direct conflict with the mandatory week for scheduled AP testing. In my school, this means we much test 6 weeks before the end of the school year. The best answer we get for this “window of time” from the state (CA) is that they need time to score these tests and give them back to us. This leaves us in a rat race to try and meet all the standards set before us before testing, and we all see 4- 5 weeks of time as a huge loss of time for learning. Because we have to scramble to get in all the standards in a shortened amount of time, It leaves less time for problem solving and application, projects and computer investigations to make the material applicable.
On a side note, I have begun to look at the draft of the National Standards set out, and so far, I think they are on the right track. It seems they are becoming more focused on mastery of less concepts at a each level, which is what the leading Asian countries do.
I am also opposed to testing being the “one measure” used to determine we, as teachers, are doing their job. I would invite anyone to come to my math department at Benicia High School in CA and see, (and scrutinize) the rigorous curriculum we provide and all we do to promote learning. It is hard to listen to self proclaimed education experts that have not set foot in our classrooms on a regular basis to see what is happening.
I also am flabbergasted at the insinuation by many that our students fail because teachers fail them. My husband works in a different district than I do and frequently calls parents to report on his students progress. Many of his responses from parents when he announces the student is failing is, “I know, that is just the way he/she is”. If a student’s own family doesn’t value education, a teacher already starts with a deficit that is tough to make up.
I am not arguing that there are no bad teachers, as we would all be ridiculous to state that any career or job does not have any incompetent employees. I do believe the majority of teachers who enter the profession work hard to provide an excellent education and do the absolute best they can with the resources given to them. Even with resources consistently being cut and our profession being slandered, we show up to work everyday, determined to make a difference in as many young minds as possible.
I have much more to say about education, as I have taught in both private and public systems, but obviously, I must stop here for now.
NoraPatricia76
March 14, 2010 at 9:53 pm
i am all in favor for an educational reform. I believe that to much time and effort in being put into testing and the score from these tests that we are missing the main point (which are the students).
I have to agree with Ravitch and her point of view on education.
Now i can say this due my 7 years of experience as a teacher and to my experienced in South America in the educational sector as well.
NoraPatricia76
March 14, 2010 at 9:53 pm
i am all in favor for an educational reform. I believe that to much time and effort in being put into testing and the score from these tests that we are missing the main point (which are the students).
I have to agree with Ravitch and her point of view on education.
Now i can say this due my 7 years of experience as a teacher and to my experienced in South America in the educational sector as well.