‘Race to the Top’ threatens teachers, public education
By
Judy Greenspan
Published Sep 12, 2010 11:01 PM
Capitalism has always been very fond of races — including the race to
conquer, the race to exploit and the race to accumulate as much wealth as
possible, all at the expense of the workers, the poor and the oppressed. The
U.S. government’s recent unveiling of a new race in education, the
“Race to the Top,” is part of the same corporate contest. Only this
time, the survival of public education is on the line.
Richmond, Calif. community rallies
to stop school closures and support
teachers during contract negotiations.
WW photo: Judy Greenspan
|
In California, in order to be eligible for this “race” and its $700
million prize, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state Legislature became
cheerleaders for Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s plan and passed two
draconian measures. The new laws provide mechanisms for teachers to be
evaluated by student scores (known as the value-added model) on multiple
choice, standardized tests and for parents to respond to student failure on
these tests by firing teachers and closing these schools.
Most recently, the Los Angeles Times joined the race by publishing an analysis
by a statistical researcher from the Rand Corporation that included the names
of teachers and the test scores of their students. The threat of the future
publication of an expansive “hit list” of teachers and their
students’ test scores has been vigorously opposed by the United Teachers
of Los Angeles, the California Federation of Teachers and other education
associations around the country.
A recently released report, “Framework for Providing All Students an
Opportunity to Learn,” notes the “state of emergency” in the
delivery of education to African-American, Latino/a and other communities of
color in this country. It calls for “‘universal’ early
education for all students in all states; policies that will provide access to
highly effective teachers for all students ... and community schools that offer
wraparound services.” (http://naacpldf.org/)
This 17-page report issued in July by such groups as the Lawyers Committee for
Civil Rights, the NAACP, the National Council for Educating Black Children and
the Rainbow PUSH Coalition criticizes the competitive, corporate nature of Race
to the Top. It calls for a decreased reliance on standardized test scores as a
measure of teacher effectiveness. It also notes the important role that public
schools play in poor communities and states that school closures should be only
a “measure of last resort.”
According to Diane Ravitch, former assistant secretary of education under
President George W. Bush and now a professor at New York University,
“Access to federal funding should be based on need, not
competition.” Not surprisingly, the coalition of civil rights and
education groups concurs.
Ravitch goes further to warn about the adverse consequences of evaluating
teachers on their test scores. In an Aug. 1 Huffington Post article, Ravitch
states, “It will make the current standardized tests of basic skills more
important than ever. ... The curriculum will be narrowed. ... There will be
even less time available for the arts, science, history. ... Teachers will
teach to the test.”
Race to the Top was never intended to provide poor communities with adequate
funding to improve the quality of teachers and instruction. After all, it was
presented as a race — only those states that could jump through the hoops
would get the funding. Even with its anti-teacher, school dismantlement
legislation, California lost its bid in the second round of Race to the Top
funding. Sometimes a race is worth losing.
A former Los Angeles school teacher, Walt Gardner, felt the same. In a Dec. 30
article in the Christian Science Monitor, he noted that public education does
not thrive on competition and should not be treated as a business. “The
practical way to mend the educational system is by implementing economic and
social reforms that focus on the children,” Gardner stated.
Duncan’s plan to reward states that dismantle “poorly
performing” public schools across this country and replace them with
privately financed charter schools is a frontal assault against public
education. Only a broad coalition of parents, students, teachers and education
allies can save public schools and guarantee the academic success of all
children.
This author is a 3rd grade teacher at a Title I elementary school in
Richmond, Calif.
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