Coming Soon to a Theater Near You
The real story of public education is not being told. “Education is Not a Business” will expose the current school “reform” movement as an assault on public education by unregulated capitalism. The real problems in education (such as the achievement gap) are NOT due to teachers, public school systems, the unions or a lack of testing. The real problems facing education are caused by the profound wealth gap, increased child poverty and entrenched racism. Public schools and teachers are being scapegoated for a larger societal problem that we are not willing to resolve. “Education is Not a Business” featuring Diane Ravitch, author of the best-selling “The Death and Life of the Great American School System“, will tell the true story.
Check out the trailer and stay tuned for the opening date.
Dora
There is one more problem in Seattle and much of this state.
Decisions are rarely made based on evidence. “To improve a system requires the intelligent application of relevant data.”
As long as leaders continue looking at opinions instead of evidence this chaotic unjust mess will continue. The grade 10 OSPI math pass rate for Black students in the SPS fell to 12.5% in 2010 after the adoption of “Discovering Math”. That White-Black achievement gap now stands at 55.6% and the SPS is appealing the Spector decision of 2-4-2010 that found the adoption of Discovering to be arbitrary and capricious. The Judge made it clear that no director could reasonably evaluate the complete transcript of evidence and reach a decision to adopt “Discovering”.
The Board and the Superintendent regularly violate the law and NO One cares. So far, the Governor and the Attorney General have no interest in the enforcement of State Laws in Seattle in regard to education.