Friday, January 06, 2012

Two Things to Watch in 2012

Keep an eye on:

  • Race to the Top blackmail fatigue: Threats by the feds or a state to take away a state/district's RttT money make news almost daily now. The question is how many times can you pull on this slender lever before it snaps. People are slowly realizing that RttT doesn't actually leave much money at all for what parents and teachers (and kids!) actually want, most of the spending goes to (out of state) consultants, and on the whole it may be a money loser for individual districts if not whole states.

    As districts and states increasingly choke on rushed, ill-conceived reforms, only to be met with threats from above, how quickly will the feeling that this is a big political charade spread?

  • United Opt-Out: The sharp point of the counter-reform spear is civil disobedience: parents and students opting out of testing. Passive resistance. This will grow in 2012. How fast?

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