Title: Dispelling myths can help fix ailing schools
Summary: A fairly unbiased view on the education system as a whole, and why both liberal and conservative policies have failed. Talks extensively about No Child Left Behind.
Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Journalistic: Mainstream
What is it? An article written in the commentary of the editorial section of the Detroit News.
Publication Information: 3-13-09, Detnews.com
Author: Kalman R. Hettleman
Location: http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090313/OPINION01/903130319
Accessed: 3/13/09
Support:
Harvard-based Public Education Leadership Project is directly quoted as mentioning that No Child Left Behind has failed to improve an urban school system. Richard Elmore believes that teachers have an odd view of professionalism. Council of Urban Boards of Education said that two-thirds of teachers do not feel the need for more professional training. Baltimore Sun is quoted. National Council on Teacher Quality says that teachers view teaching reading as a personal thing, up to each teacher. Jonathan Kozol mentions inequalities in education between nations–and that the US remains lower on average. Former U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige is quoted as calling National Education Associationa “terrorist organization.” Meanwhile, Barack Obama only mildly rebuked unions for teachers. Thomas B. Fordham Institute is a conservative insitute that measured the top 50 school districts and analyzed them. Mayors Michael R. Bloomberg and Adrian M. Fenty are mentioned because of their efforts to abolish school boards.
Audience and Agenda:
The Detroit News serves many people throughout Detroit Michigan and its metropolitan areas. This article was intended for the general public to read, and because it appears online, is available to a much wider audience.
Usefulness:
This article is interesting. It discusses how both liberals and conservatives would like to reform education–and why they both failed. It talks about teacher’s unions (which again, both groups are typically against), and if teachers should have greater autonomy or greater testing. It was an interesting, fairly unbiased view of the education system as a whole.
Works Cited:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
http://www.hbs.edu/pelp/
http://www.nsba.org/SecondaryMenu/CUBE.aspx
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty_research/profiles/profile.shtml?vperson_id=315
http://www.baltimoresun.com/
http://www.nctq.org/
http://www.nea.org/
http://www.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/paige.html
http://www.edexcellence.net/template/index.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bloomberg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Fenty
Filed under: Assignments for Gateway II, Source Notes Tagged: | Assignments, Gateway, Gateway II, Journalistic, No Child Left Behind, politics, Source Notes
