Saturday, March 14, 2009

IT'S NO PICNIC

New York Times Op-Ed
by David Brooks
In the article, Brooks notes that some states seem to be racing to the bottom, while others have set rigorous proficiency standards. In my opinion, this is especially true of mathematics education in Missouri.
From the article:
As Education Secretary Arne Duncan told me, “We’ve seen a race to the bottom. States are lying to children. They are lying to parents. They’re ignoring failure, and that’s unacceptable. We have to be fierce.”

The administration also will give money to states like Massachusetts that have rigorous proficiency standards. The goal is to replace the race to the bottom with a race to the top, as states are compelled to raise their standards if they hope to get federal money.

Compare:
Notice that the work in Massachusetts involved mathematicians.

What Does a Trillion Dollars Look Like?