Arne Duncan's inane confusing words about excessive testing....he caused it by his own policies.

[madfloridian]

What Duncan got wrong about testing.

"Testing is still the cornerstone of Duncan's vision of teacher evaluation."

I believe parents, and teachers, and students have both the right and the absolute need to know how much progress all students are making each year towards college- and career-readiness.

Of course they do. Tests and grades have always been...always.

I am absolutely convinced that we need to know how much progress students are making – but we also must do more to ensure that the tests – and time spent in preparation for them – don’t take excessive time away from actual classroom instruction. Great teaching, and not test prep, is always what best engages students, and what leads to higher achievement.

Right again, Arne. Now stop the policies that require all this testing. He is spouting stuff so obvious.

Of course "great teaching" is better than "test prep."

SO stop the requirements that lead to "test prep".

And this one is ridiculous.

Sometimes, educators are better at starting new things than we are at stopping things – several decades of testing ideas have sometimes been layered on top of each other in ways that are redundant and duplicative, and not helpful.

Read that again. He's saying that educators are causing the testing.

Peter Greene says it just right.

You know who didn't mandate test after test after test? You know who didn't decide that we'd better have practice tests, too, since everyone's career is riding on test results? Spoiler alert- not classroom teachers. Not even "educators." I believe the correct answer is "government bureaucrats."

Amen to this statement:

Irony overload

Later in the speech, Duncan suggests that "maybe our only hope is absolute honesty and transparency." It is a great line, and one that I absolutely agree with.

This is the man who is leading our country's education policy. He is allowing reformers to use unproven tactics which are doing great harm.

He has carte blanche, and there appear to be no repercussions for anything he does or says.

[daleanime]

1. Major K&R

[madfloridian]

2. Thank you.

Much appreciated.

Arne's rhetoric drives me nuts.

[sabrina 1]

3. I've never seen anyone who knows LESS about the education of children than Arne Duncan. Every time

he opens his mouth I feel sorry for the unfortunate students who are having to deal with his draconian policies. Not only does he know nothing about education, he knows nothing about how children learn and how testing tells very little about 'progress'.

A child isn't just a machine that needs only to memorize certain, limited material so s/he can pass tests.

Uneducated people can pass tests. And brilliant children, if there are other issues, often cannot pass tests.

Where did they find this guy? I thought Bush's Ed Sec was bad.

[madfloridian]

4. He's carried things further toward privatization than Paige did.

I hate to say that, but the attacks on teachers and public education have intensified during Arne's tenure.

[rpannier]

5. 2nd worst Sec of Ed ever

William Bennett being the worst

[madfloridian]

7. He was pretty bad.

And he started K-12 online schools which are constantly under investigation.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024291075


Online charter school, K12, got 730.8 million from taxpayers in 2013. Teacher speaks out.

[Jakes Progress]

11. There is better use for that money.

I like this link where Jordan Weissmann explains how federal money for higher education by thrown to the private sector could be used to make public university tuition affordable if not free.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/12/09/the_cost_of_making_our_public_colleges_tuition_free_0.html

I think the money wasted on racist charters and private for-profit corporate schools is sinful and indicative of America's disdain for children.

[Scuba]

6. K&R

[LWolf]

8. This quote:

"Sometimes, educators are better at starting new things than we are at stopping things – several decades of testing ideas have sometimes been layered on top of each other in ways that are redundant and duplicative, and not helpful."

This is problematic. He is saying that he's an educator. He's not. And, his stuff isn't "new." His, and Obama's, "things" are continuances, extensions, and enrichment of the policies in place when he was appointed. They are even more destructive to public education than the precursors.

So, in one sense he's correct: HE is not very good at "stopping things," especially since ending the destructive toll taken on public education by high stakes testing was never his goal. If actual educators were in charge of education policy, you'd see them "stopping things."

[wavesofeuphoria]

9. The Obama administration has been horrible for schools.

It's pretty disgusting to watch a Democratic administration so decimate public education. Everything wonderful about learning, teaching, learning to learn, reasoning, problem solving, critical thinking, tapping into talents and abilities, inspirations, ... worthless.

Isn't it wonderful how education is now a race. And about "college and career readiness".

Funny, I thought public education purpose was to have an educated populace that can participate in a democratic society. Some how that means the economy and profits.

Thanks for your posts, mad.

[mrdmk]

10. Excellent Point! Go figure...

k & r

[madfloridian]

14. They are in reality destroying real depth in learning.

And they don't seem to care.

[Jakes Progress]

12. Someone tell my why

this unqualified poser gets to have anything to say about our children's education? How does using this fraud as an educator reflect on the competence of the administration?

I'm sorry to keep going negative on this, but we can gripe about arne all we want. He's got the job and he keeps the job because of one man. Calling on arne to step down won't do it. There is only one man who can get rid of arne and set about trying to undo the damage done in the last six years.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

13. Usual K&R. nt

[FloriTexan]

15. K&R

[KG]

16. all the right entities profited. and after all, isn't that what really matters?

[Mc Mike]

17. Thanks, mad. Rec. nt

[greatlaurel]

18. Kicked and Recommended

What I do not understand is why Arne Duncan is still in this position. His policies are total failures and have cost tens of thousands of teachers their jobs and destroyed the futures of millions of children. Duncan has enabled the theft of billions of dollars by the online and charter schools while delivering extremely poor quality education to the students who become trapped in these educational ghettos.

Barack Obama is an enemy of public education. Why does he act so decisively to dismantle public education? It makes no sense. What he has done, has destroyed the education of millions of poor and minority children.

Please keep up the hard work of informing us.

I am truly shocked how little people care about the theft of public education funds to enrich slime like Dave Brennan, Bill Gates and the Bushes.