On Tobacco Road, “Ill schools getting expert help.”
In Terrell Owens land, “Eleven failing schools to be top priority.”
In Atlanta, “Student transfers from failing schools almost double.”
“One hundred sixty-one Gwinnett County students are taking advantage of a federal law that allows them to transfer to a better-performing school. The transfers are possible through the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires schools to make continual progress in the academic performance of all students. Schools that miss the standard face sanctions. Ten Gwinnett County schools were required to offer transfers because the schools missed testing goals for at least two consecutive years.”
Hard for NCLB opponents to deny that the law isn’t succeeding in creating a sense of urgency to improve failing schools.
Whether that urgency is leading to actual student achievement gains, now THAT we can debate. The meta-teacher-blog seems to collectively show some skepticism of how much the “experts” really know about driving student achievement.
In Chicago, not this much joy since Jordan shoved Bryon Russell and nailed the game winner. Headlines trumpet big reading gains. Even tough-to-please Russo calls it “a nice end of summer/start of school treat for the city school system and its many helpers and shapers.” Plus Da Bears haven’t yet lost a game!
Look more closely, though, at the actual data – then you make the call.
– Guest blogger Goldstein Gone Wild