Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Mercedes Schneider on Another Vallas Scam: New Orleans Miracle That Wasn't

It is important for every resistance fighter be aware of the New Orleans story and all the other ed deform scams going on so you are equipped to fight the hype wherever it may come up -- you know, those social occasions with non-educators who see ed miracles touted in the media.

Diane Ravitch posted:
Corporate reformers cling passionately to the myth of the New Orleans miracle because it is all they have. The New York City miracle evaporated in 2010 when the State Education Department acknowledged that the state scores were inflated. The DC miracle never happened. The Vallas miracle in Philadelphia vanished on day one. Arne Duncan’s amazing score gains in Chicago disappeared.
All that is left is New Orleans. The media loves to find miracle schools and districts, but anyone who looks beyond the press releases soon discovers that the Recovery School District is the lowest performing district in the state.
So the reformers say, “But look at our gains.”
Mercedes Schneider takes apart those claims here.

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