Subject: My letter to the editor

Posted by Richard Turnock on 12/6/2004

Message:

The quantity of words wasted in editorials on the quantity of money for schools continues to astonish me. Given a budget, the quality of the public education process determines the result. Yes, a budget without money for art, music or after school activities has consequences for the community. However, without evidence of improved teaching and learning processes leading to improved results, how can we justify spending more money?



NCLB creates a crisis in public education by measuring improvement using traditional methods, standardized tests and teacher expertise. This encourages schools to focus on “factoid and trivia” (thank you Scott Guthrie) using traditional teaching methods. The problem is not the low test scores but the assessment methods that force educators to abandon efforts to achieve improved outcomes for students. Combined with lower budgets, NCLB forces public education into a corner.



We need quality initiatives in public schools using improved assessment methods.



Richard,

Oregon with a $5 Billion school budget

Follow Ups:

My letter to the editor - Philip Abode 12/7/2004 
Educational Leadership - Richard Turnock 12/8/2004
Educational Leadership - Bill Ellis 12/8/2004
Educational Leadership - Bill Ellis 12/8/2004
Educational Leadership - Malczynski, Leonard A 12/8/2004