Latest on the stimulus bill

Yesterday’s New York Times carried the news that Secretary Duncan will require states to share comprehensive data on student achievement in order to receive the second phase of their educational stimulus aid. As far as I can tell, this differs from NCLB’s requirements in a significant regard: states do not need to show that they have made any progress- they just need to share the numbers, good or bad. Thus the requirement is not an “unfunded mandate” in the way that NCLB is, nor does it carry the punitive element of that legislation.

The story points out that this data will likely bring to light cases in which states have “dumbed down” assessments in order to meet NCLB standards, and that many teacher evaluation systems are, for all intents and purposes, shams. I wonder whether this data will be a catalyst for change (sunlight, as they say, is the best anesthetic), or whether state officials will once again find ways to doctor the numbers and understate the struggles their schools are facing.

The article closes with a quote from South Carolina’s Governor Mark Sanford, who plans to decline some of the stimulus money. He says that he does not dispute that his state’s schools are in a dismal state, but does dispute “whether spending an ever-increasing amount on education will fix the problem.” I wonder whether South Carolina’s state superintendent would take a similarly dismissive stance toward the stimulus money; I also wonder whether Governor Sanford would feel the same way about money for highway construction or law enforcement.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/education/02educ.html?_r=1&ref=education

(Bonus for Maryland educators: the accompanying photo shows Duncan with Governor O'Malley at a Prince George's County elementary school)