School Reform Means Doing What's Best For Kids

Well thank you Arne Duncan for those inspiring words. However, I hate to think that there is a teacher or Administrator out there that is plotting what they can do to do the worst for kids. Point blank bad teachers and administrators are either ignorant of their lack of talent or just so apathetic there isn't much that can faze them. But I don't think these teachers are trying to do their worst, maybe I am wrong. In the Wednesday April 22 edition of the Wall Street Journal our Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan wrote and oped and our CEO Dr. Alonso felt it necessary to share these wise words with the teachers of the city. I believe it was more of a pat on the back that he is doing what the big dogs expect of him. There wasn't much useful information in the article beyond a brief outline of how the The Race To the Top and Innovation What Ever Works Funds $5 billion will be allocated to states, districts and non-profits that aggressively advance reform. He walks through the same old... "We need a culture of accountability in America's education system if we want the best in the world. No more false choices about money versus reform, or traditional public schools versus charter. No more blaming parents or teachers. We need solid, unimpeachable information that identifies what's working and what's not working in our schools. Our children deserve no less." While I agree with all of this and realize that this is just an op-ed piece, I want more from my Secretary of Education. I want to know how he is going to affect this change. The problem with Education is that no one has the ultimate answer, because if we did we would package it up (as many believe we can) and ship it out across the country and everything would be fixed. It is obvious to me that this Fund is meant to not just stimulate the economy but to stimulate Education reform. We are still looking for the solution, and it is obvious that we need data to drive the reform. So let's get cracking, how are you going to evaluate the system Mr. Duncan?