For Quality Education Money is not the Only Thing That Matters

Abstract

Mr. Duncan, Head of the Department of Education, said the estimate, based on an analysis of testing trends and the workings of the federal law’s pass-fail school rating system, was the latest evidence of the law’s shortcomings and the need to overhaul it. Even many of the nation’s best-run schools are likely to fall short of the law’s rapidly rising standardized testing targets, Mr. Duncan said. “This law is fundamentally broken, and we need to fix it this year,” he told the House education committee (New Y Mr. Duncan, Head of the Department of Education, said the estimate, based on an analysis of testing trends and the workings of the federal law’s pass-fail school rating system, was the latest evidence of the law’s shortcomings and the need to overhaul it. Even many of the nation’s best-run schools are likely to fall short of the law’s rapidly rising standardized testing targets, Mr. Duncan said. “This law is fundamentally broken, and we need to fix it this year,” he told the House education committee (New York Times, March10, 2011, pg.A16). The Common Core is a stateled effort that is not part of No Child Left Behind or any other federal initiative. The federal government played no role in the development of the Common Core. State adoption of the standards is in no way mandatory. States began the work to create clear, consistent standards before the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which provided funding for the Race to the Top grant program. It also began before the Elementary and Secondary Education Act blueprint was released, because this work is being driven by the needs of the states, not the federal government. This study examines the impact of teachers and principals on student outcome.