9486 in the collection
9 California mayors press for Race to the Top bill
Ohanian Comment: I sent out a RED ALERT on this topic in late July 2009, noting that when Arne Duncan went to San Francisco and met with the California Mayors Education Roundtable, convened by WestEd, the mayors of Richmond, San Diego and San Jose did not sign the suck-up letter to ingratiate themselves to Duncan. We can celebrate again a mayor who dissented, sending e-mail.
July 23, 2009
Arne Duncan
United States Secretary of Education
LBJ Education Building, Room 7W311
400 Maryland Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20202
Dear Secretary Duncan,
Thank you for taking the time to come to San Francisco on May 22 and meet with the California Mayors Education Roundtable. I appreciated the opportunity to hear your ideas about improving education for our children. On July 8, several members of the California Mayors Education Reoundtable sent you a follow-up letter, and I would like to explain to you why I opted not to sign that letter.
While I applaud the notion of recruiting and retaining effective teachers, especially in the classrooms where they are needed most, I don't believe your proposal of offering teachers more pay for higher test scores will accomplish this. The attached article from Dissent Magazine by a retired teacher who dedicated her career toworking with low-income students in Richmond, San Pablo and Oakland provides an important perspective on the nature of motivation in the field of education, and reminds us of the overall persistent correlation between socioeconomic status and academic achievement.
Where is what my constituents tell me is needed to turn around schools facing challenges.
* More support for teachers in the form of lower class sizes, ample support staff, time to collaborate with colleagues, and flexibility to offer a rich curriculum
* Policies that will eradicate poverty and eliminate the gross inequalities in wealth and income that plague our country.
These are things that I believe we should be strongly advocating, and I would encourage you to do so in your role as US Secretary of Education
Sincerely,
Gayle McLaughlin
Mayor, City of Richmond
Stephen Krashen Comment: Sent to the San Francisco Chronicle: ,
None of the nine mayors supporting California's participation in Race to the Top seem to have studied the situation carefully ("9 California mayors press for Race to the Top bill," Dec 29).
Education Secretary Arne Duncan has made it clear that the "Race to the Top" national standards plan will lead to national tests, promising far more testing than ever before.
At a time when children are overwhelmed with tests, when NCLB has turned schools into test-prep academies and when education is facing severe budget cuts, the last thing we need is more standards and tests.
Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus, USC
by Associated Press
The mayors of California's biggest cities are urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers to meet a fast-approaching deadline to compete for federal education funds.
The mayors of Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento released a joint letter on the issue Tuesday. They were joined by the mayors of San Jose, Fresno, Long Beach, Santa Ana and Anaheim.
The mayors are asking state leaders to pass a bill that would allow California to compete for a share of $4.3 billion in education reform funding. The competition — known as "Race to the Top" — was set up by the Obama administration to improve schools.
California has three weeks left to qualify for the competition. Lawmakers have indicated they plan to take up the measure in the new year.
— Associated Press with comment by Stephen Krashen
San Francisco Chronicle
2009-12-29
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/29/state/n185153S79.DTL
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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