Bushwhacked

[Geee]

American Spectator:

Ask any suburban-dwelling parent about their child’s school and they’ll likely do one of two things: feign indifference or boast. Sure, they’ll admit, their school could offer a larger variety of programs or certain teachers could do better about keeping in touch with parents. But overall, they’re happy with their school. In fact, many have intentionally forgone urban life, believing suburban schools to be better.

The Bush Institute recently released an updated version of its Global Report Card, a one-of-a-kind tool that offers the ability to stack any school district against the rest of the world. The results, which show even some suburban schools rate poorly, should put a whole new spin on education reform.

Education reform has gone through cyclical phases, from the 1980s to George W. Bush’s “No Child Left Behind.” But one underlying theme has remained more or less constant. As a 2011 piece in the New York Times put it: “The policies and rhetoric changed, often dramatically, but the underlying assumption remained the same: Our nation’s schools are in dire need of systemic reform.”

[pollyannaish]

Great article. Lots of food for thought.