FairTest comments on US Education Department's "Race to the Top Assessment Program" hearing in Boston on Nov. 12. 

- See oral remarks in text or PDF.

- See detailed comments (including oral remarks) in PDF.

TO AVOID SLIPPING BACKWARDS ON EDUCATION REFORM, DRAFT “RACE TO THE TOP” GUIDELINES MUST BE REVISED

FairTest here elaborates on its general comments by responding in detail to the draft Guidelines for states to apply for "Race to the Top" (RTTT) funds.

A Critical Analysis of the Citizen's Commission on Civil Rights report,
National Teachers Unions and the Struggle Over School Reform

by Monty Neill, FairTest

July 14, 2009

A Joint Organizational Statement on the Federal Role in Public Schooling

Vision of Public Education

Contact Monty Neill 857-350-8207 or 8208 x 101
Lisa Guisbond 617-730-5445

for immediate release, April 28, 2009

These are questions FairTest believes should be asked of Arne Duncan at his confirmation hearing for Secretary of Education, to be held before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on Tuesday, January 13.

During the presidential campaign, FairTest paid close attention to the candidates whenever they addressed No Child Left Behind. It will be some time before President-Elect Barack Obama takes action that will flesh out the mostly vague statements he made while campaigning, and even longer before anything specific happens with the federal education law. In the meantime, here is a compilation of his comments on NCLB from his web site and the campaign trail.

Supporters of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law use many arguments to defend the controversial law. The strongest-sounding arguments have little to do with the law’s actual provisions, while others are simply false. We have prepared this fact sheet to help people reply to the various claims made in defense of NCLB; sort, pick and adapt the points you need. 

All children can learn to high levels.

The Presidential Candidates on NCLB – Update, October 2008

With just two months until the presidential election, the Democratic and Republican parties have had their respective conventions and produced party platforms, which gives us an opportunity to see if the candidates are saying anything new about NCLB. The short answer is, nothing very specific. Independent candidate Ralph Nader, on the other hand, specifically calls for the law’s repeal. Libertarian Bob Barr and other candidates have also weighed in on the law since our last update in June.