fairtest on national

Published in

Education Week

June 11, 2012 (on line) and June 13 (print), 2012
Commentary
By Lisa Guisbond

By Robert Schaeffer

Across the U.S., the politically mandated misuse of standardized tests is damaging public schools and the children they serve. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigation of suspicious test scores around the nation is just the latest example. Experts may debate the methodology, but there is no question that cheating on standardized exams is widespread. In just the past three academic years, FairTest has documented confirmed cases of test score manipulation in 33 states plus the District of Columbia.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND 10TH ANNIVERSARY REPORT

NCLB’s Lost Decade for Educational Progress:
What Can We Learn from this Policy Failure?

By Lisa Guisbond with Monty Neill and Bob Schaeffer
January 2012

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law failed badly in terms of its own goals, leading to a decade of educational stagnation, according to FairTest’s report marking NCLB’s tenth anniversary.

Among the report’s major findings:

Summary and Critique of Key Provisions in Harkin-Enzi ESEA/NCLB
Reauthorization Bill of October 2011

FairTest review, analysis – summary and critique notes, October 16, 2011

When you call your Senator to ask him to help overhaul NCLB, here are five suggested talking points, which you can deliver in 2-3 minutes:

FairTest key recommendations to the Senate, October 16, 2011:

Here are FairTest’s key points that should be part of a Senate bill. We rely in part on the recommendations of the Forum on Educational Accountability (FEA). We specifically respond to some of the points in the Harkin-Enzi bill to reauthorize NCLB/ESEA.

Contacting your Senators to recommend changes to NCLB:

You can reach your members of Congress or the Committees by fax, phone, email or regular mail.

A fax is the best way to contact Senators, if you can, since it arrives immediately and you can provide a bit of detail (but keep it to a page, two at most). You can fax the Democrat majority of the HELP committee directly at 202-224-5128, and you can fax the Republicans at 202-224-6510.

Models for writing about personal experience with NCLB’s damaging effects:

Parents about children:

In "From the Frying Pan to the Fire While Adding Gasoline," FairTest
responds to the Administration's dangerous "flexibility" proposals to
change NCLB.

Click here to read: FairTest Critiques Sen. Alexander's ESEA-NCLB proposals: The few benefits don't outweigh the problems.