tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post330045563733098475..comments2024-03-29T09:59:03.164-04:00Comments on the daily howler: AMANDA RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT BY LAW: Invention of “the Polish miracle!”<b>bob somerby</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963464534685954436noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-47980214534926296822015-12-19T19:19:35.574-05:002015-12-19T19:19:35.574-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.John.B.Bucknerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01213051865262890965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-42045863812585601672013-09-26T19:33:57.836-04:002013-09-26T19:33:57.836-04:00Shorter CeceliaMC: if you disagree with me or Bob,...Shorter CeceliaMC: if you disagree with me or Bob, you are obviously a troll. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-22109540782172303122013-09-25T16:05:36.845-04:002013-09-25T16:05:36.845-04:00@KZ.....Snore.@KZ.....Snore.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-79566365635459043382013-09-25T16:01:37.725-04:002013-09-25T16:01:37.725-04:00Part 3
Then, there’s the Center for Education Ref...Part 3<br /><br />Then, there’s the Center for Education Reform, which gets its funding from conservative organizations like the Arnold, Bradley, Broad, Kern, Milken, and Walton Foundations, and from the Gates Foundation.<br /><br />And, there’s the conservative Thomas Fordham Institute, also a player in corporate-style “reform.” Major funders of Fordham include the following:<br /><br />* the Broad Foundation (known for its free market” “data-driven “ approach to “reform”);<br /><br />* the Walton Foundation (a big-time promoter of “competitive pressure,” i.e. school vouchers);<br /><br /> * the Gates Foundation (a promoter of charters and “merit” pay);<br /><br />* the Hoover Institute (this conservative “think” tank pushes laissez-faire economics, puts out “research” by such ideologues as Eric Hanushek, Paul Peterson, Carolyn Hoxby, and is funded by conservative organizations groups like the Koret Foundation and the Bradley Foundation...Chester Finn is a “senior fellow” there);<br /><br />* Ohio Business Roundtable (a group that promotes the myth that higher standards and achievement are critical to “competitiveness” and demands more tax cuts for big business);<br /><br />* Koret Foundation ( Here is it’s foundational philosophy: “Milton Friedman believed that America's broken educational system lies at the heart of our nation's troubles, and directed his own foundation to work solely on the promotion of market-based K-12 education reform. The Koret Foundation agrees with Dr. Friedman.”);<br /><br />* the Bradley Foundation (an organization that purports to fund “wisdom, morality, and personal character” but which funds conservative causes and ideas almost exclusively, leading some to call it “the country's largest and most influential right-wing organization.” It also funds the conservative American Enterprise Institute, the Manhattan Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society, and the Hoover institute.).<br /><br />Are you getting the picture, Anonymous @ 4:02 September 24?<br /><br />You can eat crow ( a BIG helping) and apologize when it suits you.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-64785545885377217282013-09-25T15:57:55.277-04:002013-09-25T15:57:55.277-04:00Part 2
Benderly reports that an engineering profe...Part 2<br /><br />Benderly reports that an engineering professor at Rochester Institute of Technology said this to a Congressional committee last summer:<br /><br />“Contrary to some of the discussion here this morning, the STEM job market is mired in a jobs recession…with unemployment rates…two to three times what we would expect at full employment….Loopholes have made it too easy to bring in cheaper foreign workers with ordinary skills…to directly substitute for, rather than complement, American workers. The programs are clearly displacing and denying opportunities to American workers.” <br /><br />The Gates Foundation, and Broad Foundation and Walton Foundation –– all tied to "market reforms" –– are all big contributors to corporate-style “reform.” There are also big contributions from the Arnold Foundation and the CityBridge Foundation and the Robertson Foundation. <br /> <br />The Arnold Foundation is a right-wing organization founded by a hedge-funder who resists accountability and transparency in derivatives markets but calls for them in education. Its executive director, Denis Cabrese was former chief of staff to DIck Armey, the Texas conservative who now heads up FreedomWorks, the group that helps to pull the Tea Party strings and gets funding from the billionaire arch-conservative Koch brothers. <br /> <br />CityBridge has close ties to both KIPP and Teach for America. The Robertson Foundation's philanthropic "vision" is one that is "businesslike, results-oriented approach that is modeled more closely on private equity investing." In the area of education "reform" it seeks to encourage "competition by supporting the development of charter schools" and "voucher programs." <br /> <br />Both the Arnold Foundation and the Robertson Foundation have given $25 million to Teach for America. See: <br />http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2011/01/27... <br /> <br />The Walton Foundation focuses on "competition", "charter school choice," "private school choice," and teacher effectiveness. It funds groups like Teach for America, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (whose board of directors includes Rick Hess and whose advisory board includes a KIPP founder, a Walton board member, and education blatherer Andrew Rotherham) and the Charter School Growth Fund (interestingly, Kevin Hall sits on the board of both this group AND the Charter School Authorizers and was previously the "Chief Operating Officer of The Broad Foundation" and "worked at...Goldman, Sachs & Co., and Teach For America."). Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-60165934420061537082013-09-25T15:57:16.430-04:002013-09-25T15:57:16.430-04:00Sigh.
Part 1
Corporate “reform” refers to those ...Sigh.<br /><br />Part 1<br /><br />Corporate “reform” refers to those who want to apply the “business model” to education. They want more testing, merit pay for teachers, more charter schools, and vouchers. Many would prefer to privatize public education. Some people believe that the corporate “reformers” advocate a type of “reform” that set the public schools up for failure, thus enhancing chances for privatization. <br /><br />For example, a former assistant secretary of education in the Bush2 administration said that NCLB was really a “Trojan horse...a way to expose the failure of public education...to blow it up a bit.” Or, take a look at who supports the “new” Common Core standards: Margaret Spellings, former Ed Secretary, who infamously called NCLB “99.9 percent pure;” Jeb Bush, who is pushing charter schools and vouchers across the country; Bill Gates, who funded the Common Core, and who wants more H1-B visas for his company despite the fact that American education churns out three times as many STEM graduates as there are jobs; and, the Business Roundtable and U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who lobbied aggressively for unfunded corporate tax cuts that spawned huge deficits and debt, and for laissez-faire regulatory policies that aided and abetted massive fraud and corruption (especially on Wall Street) and that blew up the economy.<br /><br />The common refrain among the current crop of “reformers” is that their brand of “reform” is necessary to “make America more competitive” in the global economy. Bill Gates says it. Jeb Bush says it. The U.S. Chamber says that ““Common core academic standards among the states are essential” U.S. competitiveness. The Business Roundtable resurrects the “rising tide of mediocrity” myth of A Nation at Risk, saying (falsely) that ““Since the release of A Nation at Risk in 1983, it has been increasingly clear that...academic expectations for American students have not been high enough.” Arne Duncan parrots what they say. Indeed Race to the Top was based on the notions of “competition,” “accountability,” “entrepreneurial activity,” and “markets.” <br /><br />But it’s all jus so much nonsense.<br /><br />Take the STEM issue. Beryl Lieff Benderly wrote this stunning statement recently in the Columbia Journalism Review (see: http://www.cjr.org/reports/what_scientist_shortage.php?page=all ):<br /><br />“Leading experts on the STEM workforce, have said for years that the US produces ample numbers of excellent science students. In fact, according to the National Science Board’s authoritative publication Science and Engineering Indicators 2008, the country turns out three times as many STEM degrees as the economy can absorb into jobs related to their majors.”<br /><br />So why the STEM emphasis by the likes of Bill Gates, the Business Roundtable, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the American Enterprise Institute (an ultra-conservative “think” tank dedicated to “free” enterprise and funded by corporations and right-wing foundations), and Teach for America (funded by the Arnold, Broad, ExxonMobil, Gates, Kern, Robertson, and Walton foundations, and by Barclays, Bank of America, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo, among others) ?<br /><br />[ See, for example: http://businessroundtable.org/blog/A-skills-shortage-a-STEM-response/ ]<br /><br />[Or, see: http://www.uschamber.com/press/releases/2011/april/us-chambers-report-highlights-essential-role-businesses-play-improving-ste ]<br /><br /><br />[Or, see: http://www.aei.org/papers/education/the-case-for-being-bold/]<br /><br /> Benderly continues:<br /><br />“Simply put, a desire for cheap, skilled labor, within the business world and academia, has fueled assertions—based on flimsy and distorted evidence—that American students lack the interest and ability to pursue careers in science and engineering, and has spurred policies that have flooded the market with foreign STEM workers. This has created a grim reality for the scientific and technical labor force: glutted job markets; few career jobs; low pay, long hours, and dismal job prospects for postdoctoral researchers in university labs; near indentured servitude for holders of temporary work visas.”<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-33089014604881500092013-09-25T14:21:25.254-04:002013-09-25T14:21:25.254-04:00It is good to see BOB posting anew on this topic t...It is good to see BOB posting anew on this topic today. He revealed there was indeed a PISA test in math in 2000. When you use Data Explorer, math is the only test you need to click on something in addition to "All Years' to develop a report for 2000. Even then it confuses by presenting a report with no data for that year, becasue it poresent two reports.<br /><br />I am happy to say the USofA was undefeated by the Poles in that Millenium ending or beginning year.<br />We scored higher in math and reading. Of course that doesn't change the lsoign streak which began three years later. We did tie them in one subject last year. But as the late great Darrell Royal used to say, a tie is like kissing your Polish sister. <br /><br />KZAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-46533661058057423732013-09-25T12:07:59.906-04:002013-09-25T12:07:59.906-04:00Many well behaved girls spend much money and many ...Many well behaved girls spend much money and many hours training for cheer. At that point in their lives they might be described as youngish. Others might call them climbers of a familar type.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-9176695354075672472013-09-25T03:38:50.771-04:002013-09-25T03:38:50.771-04:00The punish dissent remark I directed toward the tr...The punish dissent remark I directed toward the troll who implied that we are both mindless Somerby cheerleaders.CeceliaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16017255006204800193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-29910085988242696522013-09-24T23:27:41.165-04:002013-09-24T23:27:41.165-04:00Ripley -- My error! I should have said Amanda Pau...Ripley -- My error! I should have said Amanda Paul (who was summarizing Ripley). I was thinking of Motoko Rand and the lamented Michael Winerip, who, since he allowed some facts to creep into his reporting was summarily removed from the NYT education beat. <br /><br />Punish dissent? Billionaire corporate education "reformers" and their boutique foundations as dissenters? Really! Just how should they be punished? Maybe it would be a good idea to raise their taxes, for starters. --Ellen Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-87112682580838461372013-09-24T23:17:17.710-04:002013-09-24T23:17:17.710-04:00Well, the columns were nice and neat in the previe...Well, the columns were nice and neat in the preview.<br /><br />KZAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-76233928998257342062013-09-24T23:15:05.378-04:002013-09-24T23:15:05.378-04:00OMB (Revisons and Corrections)
I'll revise m...OMB (Revisons and Corrections) <br /><br />I'll revise my earlier comment slightly. In 2009 OCED says the Poles were significantly above average on two tests but one point below average on the third.<br />In 2003 the US tied Poland in Science and met the international average because the test was not given!<br /><br />Let's Do this for fun in tabular form:<br /><br />2000 PISA Reading<br />US 504<br />OCED Average 494<br />Poland 479<br /><br />2003 Reading Math Science<br />Poland 497 490 NA <br />US 495 483 NA<br />OCED Avg. 494 500 NA<br /><br />2006<br />Poland 508 495 498<br />US NA 474 489<br />OCED Avg. 489 494 498<br /><br />2009<br />Poland 500 495 508<br />US 500 487 502<br />OCED Avg. 493 496 501<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-49182752618073759312013-09-24T21:41:48.172-04:002013-09-24T21:41:48.172-04:00OMB
Yes BOB a sample of US 4th gradrs shellacked ...OMB<br /><br />Yes BOB a sample of US 4th gradrs shellacked the Poles on the PIRL and TIMMS test the only year Poland participated in the test. Their 8th graders have yet to do so.<br /><br />So let's talk about PISA and the facts BOB DISAPPEARS. You seem to ignore this in OCED's presentaion of PISA data: in 2009 the Poles were deemed significantly above the OCED average on two of the three tests and above average on the other, The US was significantly below the OCED average on one test, and while above average in reading and science, not significantly so. Perhaps being above average on all three tests and significantly so on two of the three caused Mathews to add Poland to the three countries which he described as "all of which have high international test scores and give their teachers rigorous training."<br />He never used any of the hyperbolic language used by A.M. Paul, but BOB seems not to try and distinguish between the two writers in this post save BOB's personal insult of Paul and her credentials, which, from an academic perspective alone, seem equal if not superior to his.<br /><br />But BOB also disappears all the previous PISA tests, the only ones which allow a comparison of Poland to the US over time. Why does he do that? We have no idea. BOB has nothing to sell but a narrative,<br />but in a world of would be elite spinners of a position, many overlook facts which play their favorite tunes backward on the turntable. <br /><br />In both 2006 and 2003 a sample of Polish students scored above the US sample in math. In both 2006 and 2003 the results were the same in science. <br /><br />In reading, the strong suit for American 15 year olds, where we tied the Polish in 2009, American data is unavailable for reading, but the Poles were was above average, by 19 points as opposeded to only 7 above average in 2009. In 2003, the only other year where scores for both countries are available, the Poles narrowly scored two points above the US. Both countries bested the OCED average by only 3 and 1 point respectively. So lets go all the way back to 2000. That year US 15 year olds walloped Poles in reading, by 23 points. It was the only year they fell below the OCED average.<br /><br />So let's summarize. Poland pulled ahead of the US in reading in 2003 and hasn't looked back. They have been ahead of the US in science and math every year they took the test, starting in 2003. Their trend is up.<br /><br />Yes, two researchers found fault with 2009 PISA sampling techniques, although they continually had to revise their figures of the possible difference it made downward because they themselves made errors in their data used to criticize the PISA sample. But they made no such challenge for the earlier years. The trend is not attractive, and it supports the less grandiose claim made by Mathews about Poland.<br /><br />Our fourth graders did good against the Poles the one year they were both tested. Our fifteen year olds are on a losing streak.<br /><br />KZ Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-26621003944845068372013-09-24T19:23:28.403-04:002013-09-24T19:23:28.403-04:00You might consider that Ellen used Judith Miller&#...You might consider that Ellen used Judith Miller's name as an appellation, whereas I like Miller.<br /><br />Consider too the fact that you doubtlessly hold more political positions in common with Somerby than I ever will (to say the least).<br /><br />So just who is the free-thinker as opposed to mindless zealot? The person who can admire and enjoy someone who holds few of her views? Or the partisan cheerleader who is only here to punish dissent?<br />CeceliaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16017255006204800193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-76908470057045485462013-09-24T16:09:09.559-04:002013-09-24T16:09:09.559-04:00It would be more accurate to describe you, Ellen, ...It would be more accurate to describe you, Ellen, as one of the CeceliaMc's of the Howler Cheerleading Squad, or Commentary Threads, however you choose to define this place.<br /><br />Amanda Ripley is not now, and has not been, a member of the education reporting staff of the New York Times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-79487593763550028992013-09-24T16:03:28.548-04:002013-09-24T16:03:28.548-04:00Amanda Ripley is one of the numerous "Judith ...Amanda Ripley is one of the numerous "Judith Miller"s on the NYT education reporting staff. Indeed, if a NYT reporter accidentally strays into the precincts of truth they will find themselves transferred to another department. -- EllenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-80039117044357294922013-09-24T16:02:08.541-04:002013-09-24T16:02:08.541-04:00You supply no documentation of your claim that
&qu...You supply no documentation of your claim that<br />"many - if not most - of the current corporate reformers" worship at the altar of "free markets."<br /><br />In addition you don't define what a "corporate" reformer is compared to one who might be a non-corporate reformer. And, alas, you never state what it is that they are trying to reform or how they propose to do so. You never once tie them to education, and the paragraphs which follow certainly don't either.<br /><br />In your rendition of recent economic history you attack corporate reformers for not mentioning any of this. <br /><br />Finally you make some generalized statement about public education being the cornerstone of democracy, <br /><br />You end with an attack on Amanda Ripley for saying nary a word about "this"---whatever this is.<br /><br />You ought to apologize three times for the first post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-57062408142285797922013-09-24T15:19:28.919-04:002013-09-24T15:19:28.919-04:00Thanks to Bob for debunking this Polish education...Thanks to Bob for debunking this Polish education miracle phony baloney story. Nothing against Poland which has improved greatly as a nation from such a brutal, bloody and tragic history. The Polish miracle is that it managed to survive the hideous Nazi devastation which was designed to erase Poland from the map. After the horrors of WWII, Poland had to endure the long dark night of colonization by the USSR. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-53376318987195109222013-09-24T14:50:59.947-04:002013-09-24T14:50:59.947-04:00oops.....sorry for the re-postoops.....sorry for the re-postAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-76499430406104240222013-09-24T14:50:59.527-04:002013-09-24T14:50:59.527-04:00oops.....sorry for the re-postoops.....sorry for the re-postAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-81440468850985957012013-09-24T14:50:55.986-04:002013-09-24T14:50:55.986-04:00oops.....sorry for the re-postoops.....sorry for the re-postAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-67378320170193576872013-09-24T14:48:48.604-04:002013-09-24T14:48:48.604-04:00Part 3
Many – if not most - of the current corpor...Part 3<br /><br />Many – if not most - of the current corporate "reformers" worship at the altar of "free" markets. They do so despite the lessons of history (the Great Depression and the Great Recession being two prime examples in the U.S. alone within the last 83 years).<br /><br />And they do so despite still unfolding market-rigging scandals in the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) – which affects several hundred trillion dollars of assets and loans – and the ISDAfix, which is "a benchmark number used around the world to calculate the prices of interest-rate swaps." <br /><br />The emerging evidence is that some of the world's biggest banks and trading companies gamed a "market" of some nearly $400 trillion of these trades, and not in favor of the public. And not surprisingly, some of the very same players (corporate and individual "investors") were engaged in both the LIBOR and ISDAfix scandals.<br /><br />Even more recent disclosures reveal that traders and bankers have rigged the foreign exchange (FX) market, one that involves daily transactions of nearly $ 5 trillion, which is “the biggest in the financial system.” As one analyst noted, this is “the anchor of our entire economic system. Any rigging of the price mechanism leads to a misallocation of capital and is extremely costly to society.”<br /><br />See: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-11/traders-said-to-rig-currency-rates-to-profit-off-clients.html<br /><br />The corporate “reformers” say not a word about any of this. They pretend none of it has happened, or is occurring presently. And that’s simply unacceptable.<br /><br />American public education is a necessity is a democratic society. It’s a foundational cornerstone. And it works pretty darned well, in spite of economic policies that have increased poverty and left the national economy highly stratified. <br /><br />The public education system in a democratic republic is supposed to develop and nurture democratic values and character and citizenship. That’s the foundation of American public schooling; that is its core mission. And that is precisely the kind of reform direction we need. <br /><br />But Amanda Ripley says nary a word about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-64814928622852456522013-09-24T14:31:58.721-04:002013-09-24T14:31:58.721-04:00Part 3
Many – if not most - of the current corpor...Part 3<br /><br />Many – if not most - of the current corporate "reformers" worship at the altar of "free" markets. They do so despite the lessons of history (the Great Depression and the Great Recession being two prime examples in the U.S. alone within the last 83 years).<br /><br />And they do so despite still unfolding market-rigging scandals in the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) – which affects several hundred trillion dollars of assets and loans – and the ISDAfix, which is "a benchmark number used around the world to calculate the prices of interest-rate swaps." <br /><br />The emerging evidence is that some of the world's biggest banks and trading companies gamed a "market" of some nearly $400 trillion of these trades, and not in favor of the public. And not surprisingly, some of the very same players (corporate and individual "investors") were engaged in both the LIBOR and ISDAfix scandals.<br /><br />Even more recent disclosures reveal that traders and bankers have rigged the foreign exchange (FX) market, one that involves daily transactions of nearly $ 5 trillion, which is “the biggest in the financial system.” As one analyst noted, this is “the anchor of our entire economic system. Any rigging of the price mechanism leads to a misallocation of capital and is extremely costly to society.”<br /><br />See: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-11/traders-said-to-rig-currency-rates-to-profit-off-clients.html<br /><br />The corporate “reformers” say not a word about any of this. They pretend none of it has happened, or is occurring presently. And that’s simply unacceptable.<br /><br />American public education is a necessity is a democratic society. It’s a foundational cornerstone. And it works pretty darned well, in spite of economic policies that have increased poverty and left the national economy highly stratified. <br /><br />The public education system in a democratic republic is supposed to develop and nurture democratic values and character and citizenship. That’s the foundation of American public schooling; that is its core mission. And that is precisely the kind of reform direction we need. <br /><br />But Amanda Ripley says nary a word about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-67468285693810860442013-09-24T14:29:52.772-04:002013-09-24T14:29:52.772-04:00Part 2
The common refrain among critics is that “...Part 2<br /><br />The common refrain among critics is that “reform” is necessary to “make America more competitive” in the global economy. Bill Gates says it. Jeb Bush says it. The U.S. Chamber of Chamber says it. The Business Roundtable resurrects the “rising tide of mediocrity” myth of A Nation at Risk, saying (falsely) that ““Since the release of A Nation at Risk in 1983, it has been increasingly clear that...academic expectations for American students have not been high enough.” Arne Duncan, a pathetic excuse for an educational “leader,” parrots what they say. So does Amanda Ripley.<br /><br />As I continue to point out, the U.S. already IS internationally competitive. <br /><br />The World Economic Forum ranks nations each year on competitiveness. It uses "a highly comprehensive index" of the "many factors" that enable "national economies to achieve sustained economic growth and long-term prosperity."<br /><br />The U.S. is usually in the top five (if not 1 or 2). When it drops, the WEF doesn’t cite education, but stupid economic decisions and policies. <br /><br />For example, when the U.S. dropped from 2nd to 4th in 2010-11, four factors were cited by the WEF for the decline: (1) weak corporate auditing and reporting standards, (2) suspect corporate ethics, (3) big deficits (brought on by Wall Street’s financial implosion) and (4) unsustainable levels of debt.<br /> <br /> Last year (2011-12), major factors cited by the WEF are a “business community” and business leaders who are “critical toward public and private institutions,” a lack of trust in politicians and the political process with a lack of transparency in policy-making, and “a lack of macroeconomic stability” caused by decades of fiscal deficits especially deficits and debt accrued over the last decade that “are likely to weigh heavily on the country’s future growth.” <br /><br />And this year (2012-13) the WEF dropped the U.S. to 7th place, citing problems like “increasing inequality and youth unemployment” and, environmentally, “the United States is among the countries that have ratified the fewest environmental treaties.“ The WEF noted that in the U.S.,”the business community continues to be critical toward public and private institutions” and “trust in politicians is not strong.” Political dysfunction has led to “a lack of macroeconomic stability” that “continues to be the country’s greatest area of weakness.”<br /><br />[Note: data on 2009, from the 2010-1011 competitiveness report can be found here: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2010-11.pdf<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-59280514304263916152013-09-24T14:25:26.345-04:002013-09-24T14:25:26.345-04:00Part 1
Here's more from Amanda Ripley.
http:...Part 1<br /><br />Here's more from Amanda Ripley.<br /><br />http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the-case-against-high-school-sports/309447/<br /><br />In this article, Ripley suggests that sports are responsible for America's "international mediocrity in education." Sigh. <br /><br />Ripley complains about one particular New Jersey high school, writing that "only 17 percent of the school's juniors and seniors" take "at least one Advanced Placement test" but 50 percent play sports. The suggestion here is that Advanced Placement courses and tests are really, really important, and implicitly of high quality. Not true. As MIT noted, "there is ‘a growing body of research’ that students who earn top AP scores and place out of institute introductory courses end up having ‘difficulty’ when taking the next course." And Klopfenstein and Thomas (2010) find that when demographic characteristics (motivation, academic preparation, family background and high-school quality) are controlled for, the claims made for AP disappear. Is Ripley unaware of the last decade of research on AP, or does she simply refuse to tell readers?<br /><br />But this is the biggest and boldest lie that Ripley spins:<br /><br />" America has not found a way to dramatically improve its children’s academic performance over the past 50 years, but other countries have—and they are starting to reap the economic benefits."<br /><br />First, as Carnoy and Rothstein point out, "students from the most disadvantaged schools" are "over-represented" in the most recent PISA testing. And "A re-estimated U.S. average PISA score that adjusted for a student population" would raise "the U.S. average score to sixth in reading and 13th in math." Moreover, as Lyndsey Layton recently reported in the Washington Post, NAEP scores, "collected regularly since the 1970s...paint a picture of steady student achievement that contradicts the popular notion that U.S. educational progress has stalled." Again, does Ripley not know this? Or is she bound and determined to keep "the popular notion" – as wrong as it is – alive and well in the public's consciousness?<br /><br />And she gets paid to write this nonsense?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com