A couple sites have picked up on a story coming out of Portland, Ore., about a lawsuit involving former students at Business Computer Training Institute (BCTI), a for-profit institution that is about to pay out $200,000 to students who allege that they were ripped off by receiving a poor quality education and lousy job prospects. [...]
All Posts Tagged: 'Accountability'
Tight Budgets and Accountability
It’s funny what a budget shortfall does to perspective. In January of 2007, the University of California (UC) system, one of the largest and most symbolically important systems of higher education in the country, released its latest accountability document. At 40 pages, it was remarkable, for such a highly regarded system, for its lack of [...]
The Bland Accuracy of the GAO
Today the GAO released an evaluation of District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Long known as one of the worst-performing districts in the country, it has been the site of radical change in the last two years ever since Mayor Adrian Fenty took over the schools and hired Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Today’s GAO report is [...]
Late Choices
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today released a letter to chief state school officers regarding regulations passed back in October. In what is no April Fool’s joke, his letter rolls back a regulation that could have helped provide parents of children enrolled in unsuccessful schools the option of choosing a better one.
No Child Left Behind [...]
Money Matters in Education
Last week, I wrote that “I’m not one of those people who believe that “money doesn’t matter” in education. That’s absurd; money matters a great deal, and there are plenty of schools that don’t get their fair share.” Ken DeRosa responded by saying:
The “money doesn’t matter” meme is not as absurd as Kevin is suggesting, [...]
Brace(y) Yourself
Gerry Bracey takes to the pages of the Huffington Post to declare that the authors of NCLB are “like the Nazis at Nuremberg” and wonders when they, too will be called to account. Then–perhaps worrying that someone out there remained unoffended–he likens high-stakes testing to slavery, in the historical sense. (Hat tip: This Week in [...]
What You Should Think About the New Version of No Child Left Behind
The House Education and Labor Committee released a discussion draft of a new version of the No Child Left Behind Act this week. It’s an important milestone, being the first concrete proposal from one of the committee chairmen who will ultimately write the law. Overall, it goes a long way in addressing the single biggest [...]
WaPost Goes to School Room, Misses Elephant
There’s a kind of unreality running throughout today’s front-page article in the Post about students who get good grades in school, and even end up on the honor roll, but fail state standardized tests:
Students and teachers offer an array of explanations for why test scores sometimes fail to match up with grades. Some students don’t [...]
Voucher Madness
The most important thing to know about the new $100 million voucher proposal trotted out by Republicans in the House and Senate earlier this week is that it fails the accountability litmus test.
If you’re willing to propose a voucher plan that requires private schools accepting voucher students to be held accountable for their success in [...]
Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed 
College and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success
03/19/10 | Ben Miller is quoted on college graduation rates and the NCAA Tournament in the Detroit Free Press.
03/19/10 | Linda Perlstein links to Education Sector's "College- and Career-Ready" event.
03/17/10 | Ben Miller's column on graduation rates and NCAA Tournament eligibility is mentioned on The Wall Street Journal's The Daily Fix.
03/17/10 | Kevin Carey's critique of Diane Ravitch's latest book is quoted in Doublethink's Conventional Folly blog.
03/15/10 | Ben Miller pens an op-ed for US News & World Report on using graduation rates to determine NCAA Tournament eligibility.