Spellings’ latest speech

From Spellings’ recent address:

Secretary Spellings Addresses Teacher-to-Teacher Workshop in Massachusetts:

Just as important as improved instruction is an across-the-board commitment to raising the bar for student achievement. In the same survey I quoted, 3 out of 4 high school students don’t feel challenged. These are similar findings to a recent study of high school dropouts published by the Gates Foundation where the lack of challenging coursework was one of the top reasons given for quitting. Nearly 50 percent surveyed said they left school because their classes were boring and not relevant to their lives – not because they weren’t passing.

I can’t believe that people are still spending money to research this. This is exactly what research showed when I was analyzing dropouts in 1989.

Secretary Spellings Addresses Teacher-to-Teacher Workshop in Massachusetts:

We must challenge our students and create a system that demands they step up to the plate – and to do so we must challenge ourselves. I’ve recently traveled to India, Egypt and Russia, and I can tell you there is a hunger for education in those places that is often lacking in American students.

So maybe we should deny education opportunities to women, develop a totalitarian government, or have complete federal funding/control of education? Any of these might be a good idea but what exactly is her point?

Secretary Spellings Addresses Teacher-to-Teacher Workshop in Massachusetts:

Last month, I had a meeting with Tom Friedman The New York Times columnist and author of the bestseller, The World is Flat.

At least she didn’t have to travel to the far east to meet with him.

Secretary Spellings Addresses Teacher-to-Teacher Workshop in Massachusetts:

And he told me the number one skill our children will need to survive in this new flat world is learning how to learn.

And how are you going to test that under NCLB?
Secretary Spellings Addresses Teacher-to-Teacher Workshop in Massachusetts:

We know nothing helps a child learn as much as a great teacher.

So how about trusting them to do their job?

Peer pressure is just too strong

While I realize that not all schools are like this, I can’t help but think to myself that this is why I homeschool.

USATODAY.com - Principal: Drug-testing students works:

High school principal Chris Steffner says she’s seen many efforts to keep teens from using drugs: education programs, “Just Say No” campaigns, scary speeches from people who were caught driving drunk.”None of those things have any lasting impact,” she says. “Peer pressure is so strong.”

This may be true but it is so wrong. So what’s so great about kids hanging out with their peers for eight hours a day?

USATODAY.com - Principal: Drug-testing students works:

During the program’s first year, 10% of Hackettstown’s students were tested randomly from a pool of students who took part in after-school activities or who drove to school. One student tested positive, she says. Last year, 25% of the students were screened. No one tested positive.

The results show testing deters teen drug use, Steffner says: “It works in the workplace and it works in the military. Why wouldn’t it work in a school?”

Okay, with thinking like this, no wonder her school has problems. How much money was spent catching one kid? I realize that the argument is that kids stopped using drugs so they won’t be caught but where was her evidence that they were using drugs in the first place? And is she saying that the ones who aren’t subjected to testing because they don’t participate in after-school activities are affected by those who are caught who do? (Okay, really bad sentence, you’ll probably have to read it more than once.) The kids aren’t smart enough to figure this out?

And “it works in the workplace” bit? I think the difference there is that people in the work place aren’t using drugs because of pressure from their co-workers. In other words, the workplace is not the breeding ground for drug use while apparently the school is.