More H. S. Testing Dead on Arrival

The LA Times reports today what most of us already knew: there is no stomach within Congress for expanding the testing madness of NCLB into the high schools. On the defensive once more, Maggie Spellings is quoted in the Times as saying that "I see lots of support for it in the states . . . . I think smart governors know, all governors know, that if you don't have an educated workforce, you're not going to have a strong and thriving state economy." She doesn't seem to realize that people, even Congressmen, are coming to know that, 1) more measurement doesn't equal more learning, i.e. weighing your cows does not make them gain weight, 2) stupid and weak economic policies cannot be excused by simply blaming the schools, and 3) a well-educated workforce cannot neutralize the negative influence of a pig-headed national leadership blinded by ideology and power, whether in Havana or Washington.