The above TV commercial, paid for by ConnAD (Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Advocacy, a 501c4 which I believe is the political arm of ConnCan), began airing on CT airwaves today.
The idea that Connecticut can magically turn around their public schools by simply competing for a remaining slice of Obama/Duncan's $3.4 billion is beyond absurd. However, simplistic reform messages like those propagated by DFER, ConnCan, EEP, and their many followers (and funders) are practically designed for commercial-length mode of (non)thinking that is all-too-common in the current "reform" climate.
This isn't the first advocacy piece that fails to address important education issues while portraying a very one-sided view of education policy. "Connecticut's Charter School Law and Race to the Top," an earlier piece put out by ConnCan, was evaluated by Bobert Bifulco through the Think Tank Review Project. Bifulco concluded his evaluation with, "...this brief provides a rather one-sided and incomplete analysis of the issues at stake."
Here's an interesting piece about Connecticut's Charter schools, which by the way are not making any gains towards AYP.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.scribd.com/doc/27672436/Charter-Schools-a-Closer-Look
Conncan, is about as corrupt as they come, just look at their board and their funding sources. Vultures looking for corporate welfare handouts off the backs of students and taxpayers.