Reason to Rid Ourselves Of The U.S. Department of Education

"Pete, THIS IS PRICELESS!! I've been trying to think of a reason that I can give to my more liberal friends on why we should rid ourselves of the U.S. Department of Education. Well well well, seems Secretary of Education Arne Duncan gave the best reason of all. As you would say, you can't make this stuff up."

{Laughing} Hey folks,

Happy Friday to ya. Yeah this really is priceless. And the best reason EVER to do away with it. Oh before we get to that, seems Irene missed us all together. We skated on this one, Our thoughts and prayers now go out to our friends in the North. Be ready, she is coming.

So what RH is talking about is this. It's from CNS News - U.S. Ed Secretary: 'The Best Ideas...in Education Are Never Going to Come from Me' Wednesday, August 24, 2011 By Edwin Mora

(CNSNews.com) - U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said today that the "best ideas ... in education are never going to come from me or frankly from anyone else in Washington.”

He also said some American schools are testing their students too much.

“Washington can never run public education, and what we want to do is we want to be a good partner,” Duncan said in a webcast in which he answered questions submit via Twitter.

“We want to reward courage, we want to reward excellence, we want to reward creativity, we want to hold folks accountable to high bars, but education has always been and should be at the local level,” said Duncan,

“And the best ideas, I’ve always said, in education are never going to come from me or frankly from anyone else in Washington,” he said.

Check out the Video HERE!

“They’re always going to come from great teachers, great principals at the local level,” said Duncan. “We want to hold them accountable, but give them lots more room to move and to do the right thing for the children in their community where they know best what those children and what the community need.”

Duncan argued that in some jurisdictions students spend too much time preparing for and taking tests.

“I think in some places we do test too much, I think it varies,” said Duncan. “So, do I think we should evaluate students each year to see how they’re doing and progressing? Absolutely. But when you have too many tests or spending all your time on test prep that never leads to good results--so I think there’s real variation around the country. I think some places are doing this pretty well. Some are probably absolutely over-testing.”

Duncan said that 10 days of testing during a school year was too much.

“My children are in a great public school system,” he said. “They’re evaluated annually. I have no problem with that. If they’re getting tested 15 times a year or multiple different tests I have a problem with that.”

When asked how many days of the “traditional standard bubble test” are too many, Duncan said, “It should be a tiny percent of what we’re doing. So should students be tested 10 days? No, I think 10 days is a lot.”

“I think that’s a lot, yeah,” said Duncan. “And it’s not just the testing. … It’s the filling the bubble, you know, practicing that and, you know, if all you’re doing is doing that kind of work and not doing great instruction, great creativity, the students aren’t going to do well anyway.”

Duncan criticized the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind Law saying it was an “impediment” for education. He said states will be able to apply for No Child Left Behind waivers in September, adding that the Obama administration has the authority to grant those without breaking any laws.

“I’ve talked to almost every governor,” said Duncan about the waivers. “I think I’ve talked to 47, 48 governors. What’s interesting, John, is there’s lots of noise here in Washington. Every single governor has said thanks for moving in this direction. Not one governor has said we don’t need this. And many governors have actually said, ‘Thank God someone in Washington is actually listening to real teachers and real people.’”

According to the Office of Management and Budget, Department of Education spending rose from $33.476 billion in fiscal 2000 to $92.858 billion in fiscal 2010.

So since: "best ideas ... in education are never going to come from me or frankly from anyone else in Washington.” and “We want to hold them accountable, but give them lots more room to move and to do the right thing for the children in their community where they know best what those children and what the community need.”Along with the Cost of $92.858 Billion dollars. Why do we need them? I agree one hundred percent with Arne Duncan. If we got the Federal Government out of it. Let the Locals handle it. Look what happened in Wisconsin. Gov. Scott Walker saw the Problem. Fixed the Problem with help of Bold Republicans. What happened? Smaller Class Sizes. Balanced School Budgets, some looking a SURPLUSES. Teachers now Paid on Results. The Schools in Wisconsin have in a VERY Short time, become a shining example of what CAN happen when the Liberals just get out of the way. When the Federal Government STOPS, or in this case WAS Stopped, interfering.

I might have to give Arne Duncan the Logic Award this Week. Of course the Kids will love the fact he thinks they are tested too much. {Smile} But he IS right here. So lets do away with this over priced FAILURE of a Federal Government Department. We now not only have an admission that they are pointless, but we have a real life example to point to.

Have a great Weekend folks. Again, to our friends in the North. Irene is on her way. Be prepared, be safe, and I will see you all on Sunday.
Peter

Sources:
CNS News - U.S. Ed Secretary: 'The Best Ideas...in Education Are Never Going to Come from Me'

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