Remodeling America's Schools, with Some Interesting Charts. Madison Continues to be a "status quo bubble"

The Economist:

"THIS BUSINESS", SAYS John Demby, the principal (headmaster) of Sussex Tech, a high school in Delaware, "has changed dramatically in a very short period." This year, like all principals in the state, he is evaluating teachers under a new system for the first time. The state is also adopting a new curriculum for English and maths, the "common core". That will require changes to the state's regular computerised tests for students, themselves only three years old. On top of all that, Sussex Tech is launching a scheme to allow students to start accumulating college credits while still in high school. And it is overhauling the vocational training it offers in order to serve local businesses better and to provide students with more useful qualifications.

It is not just Sussex Tech; all Delaware's schools are undergoing a similar upheaval, thanks to a series of reforms championed by Jack Markell, Delaware's governor. He has made education reform a centrepiece of his tenure because he sees it as critical to the state's competitiveness. (It is the states that regulate education in America, although the federal government often tries to bribe them to adopt its pet policies.)

Posted by Jim Zellmer at April 5, 2013 4:47 AM
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