Common Core, charter schools, high stakes testing all wrest
control away from local communities and Jeb Bush love them all. Funny because I
thought local control was a plank of the Republican Party but it turns out it
is just one more of those things they talk about but don’t really believe in.
Patricia Levesque of Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education
(re: privatization), weighed in and it’s significant because I bet she doesn’t
go to the restroom without running it by the old Jebster, when Lee County
decided to exercise local control and opt-out at least temporarily of the
states standardized testing system.
"We are deeply disappointed by the Lee
County School Board's vote to abandon Florida's academic tests and with it,
their responsibility for the success of the community's students.
"Not only do these academic checkups
provide an honest assessment to parents of how their children are progressing
in school, they also prepare students for the future because tests are a part
of life.
"Measuring student achievement is the
cornerstone of a strong accountability system that allows our children to learn
to their full potential and be competitive with their peers across the state,
nation and around the globe. Tests also shine a light on where school systems
need to improve, where they need to invest more resources. Without them some
schools and students would fall through the cracks.
"The Lee County School Board is
neglecting its duty to ensure a meaningful education for their students and
uphold state law."
"Instead of refusing to participate in a
small number of state tests which actually provide taxpayers and the public
with some meaningful measure of how schools and districts are performing across
the state, Lee County should first look locally. Last year, the county required
more than 160 tests over and above state required assessments. A better choice
would be focusing on fewer and better tests in their own community instead of
using the state as a scapegoat."
Dripping with self-serving hyperbole, basically she is saying, hey
Jeb knows what’s best for your children and you’re worse than pond scum if
you question him.
Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence tells us to
stand up to unjust laws and in my mind that’s exactly what the Lee County
School board is doing, and doing it because they both know and care about their
children something we definitely can't say about Bush and his cronies.
To read more, click the link: http://contextflorida.com/marc-yacht-ruin-public-schools-withholding-money-imposing-demands/
Since "tests are a part of life", when was the last time Patricia or Jeb took a test?
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