The Des Moines Register reports that Iowa’s graduation rate fell from 90.5% in 2007 to 88.7% in 2008. In Des Moines the rate has fallen from 84% in 2006 to 65.1% in just two years. The official Labor/Socialist/Democrat response came from the Governor’s politically appointed Director of Education, Judy Jeffrey who said: "We don't know that it really has dropped," said Iowa's top education official, Judy Jeffrey. "It's just a different method of counting. We just have a more accurate portrayal."
As the Register further reported [Jeffrey] “declined to portray [sic]previous years' numbers as inaccurate.” Jeffrey’s response invokes a common joke in the old Soviet Union that went like this: A bright young man completed University education in accounting. When applying for his first state funded and controlled job he was asked the total of 2 plus 2. Thinking carefully, the young accountant concluded that the inevitable and only accurate answer had to be “whatever you say it is Comrade”.
The new numbers are also much more accurate than older numbers thanks to George W. Bush. The No Child Left Behind Act required schools to assign individual numbers to students, who are now tracked.
Long time advocate of educational reform, Des Moines School Board member Jon Naricisse has been arguing for years that Des Moines public schools have exaggerated graduation rates. The latest statistics certainly seem to vindicate Jon’s critique. A 19% decline in two years can be explained in only one or both of two ways: either the previous statistics were grossly exaggerated or the current Des Moines schools mismanaged in a shocking degree of incompetence.
The President of the Des Moines School Board proposes simplifying the graduation requirements is the solution rather than pursuing excellence as the solution. How quintessentially liberal.
……… and these are the people we want running our schools?
As the Register further reported [Jeffrey] “declined to portray [sic]previous years' numbers as inaccurate.” Jeffrey’s response invokes a common joke in the old Soviet Union that went like this: A bright young man completed University education in accounting. When applying for his first state funded and controlled job he was asked the total of 2 plus 2. Thinking carefully, the young accountant concluded that the inevitable and only accurate answer had to be “whatever you say it is Comrade”.
The new numbers are also much more accurate than older numbers thanks to George W. Bush. The No Child Left Behind Act required schools to assign individual numbers to students, who are now tracked.
Long time advocate of educational reform, Des Moines School Board member Jon Naricisse has been arguing for years that Des Moines public schools have exaggerated graduation rates. The latest statistics certainly seem to vindicate Jon’s critique. A 19% decline in two years can be explained in only one or both of two ways: either the previous statistics were grossly exaggerated or the current Des Moines schools mismanaged in a shocking degree of incompetence.
The President of the Des Moines School Board proposes simplifying the graduation requirements is the solution rather than pursuing excellence as the solution. How quintessentially liberal.
……… and these are the people we want running our schools?
1 comment:
Don't try to define the problems in our Schools as a liberal versus conservative issue. The problems with our schools rest squarely on the shoulders of one group. And I'm certain you don't need to ax just who dat group be, word, you know what I'm saying, word, I know, right? Word.
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