I agree there is too much reliance on standardized test but we still need the ability to measure school performance or there is no accountability. I think the answer isn't to get rid of standardized test but to expand them to encompass all the things we want students to learn. They could be weighted towards the three R's but there should be science and geography and history and health and..... We could even include modifiers like how much time kids spend in PE and the arts to rate schools not just on reading and math but how complete an education students receive.

In the worst schools they do need to be "teaching the test" where that means making sure everyone is at least literate and can do simple math but we need to make sure the students who have mastered the basics are not limited to them.

Keep in mind I think that principals should just be given authority but they should be held accountable for the results of their decisions. If they drive off good teachers they will have answer for the drop in results and since other principals will be looking for good teachers to replace their bad ones the good teachers should not have a problems finding a new job. The bad teachers on the other hand might not fair as well.



We don't have choice in my school district but it is a small district and all the schools but one are exemplary and that school just lost its principal and our VP just took his job. In the Garland district next to ours (yes the Garland from Zombie Land) you can enroll your kid in any school in the district regardless of where you live. If enough people in an area want to go to a school they run a buss service with inner school shuttles at the hight schools. If a school is too full the students who live in it area get first choice. I have no idea who gets the available spots but it probably first come first serve or a lottery.

Money for schools is from property tax by school district so most places won't let you go to a school outside your district. If you live in Zavala Texas with one school choice isn't an option.



I think part of the problem is the idea that we can find a one size fits all national solution. The fed need to stay out primary education and the states need to set standards, empower local school districts and hold them accountable for results. One thing we need to do as a country is stop ignoring local elections and hold our school board accountable. If your local school is failing (and only teaching the test is a failure) then how you vote in the school board election will have more impact on your school than how you vote in the national election.

But the real answer of how we know how our schools are doing is we act like communities and look at the kids and talk to the parents. The parents who care know which are the best schools. There is also a wealth of information available online from teacher to student ratios to test scores to SAT scores to PTA membership levels. I know PTA has a bad name these days but a strong and active PTA can do more to hold a school administration accountable than just about anyone else. Those mothers are in the school every day the know the teachers and they know who gets the most out of their class. they will let people know if a teacher likes to read the paper while his students watch movies.