| We've seen over and over again that the current | | | | Gates told congress that the education system of |
| political atmosphere is one of accountability and | | | | the united states still needs to address fundamental |
| transparency: this is just as apparent in Education as | | | | problems in k-12 education . In an effort to double |
| it is in the debate over the appropriation of | | | | the high school graduation rate, Gates is offering |
| earmarked funds. As a result of the push towards a | | | | incentives for students to study math and science. In |
| measurable pedagogic system, the Department of | | | | a much quoted sound bite, Gates stated: "We cannot |
| Education increased the qualifying questions on its | | | | sustain an economy based on innovation unless our |
| annual survey of colleges. However, by attempting to | | | | citizens are educated in math, science, and |
| gather more comprehensive information on student | | | | engineering." Gates also noted two interesting things: |
| performance at specific colleges, it seems that the | | | | * About 30% of 9th graders do not graduate high |
| Department of Education has ruffled a few feathers. | | | | school on time |
| Because the pointed questions brought on such an | | | | * Microsoft has been unable to fill about 3,000 tech |
| enormous backlash, Grover Whitehurst, (director of | | | | related jobs in the USA due to a shortage of |
| the Ed. Dept's Institute of Education Sciences) said | | | | Workers |
| that the Department will likely edit the survey, and | | | | The adjective "lackluster" that Gates applied to the |
| will probably remove a question that asks whether | | | | countries public schools, sounds a great deal like Mike |
| colleges used specific student-learning assessments | | | | Bloomberg's Wall Street Journal editorial from |
| and, if they did, to provide access to the results. | | | | December 14th, "Flabby, Inefficient, Outdated". |
| As performance-based education is still the exception | | | | Increasingly, performance markers are being sought |
| rather than the rule, it is not surprising that a request | | | | and implemented in public education; these top news |
| for this type of "proprietary" information was | | | | stories testify to that. |
| received so critically. | | | | -Sources |
| In a separate story that places just as much, if not | | | | Associated Press; "Gates Voices Concerns about U.S. |
| more emphasis on performance-based education, Bill | | | | |