Former New York State Deputy Ed Commissioner asks, “Is Education Reform Dead?”
February 5, 2018
In this exploration of how states “will have to figure out how to sustain implementation of curriculum and instruction changes needed to meet the original ambitious ESSA performance goals” even as they face reduced resources and leadership changes, former New York State Deputy Commissioner of Education James A. Kadamus says states have proposed very ambitious ESSA goals, but notes that “a December 2017 review of 35 state ESSA plans by Bellwether Education Partners says “a major weakness of the plans is as follows: ‘Goals that are largely untethered to the state’s long-term vision, historical performance or other objective benchmark.’” In other words, he says, “states are proposing improvements in student performance that far exceed any levels they have been able to achieve in the past.”