Once again, I don't pay a lot of attention to our state's education system. This is because I fortunately don't have any kids that legally belong to me. I know, I know, children bring joy and love and happiness into your life. That's cool. The next time I'm drinking a mojito at 1:30pm or sleeping or not cleaning crayon off a wall, I'll totally think about how happy you are.
On the topic of happiness, that's a word that most people don't mention when discussing Oklahoma's A-F school grading system. Virtually everyone, especially professionals (a.k.a. teachers, administrators, superintendents) who have dedicated their lives to public education, hate the system. This is for several reasons, like it doesn't accurately measure the performance of schools, depends too much on test scores, and seems to be the first part of conservative agenda to cripple public education in favor of for-profit charter and private schools.
Anyway, Governor Mary Fallin is fed up with all the people hating on her signature education law and she would like for them to stop.
Via The Tulsa World:
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin is warning educators that continuing public criticism of the state’s A-F school grading system may affect whether common education gets additional funding next fiscal year.
“It’s not helpful to anyone’s cause. It seems to be some opponents are absolutely bent on undermining the credibility of the entire system,” said Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz. “The fact of the matter is this grading system, regardless of whether or not you believe it should have been put together differently, is the law.”
Go Democracy! If you continue to complain about a bad, unpopular law that is so awful that even the Oklahoman supports it (note: The Oklahoman's editorial writer is married to Baressi's campaign manager), we'll just cut off all education funding. That will show you. You should just suck it up and move on, because as history shows, bad laws should never be repealed or changed or fixed. You should just set back, deal with them and keep your mouth shut.
Because she leads by example, that's the same approach Mary Fallin took when the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Obamacare:
“I’m extremely disappointed and frustrated by the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the federal health care law. President Obama’s health care policies will limit patients’ health care choices, reduce the quality of health care in the United States, and will cost the state of Oklahoma more than a half billion dollars in the process.
“Today’s decision highlights the importance of electing leaders who will work to repeal the federal health care law and replace it with meaningful reform focused on commonsense, market based changes.”
Oh, so I guess it is okay to publicly complain about laws, call for their repeal and create frenzied public discord... as long as it supports your grandiose conservative agenda. I'm fine with that. Mary Fallin is the governor for a reason, and obviously knows more public education than university researchers.
Weintz said the governor is “dismayed” to see groups representing the education community touting a report issued by University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University researchers as a way to wage a campaign against A-F.
Weintz cited a portion of the report that he says indicates the authors believe that schools are only responsible for 20 to 30 percent of student achievement. In that portion, the authors question whether school performance should be based solely on student standardized test results.
Weintz said the governor believes test scores are an adequate way to measure student performance, and she does not support the findings in the report.
Damn liberal elitist university researchers with their biased agendas and research methods that contradict the misguided, partisan, education systems dreamed up by George Bush's brother! How dare they release the findings of a study without making sure it conforms to the Governor's vision? What's next? Undoctored poll results???
Anyway, hopefully this asinine message from the Governor's office makes parents, teachers, principals, bus drivers and lunch ladies more vocal in their opposition to this law. That's how change happens. Don't give in and take it like a highway patrolman. You're better than that.
