By Alice Linahan | 05.16.2019
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argaret Spellings has returned to Texas where we have mined more student data than any other state according to SMU’s Dawson Orr. Margaret Spellings is now part of something called Texas 2036 with Tom Luce.“The principal architect of Texas’s accountability system was a lawyer from Dallas named Sandy Kress. The most thorough analysis of Kress’s role in pushing Texas’s education policy in the direction of a high-stakes testing system was one written by Mark Donald for the October 19, 2000 issue in the Dallas Observer right before George W. Bush’s election to the presidency. Entitled “The Resurrection of Sandy Kress,” Donald’sarticle described how Democrat Kress and Republican Bush came to be close allies in pushing Kress’s vision of “educational accountability.”
“Sandy Kress remained a key strategic advisor to the governor. He worked closely with Margaret LaMontagne (later Margaret Spellings), who was Gov. Bush’s education advisor, in expanding the statewide accountability system. During Bush’s tenure as Governor, the state consolidated power over education in the office of the Texas Education Agency and the Education Commissioner who was appointed by the Governor. Meaningful local control over education in Texas continued to erode as the accountability ratings system caused local school districts to focus more attention on the performance measurements put in place by the state particularly the testing system.”
The information above makes what has been revealed in the exchange heard in the video below with Tom Luce, founder of Texas 2036 even more interesting. You see, Luce has been involved all along with the Bushes and the ed reformers:
Dallas Morning News has been a mouthpiece for the reform agenda and the data collection from the cradle to career:
Can’t we all just agree on the data? Tom Luce offers a fresh debate to lift Texas
He’s formed a public policy group, Texas 2036, to push lawmakers and the public to confront some of the state’s most vexing issues: education, health care, infrastructure, the environment, public safety and government performance.
Using Machine Learning to Understand What Drives Student Success in Dallas County
With the support of the Microsoft Cities Team and StriveTogether, DataKind collaborated with Commit’s Analytics team to leverage these individual records to understand predictors of academic assessment performance and student success over time.”
It is important to note: Todd Williams was current Texas Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath’s reference for the Next Generation of Assessments and Accountability Commission member. Morath ended up being moved to the Commissioner of Texas Education Agency (TEA) and his spot on Next Gen was filled by Texas Public Policy Foundation fellow Stacy Hock.
Back to Margaret Spellings, she just loves DATA as well, and the “A-word”. The whole NCLB accountability system was designed to set up schools for failure. They had to have the data in order to shutter campuses. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) created a new crop of losers each year. The ‘A’ Word: Accountability — The Dirty Word of Today’s Education Reform
Margaret Spellings and the Accountability System
- Margaret Spellings, as a proponent of accountability under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, placed heavy emphasis on data collection and analysis.
- The system of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under NCLB created a high-stakes environment, often leading to the labeling of schools as “failing.” This, in turn, paved the way for closures, consolidations, and other drastic measures.
- The focus on accountability through testing and data collection often ignored the broader, systemic issues that schools faced, leading to widespread criticism of the approach.
The ‘A’ Word Series
- The ‘A’ Word series, supported by the Bush Institute, explores how “accountability” became a polarizing term in education reform.
- Spellings’ statement—“You can’t solve a problem that you don’t diagnose correctly, fairly, accurately, and comparably”—highlights the belief that data is critical for diagnosing educational issues. However, critics argue that the reliance on standardized test data often misses the nuances of individual school challenges.
Dustin Marshall and Data in Education
- Dustin Marshall, a former Dallas ISD board member, reflects the same ideology as Spellings and others, emphasizing the importance of data in educational decision-making.
- His defense of data aligns with the broader reform narrative, but opponents highlight how this approach can lead to negative outcomes, including inequitable resource allocation and an overemphasis on test scores.
Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and Dallas Education Reform
- The involvement of high-profile individuals like Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer demonstrates the corporate influence on education reform. Their backing of initiatives like Commit (a Dallas-based education reform group) reinforces the push for data-driven strategies.
- In 2017, Ballmer’s meeting with Todd Williams and other Dallas business leaders underscores the deep connections between business interests and educational policy decisions in Texas.
Criticism of Accountability and Data-Driven Reform
- The obsession with data and accountability metrics overlooks the needs of students and communities. The focus on “diagnosing problems” often leads to punitive measures, rather than addressing root causes.
- The failure to consider the broader social, economic, and cultural factors impacting education perpetuates cycles of failure, especially in under-resourced schools.
The ‘A’ Word: Margaret Spellings — ‘You Can’t Solve a Problem That You Don’t Diagnose Correctly, Fairly, Accurately, and Comparably’
The man who now holds Sandy Kress’ old Dallas ISD board seat raised $500k to win and was also featured on ‘The 74’ rag:
The ‘A’ Word: Dustin Marshall — ‘It’s Shocking, Appalling, That There Are Arguments Made in Education That Data Is Bad’
Gates is deeply entrenched in their scheme, including Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft. Ballmer met with Commit/Todd Williams and the Dallas business elite in 2017:
Steve Ballmer Keynote – Education Investors Meeting 2017 from The Commit Partnership Texas Mom, former Richardson ISD candidate Lynn Davenport mapped the connections below.
Two articles on a new Commission started by Bill Gates to reform higher Ed & focus on the economic value of college degree by collecting more data. And wouldn’t you know the Commission is filled with former or current Gates grantees?
Nick Tampio critique here: The Gates Foundation has launched a commission to determine the value of a college degree.
“So how can this commission transform American higher education where earlier reforms have not worked? By encouraging Congress to make federal loans and grants available to students in some majors, such as engineering or business, where graduates tend to earn a high salary upon graduation. Conversely, Congress might be moved to make loans and grants unavailable for students in other majors, such as theology or humanities, where graduates do not earn as much.”
As Commission member Margaret Spellings says, “the data is coming”
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