We continue coverage of this awesome book with another small sample:
Chapter Title: Ed Fraud 101
Section Heading: The Texas Model Scam
NCLB is the No Child Left Behind Act.
NCLB was based on what Bush proudly called the "Texas miracle"76--his education reform during his two terms as governor. ...
The reforms produced stunning numbers. ...
Nowhere in Texas was progress more dramatic than in Houston. Bush chose Rodney Paige as education secretary because of Paige's legendary achievements as superintendent of the Houston school system from 1995 to early 2001. ...
But by 2003, the Houston miracle had been exposed as a scam. ...
The fraudulent nature of Houston dropout claims should have been obvious at first glance. The New York Times noted of one school under Paige's rule: "This poor, mostly minority high school of 1,650 students had a freshman class of 1,000 that dwindled to fewer than 300 students by senior year. And yet--and this is the miracle--not one dropout to report."82 Robert Stockwell, the chief academic officer of the Houston school district, conceded in 2003, "The annual dropout rate was a crock, and we're not [using] it anymore."83
Footnotes without a direct link:
76. Anjetta McQueen, "Report Derides Education in Texas," Associated Press, October 24, 2000.
If Rod Paige's name sounds familiar, it's because he's the dumbass who called the NEA a terrorist organization. The NEA is the largest union of teachers in the United States. Ah, teachers, Osama, same thing, right? People have been trying to get Bush to fire Paige for a long time now, but it hasn't happened yet. Bush doesn't remove people who help him stay in power.
Link to original article (and Chapter 1 - Introduction) here.
Link to previous chapter.
Chapter 6.
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