Exam privatization threatens public schools From CorpWatch

'They make kids in my class feel dumb,' says Vanessa Verdín about the corporate- designed standardized tests that millions of U.S. schoolchildren are required to take under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Vanessa, an energetic eleven year old whose hobbies include soccer, knitting and research, feels that the tests 'ask the wrong questions' and 'waste time when we could be learning.'

A 5th grader at Rosa Parks Elementary school in Berkeley, California last year, Vanessa is part of a grand experiment pushed by the federal Department of Education to re-make government-funded public schools. Educational corporations, from European-based multinationals, to start-ups such as Ignite, founded by Neil Bush, the president's brother, are swarming into the schools, offering prepackaged curriculum, tests and educational materials to meet the legislative mandate to 'teach to the test'' in a narrow range of subjects.

Sales of printed materials related to standardized tests nearly tripled from 1992 to last year, jumping from $211 million to $592 million, according to the American Association of Publishers. Three corporate giants dominate both testing and textbooks: CTB-McGraw Hill, Harcourt (owned by London-based Reed Elsevier), and Houghton Mifflin, which together control about 80% of the market. The total market in textbooks and related educational materials is over $7 billion. Macus Silvi from the Office of Student Achievement that coordinates the after-school programs says that in accordance with NCLB the school district must provide state certified vendors like Edison with access to provide after-school programs. 'We don't have a choice,' he says. 'If we don't do this the federal government will yank the entire federal funding allocation, and that's $27 million.' While he acknowledges that there were complaints about a specific provider at Hawthorn last year, he says under the NCLB law 'it's up to the parents to pick the provider' and that 'maybe this year the parents won't choose them.'

In another privatization twist, Silvi says that often times the after-school vendors end up hiring district teachers who need extra cash to staff the programs. The teachers are then paid by the private provider with the money the district receives from the federal funds. Ironically, the rationale behind NCLB is that the public schools need competition from private vendors in order to improve among other things their teaching staff.

Texas

Texas is often cited as the proving ground that shows that high stakes testing, sanctions and privatization improve education for low-income students and students of color. But in a recent scandal, the statewide improvement in Texas schools testing scores was found to be a result of low-scoring students being omitted from the count or else being forced to drop out of the system. According to studies by Walt Haney of Boston College, the Texas high school exit exam and harsh rules against promoting students to the next grade level have disproportionately increased drop-out rates for African American and Latino students.

Other studies by Linda McNeil, a professor at Rice University and co-director of the Rice Center for Education, show that Houston area schools have focused on test scores to such an extent that fundamentals are left uncovered. She describes a primarily Mexican-American school that had no library, almost no lab equipment and a shortage of textbooks. Instead of addressing these basic educational needs, the administration spent $20,000 for commercial test-preparation books. Scores at the school failed to improve.

McGraw Hill appears to have also played a pivotal role in the state. As described by John Metcalfe, in an article published in the Nation magazine, McGraw Hill experts—not actual educators—were called to testify on the nature of 'scientifically valid' reading curriculum for Texas school children under George W. Bush in his previous job as governor of the state. The Texas Education Agency then formulated the requirements for statewide reading curriculum based on the testimony of the testing experts. Not surprisingly, McGraw Hill products matched the specifications and gained a dominant share in the Texas textbook market. McGraw Hill spokesperson Tom DiPiazza says that he forwarded CorpWatch's request for comment on to the education division but as of press time they had failed to return the call.

Coincidentally one of the smaller beneficiaries of the outsourcing craze is President Bush's brother Neil. Earlier this year, he was charged by some school board members of using his political influence to sell his company's educational materials to the Houston school district. Wells Fargo and other Bush family friends donated $115,000 to the Houston school district's charitable foundation contingent on the purchase of Ignite materials.

Ignite officials claim that the donations were not self-dealing or influence peddling but an example of corporations fulfilling their civic responsibility to improve education in Houston.

Education Activists

Recently, MoveOn.org and other activist groups have tried to turn the public discourse back to education and have used their powerful email alert system to call for nationwide house meetings to support funding for public education.

In California, Californians for Justice (CFJ) and other California education activists have succeeded in getting legislation passed that would measure school's quality through something called the 'opportunity to learn index.' The index would measure the level of overcrowding in schools, class size, teacher credentials, and quality educational materials. Lead organizer for CFJ in San Diego Emmanuelle Regis says that with such an indicator 'parents could truly hold school districts and the state accountable for the educational resources and conditions that actually constitute the basis for education.'

She says that high school students have been organizing postcards mailings, petitions, and rallies; travelling to Sacramento to visit lobby legislator; and have sent delegations to meet with members of the state board of education to protest the high school exit exam and to demand more resources for education.

Unfortunately, both Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the last two governors of the state have vetoed the 'opportunity to learn index' legislation so far—saying that testing the students is enough accountability.

Joanne Heald, a teacher with over eight years experience in California public schools who is calling it quits, says of the politicians, 'They would rather point the finger at something that's not the problem. Programs that help—like smaller class size and instructional aides—would cost a lot of money and mean higher taxes so they are cut. Instead they spend money on folly and foolishness like these tests.'