Surprise! Right-wing picks competition over equity.

Frederick Hess, American Enterprise Institute

Frederick Hess and Andrew Rotherham of the far-Right American Enterprise Institute, have more and more been critics of NCLB.

In a piece written for AEI On-Line, they say that the goals of NCLB are contradictory. They complain that the stated, although problematic, goal of equity is in conflict with the goal of making American schools competitive in the global arena.

Now that they have created this divide between equity and competitiveness, which do you think they think we should be shooting for?

NCLB, however, is highly vulnerable. At its core, it is an attempt to transform the provision of schooling for low-performing students, which means that its benefits are diffuse and targeted to a disorganized and frequently voiceless population. It seeks to do this through measures that impose costs on potent constituencies, particularly teachers, school administrators, and high-achieving communities.

“High-achieving communities.” I guess we know who that is. And who it ain’t.

The truth is that we cannot do everything. This means accepting disagreement and abandoning the tempting dream that we might reach consensus on what needs to be done if only good-hearted souls would examine the right data. It also means acknowledging that every policy decision will yield both winners and losers. What we need in 2007, 2008, and beyond is not bland reassurance or misguided efforts to paper over real divides, but honest and informed debate about whose needs take precedence at a given moment, what to do about it today, and what to leave for tomorrow.

Hess and Rotherham aren’t exactly hiding who they think the winners and losers should be.