Academic Conversation

Character List: Sarah Reckhow: Author of Follow the Money How foundation Dollars Change Public School Politics. She is highly devoted in the interest of urban politics, education policy, policy reform, and racial and ethnic politics. Arthur Wise: Author of Rich Schools Poor School The Promise of Equal Educational Opportunity. Michael Hill: Author of High School Sports Schedule Shaved to Save Money. Wes Platt: Author of State of our Schools. Mike Wilder: Writer of School system set to spend on technology, buildings. An example of the benefits of federal tax dollars spent in the best ways. Good Morning America banner is displayed, music fads in, as camera pans in on Jordin Truesdale as she starts the show off for Monday March 25, 2013. Music fads out. Good Morning, welcome to the Today Show! This morning we have some very special guest that are going to tell us a little more about the education system in America and where exactly our tax money is going. When it comes to the topic of education reform, most of us will readily agree that it is necessary. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of where should the money be spent. Jordin: Today we are welcomed by Michael Hill author of the High School Sports Schedule Shaved to Save Money news article, Wes Platt author of State of our Schools book, Sarah Reckhow author of Follow the Money How Foundation Dollars Change Public School Politics book, and Arthur Wise author of the Rich Schools Poor School The Promise of Equal Educational Opportunity book. Jordin: Lets start with Mrs. Reckhow, your book you offer a vast amount of information from Presidents Bush No child Left Behind to Bill Gates being the most influential person in the American education policy, what do you think is the main concern with our schools? Reckhow: Thanks for having me Jordin, I just want to start by say that American schools arent all bad but we do have a lot of room for improvement.

Jordin: Tell me more about the No Child Left Behind Act, has it been doing any good? Reckhow: Yes and no, yes because over the past few years we have seen a rise in national academic progress, but in actuality children that arent able to pass these standardized tests after the second and third time are just being pushed along through the system. Wise: Reckhow is surely right about this because, as she may not be aware, recent studies have shown that about 23% of students who have taken these standardized test the first time still arent able to past them a second time, and 10% arent able to pass them at all. Jordin: Mr. Hill, do you think that the No Child Left Behind is as effective as it was projected to be? Hill: No, by solely focusing on numbers and not entirely caring about the end results or the over all goal does more harm then good. Platt: I would add that. Jordin: Okay, so Mr. Wise in your book Rich Schools Poor Schools The Promise of Equal Educational Opportunity, in a nutshell you argue the most cost effective ways to allocate federal money given to schools. Jordin: Can you elaborate on it? Wise: What Im trying to say is that it isnt the amount of money that a school system is given that is important but rather the ways in which they choose to use it. Jordin: Can you be more specific? Wise: Surely, lets say one school is given