The rhetoric of school reform often seems to overshadow success being achieved within the traditional school system. This concern was voiced this weekend at the Teachers College Hechinger Institute by several speakers. There is growing alarm that education reform, in the shape of school vouchers and testing, are driven by politics rather than by what will really benefit students. In some instances, educational research is being misrepresented to support political aims.

"Part of the problem is that more research today is politically driven than ever before", says Gene Maeroff, director of the Hechinger Institute.

The article, entitled "What's Best for Kids Shouldn't be Secondary" appeared in the May 9, 2001 edition of the www.activedayton.com.

When possible, the News Bureau provides a link to article summaries, a link is always provided to the online source. Not all online sources archive information and some charge a fee for older material.

Published Tuesday, Sep. 18, 2001