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Growing numbers of parents, educators, and school administrators are calling for a local “opt-out” from state tests and accountability systems.
Is this opt-out a cop-out? Or would students benefit from a system that their own teachers and principals devised? Should all schools be offered an opt-out alternative, one in which they propose to be held accountable to a different set of measures? What about opt-outs for high-achieving schools or schools with good reason to be different? Would such a system move us toward or away from the goals of the Common Core? As for charter schools, must they continue to be tethered to uniform statewide accountability systems? Or should we rekindle the concept of customizing each school's charter and performance expectations?
Join the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Democrats for Education Reform, and several leading education reformers and thinkers for a lively discussion of the accountability opt-out—as well as its potential pitfalls.
Panelists | |
 | Charles Barone, policy director, Democrats for Education Reform |
 | Robin Lake, director, Center for Reinventing Public Education |
 | Michael Petrilli, executive vice president, Thomas B. Fordham Institute |
 | Delia Pompa, senior vice president of programs, National Council of La Raza |
 | Nelson Smith, senior advisor, National Association of Charter School Authorizers |
| Moderator | |
 | Andy Smarick, partner, Bellwether Education Partners |