My composite rating so far is "luke warm."
As loyal Flypaper readers know, last week we introduced the Obama Administration Reform-o-Meter. This handy contraption analyzes the reform-mindedness of key administration decisions, from policy pronouncements to personnel decisions and beyond. I offer a rating, from Ice Cold to Red Hot, and the Flypaper community gets to weigh in, too. I also weight each event by its importance on a scale of 1-10.
So how hot is the new administration when it comes to education reform? We've taken two readings thus far, first for Arne Duncan's selection as Secretary of Education (an 8 in terms of importance), and then for the President's stimulus plan (a 5), which I equated with the House bill.
Readers' composite rating so far is "neutral."
I rated the first as "Warm" and the second as "Chilly" for a composite ranking of "Luke Warm." Flypaper readers agreed with me about Duncan but were tougher on the stimulus, weighing in with a solid "Cold" reading, for a composite of "Neutral." Either way, the bottom line is that President Obama and his team are far from Red Hot when it comes to reforming America's education system. Here's hoping for some heat in the weeks and months ahead.
