By Preaprez

The LA Times decision to use a value added assessment method to look at LA teachers and then publish a ranking of teachers by name in their newspaper has created clarity and confusion.

That alone is not surprising.

What is surprising is who is clear and who is confused.

Over on the political right a dispute has erupted between Ricky Hess of the far right-wing American Enterprise Institute and the wing-nut Fordham’s Liam Julian.

Hess likes the use of the questionable value added approach but thought the LA Times crossed some lines in publishing individual teacher names. Julian likes value added but thinks teachers should be marched through the public square with dunce caps on if their students don’t score well.

Then there is the national education czar, Arne Duncan. He likes the test. He likes the publication of teacher names. The goof just loves it all. So Duncan and Fordham are on the same page. This guy isn’t just bad. When a Democratic president has a Secretary of Education who is to the right of the American Enterprise Institute…

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