DC parent: How data-obsessed school reform helps drive rising inequality in nation’s capital

If there is one thing it is safe to say about school reform in Washington (DC) public schools — seen as a model across the country — it is that the people in charge love to use data — especially that gleaned from standardized test scores. In this post, a DC parent expressed — in just a few minutes — 15 years of frustration at data-obsessed school reform in the district and its effect on students. This was written by Natalie Hopkinson, Ph.D., a writer and scholar currently researching her third book on culture. In addition to publishing essays, features and books, she does applied community projects that often explore the arts, gender, place and identity as a fellow of the Interactivity Foundation.