Check out my post today at WYYY’s Newsworks:

When is a School Report Card not just a School Report Card?

When it’s a political instrument.

After all, if an administration’s agenda includes an education reform plank, a Department of Education might be inclined to gesture towards failing schools with bleak graduation rates. Or if an administration’s agenda included new austerity measures, there might be a certain benefit in drawing attention to high costs per pupil.

On the other hand, if a lobbyist’s agenda includes preservation of the current public education system, one might be inclined to spotlight the high achievement rates of local public schools, advocate for current funding levels in order to protect achievement and promote equity, and maybe even question the veracity of the newly-released database.

Read the rest here.