Sure Start centres have closed, curriculum reform botched, primary places under pressure, teacher reform abandoned and, in Birmingham, the worrying consequence of an absence of local accountability.
The plan to eliminate uncertified teachers at SURR schools is supposed to be the first step toward eliminating uncertified teachers throughout the system under teacher reform guidelines passed by the Regents in 1998 and 1999.
In the field of education, one of the major points of teacher reform made by the Office of the National Education Committee (ONEC) in 2002 was to foster joy in learning by emphasizing sanuk in the classroom (Fry 2002).
"We have wonderful examples of leadership, comprehensive teacher reforms, good teacher compensation, curriculum and technology.
But that support may depend on a factor central to many of these teacher reforms: experience.
Among the issues raised were the cost of housing, transport, childcare, food and fuel; the low salaries paid to many professionals, including doctors and teachers; tax reform; and welfare payments.
The debate over how to improve poor urban school systems remains contentious, with some experts and reformers advocating teacher tenure reform, others arguing that tenure is not as significant an obstacle to student achievement as its critics contend.
Teacher training reform is turning into a shambles.
We have also seen how inadequate funding has hampered the innovative work of grassroots, teacher-led reform.
Six PAC endorses meaningful teacher quality reform, as well as class size reduction where it has been proven to work.
