Profiling Educational Software Companies
There is a very interesting series of reports published in the Baltimore Sun profiling the largest educational software companies and how they are leveraging NCLB into software sales. For instance, this article looks at how companies use questionable research to sell large volumes of software to schools struggling with “adequate yearly progress.”. (Free registration is necessary to view the article. All of the other articles in the series and associated sidebar graphics are linked from this page as well.) It’s kind of disturbing to see how much money some schools and districts are spending on these products, based on claims that are most charitably described as “dubious.”
These reports should be required reading for every parent, principal, superintendent, and school board.