The ed report that all 'reformers' should read
Here are two take-away messages for school reformers around the country that are embedded in an important new report about how the D.C. public school system is faring under the 2007 law that gave the mayor control. * The standardized test scores that have been trumpeted to show improvement in the schools cannot legitimately be used to show progress in student learning. This is true, the report says, not only for D.C. schools but for any and all other school systems that use standardized tests as a measure of achievement.
12:19 AM (4 hours ago)
Why schools should try things not "research-based"
This was written by Raymond J. McNulty, president of the International Center for Leadership in Education, a New York-based organization that assists schools and districts in implementing organizational change. By Raymond J. McNulty In the national quest to reform our K-12 school system, a buzz phrase in schools across the country has been "research-based best practices." Who can argue against what seems to be working in the best schools in the country – and what has been proven to work in the past? With pressure to meet adequate yearly progress as required under No Child Left Behind, to use data at every turn, to help meet the needs of every child – and to do all of this on the taxpayer’s dime – schools feel the pressure to show proof that their techniques deliver results. But if we want to see real change in our schools and move the needle