Weekend Reading: TFA's "Significant Gains" Mess
TFA's Data Emphasis Two Years At The Blackboard: I can’t help but get a little uncomfortable that TFA cares so much more about succeeding on standardized tests than questioning their value... The Narcissism Myth Utne Reader: Young people don’t blog out of self-love, but in pursuit of affirmation. We didn’t grow up “amid a chorus of applause,” but with intense parental pressure, as competition for college spots soared... From Hope to Despair in Providence AISR: All of these partners deserve credit when these efforts succeed, and all deserve scrutiny and blame when well-intentioned and research-based reforms fail to take root... What's The Cost Of Dropping Out Of High School? TNR: Even if you took the high school dropouts and managed to get all of them through school they'd have much higher levels of unemployment anyway... Don't build schools in Afghanistan Slate: Throwing up structures is simple. Educating children is a much more complex, expensive, and necessary goal... The "Hooker Teacher" tells all Salon:I have two master's degrees, five years' experience in the nonprofit sector and three years' experience teaching -- and I cannot get a job. Why? Just google me... Why it's good to be a high school loser Salon: Whether you were the head cheerleader or president of the math club, whether you're still trying to forget that time you got a swirlie or you wish you could relive your glory days as homecoming king, those years take up a lot of space in our minds... Color Blind TNR: It is laudable that many of us want to show that we understand what institutional racism is. Yet, doing that does not always help the people undergoing the effects of institutional racism. Sometimes, what actually does is a little bit of, yes, segregation... A Call to Arms for Education Innovation Robert Slavin: America leads the world not because of its capability in managing existing systems. It leads the world because of its unparalleled capacity for innovation. [picture via Utne Reader]
