What achievement gap data reveals — and what it doesn’t
This* was written by Matthew Di Carlo, senior fellow at the non-profit Albert Shanker Institute, located in Washington, D.C. This post originally appeared on the institute’s blog. * By Matthew Di Carlo A recent statement by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) attempts to provide an empirical justification for that state’s focus on the achievement gap — the difference in testing performance between subgroups, usually defined in terms of race or income. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpo... more »
College admissions: When high school courses matter most
This* was written by Martha Allman, dean of admissions at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C*. By Martha Allman College admissions officers around the country are submerged in applications. At this time of year, we are faced with the nearly impossible task of finding the best mix of students for our institutions based on some combination of grade point average (GPA), class rank, written essays, personal interviews, extracurricular activities and, at some schools, test scores. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] ... more »
The one book Warren Buffett praised in latest annual letter
Superstar investor Warren Buffett releases an annual letter to stockholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. — the company he built with stock shares that now cost about $119,000 a share — that explains his financial moves with humor and wisdom. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
NY principal: Teacher scores inaccurate at my school
The information below comes from Elizabeth Phillips, principal of P.S. 321 in Park Slope, N.Y., about how badly the newly released rankings of New York City public school teachers reflect the reality at her school. Phillips wrote that she is “absolutely sick” about the public release of the Teacher Data Reports (TDR) of some 18,000 teachers based entirely on student standardized test scores. And, she said, the amount of data that is wrong is “staggering.” This same information was posted earlier on the New York City Publbic School Parents blog. Read full article >> [image: Add to ... more »
The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago
School psychologists: Shortage amid increased need
This *was written by Mark Phillips, professor emeritus of secondary education at San Francisco State University and author of a monthly column on education for the * *Marin Independent Journal* * . * By Mark Phillips Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
Charter school linked to Scientology
A public charter school in the Florida city of Clearwater — the headquarters of the Church of Scientology — is being accused of using Scientology study methods with students. The Tampa Bay Times reported that parents and former teachers had complained about Life Force Arts and Technology Academy, which is being run by a management company whose president, Hanan Islam, was executive director of an organization called the World Literacy Crusade which promotes Scientology study methods. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [imag... more »
A simple question teachers should now ask about their profession
This *was written by Carol Corbett Burris, principal of South Side High School in New York. She was named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State. She is one of the co-authors of the principals’ letter against evaluating teachers by student test scores, which has been signed by nearly 1,400 New York principals.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
An Oscar-producing education
Where do people who are nominated for — and win — Academy Awards go to college? All over the place, and, not surprisingly, the schools are all too happy to shout about it. For example, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, one of the world’s leading film schools, issued a press release listing all of the nominees who have a chance of winning an Oscar this year and noted that the show’s host, Billy Crystal, is a 1970 alum. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
