Bad Reformy Arguments #1: Teaching Trumps EVERYTHING
I'll be reading the perfect reformy op-ed over the next few days, a compilation of the best arguments the reformyists can make to include standardized tests in teacher evaluations. Marcus Winters has actually done us a great service: he's put all of their side's best arguments into one place so we can easily explore and refute them.
So, here's reformy argument #1: we must, must, MUST test the crap out of the kids, because...
So, here's reformy argument #1: we must, must, MUST test the crap out of the kids, because...
Research over the last two decades has confirmed what most parents already knew:Teacher quality is any public school’s most important asset. Taking that simple and obvious premise seriously means working to identify and remove ineffective teachers. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in New Jersey and nationwide is pursuing this path. [emphasis mine]This is a variation on a common reformy theme: "Teachers are the most important in-school factor in student achievement." It seems that everyone says it: Education journalists. Professional union busters. Corporate edu-
Bad Reformy Arguments #1: Teaching Trumps EVERYTHING
I'll be reading the perfect reformy op-ed over the next few days, a compilation of the best arguments the reformyists can make to include standardized tests in teacher evaluations. Marcus Winters has actually done us a great service: he's put all of their side's best arguments into one place so we can easily explore and refute them. So, here's reformy argument #1: we must, must, MUST test the crap out of the kids, because... Research over the last two decades has confirmed what most parents already knew: *Teacher quality is any public school’s most important asset*. Taking that sim... more »
Teachers Teach the Test When the Test Tests Teachers
This morning, the Star-Ledger gave me a gift: the perfect reformy op-ed. I say "perfect" because this piece brings together pretty much every ill-informed and poorly conceived argument for using standardized tests as part of a teacher's evaluation into one place. It's like a Rosetta Stone of reforminess. The author, Marcus Winters, is a think-tanky type, but he has some serious credentials. That says to me that this is the best their side can do. If so, they've got problems. I'll pick apart the entire thing over the next few days. For now, let's leave it at this: A rich evaluation... more »
Perth Amboy Follies Update
The saga of anti-tenure-for-teachers-but-pro-due-process-for-herself Janine Caffrey and the BOE of Perth Amboy continues. When last we left, Caffrey had been reinstated as the superintendent by ACTING NJDOE Commissioner Cerf, despite the board's vote to remove her. And Cerf has retained the right to act as the final arbiter in this matter, despite the fact that it's clear the board doesn't want her. Now, it appears that the teachers would also like her to pack her bags. From the local union's website: As many readers know, Perth Amboy has become embroiled in a political struggle b... more »
Christie: Against TEACHNJ?
I came across this trying to find something else from the blog. Chris Christie from April of 2011: 0:41: *First thing is that I think we have to have some form of tenure. Because we don't want folks to be fired for political purposes, retaliatory purposes. Teachers should not have to worry about what they say in a classroom and that they'll be fired because the principal doesn't believe in their political point of view or because they've disagreed with the principal. I think that we have to have protections there for that.* * * This is really important: here, *Chris Christie a... more »
Zombie Lies Eat Laura Waters's Brain!
Zombie lies will not die in the brain of Laura Waters: Who needs Zoloft? [Do you really want to know? - JJ] We've got Ed. Comm. Chris Cerf, a featured speaker at NJEA's Annual Convention this past November. (Last year, then-Ed. Comm. Rochelle Hendricks declined the invitation.) We've got NJEA Executive Director Vince Giordano telling a Star-Ledger columnist, "this label that we are the organization of 'no' I don't think is accurate. We've turned a corner. We understand our role. We want to be part of the solution." *(Last year an NJEA officer sent out a memo that included a prayer f... more »
Gulen Criticism Goes Mainstream
Last night, 60 Minutes moved the concern about Gulen schools away from tin-foil hat country and into the mainstream: Interesting; unfortunately, once again, CBS News misses the point when it comes to "high-performing" charter schools. Take, for example, Bergen Arts and Sciences here in Jersey. Typically, as Lesley Stahl reports, they try to distance themselves from Gulen, but Bergen A & S is a Turkish school nonetheless. I wrote about the school this past December; is it really that "impressive"? I went to the Common Core of Data at NCES to get the demographic data for all of th... more »
Calling Stupidity Stupid
Earlier, I blogged about the one absurd test item (that we know of) that came out of the last round of the NJASK. This follows on the heels of Pineapplegate, the absurd question on the 8th Grade NY Regents exam. Diane Ravitch turns to the NJASK story, and asks a very good question: What exactly is the point of this question? It does not ask the students to explain what he or she has learned. It is not related to what they were taught or should have learned. It is intrusive, nosy, pointless, and stupid. Hmm... what is the point? I think Jonathan Kozol, speaking on another topic... more »