Texas GOP rejects ‘critical thinking’ skills. Really. - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Texas GOP rejects ‘critical thinking’ skills. Really. - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post:

Texas GOP rejects ‘critical thinking’ skills. Really.

by Valerie Strauss

In the you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff department, here’s what the Republican Party of Texas wrote into its 2012 platform as part of the section on education:

Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.
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The Common Bore

by Valerie Strauss

This was written by Arnold Dodge, chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Administration at Long Island University/C.W. Post Campus and a former New York state teacher, principal and superintendent.
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The worst master’s degree?

by Valerie Strauss

American Library Association President Maureen Sullivan was not amused by Forbes’ recent designation of the library and information science degree as the worst master’s for a student to pursue.
In this Forbes.com post , master’s degrees were rated based on salary, employment outlook and long-term opportunities.
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The hardest jobs to fill (think plumbers)

by Valerie Strauss

Reformers who think that students should be studying subjects that will help them fill empty jobs should be pushing for more vocational education in the skilled trades.
There has been a big push in recent years to improve education in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and math — so much so that you might think those are the only sectors in the economy trying to find skilled workers.
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