A Hero Principal: Every Principal Should Be This Honest
Several readers, including parents in this district, have sent me a copy of this letter written by Don Sternberg of Wantagh Elementary School in Long Island, New York.
Sternberg wrote a letter to the school’s parents at the start of the school year telling them about how the politicians and bureaucrats at Albany were messing up their child’s education.
He wrote:
What we will be teaching students is to be effective test takers; a skill that does not necessarily translate into critical thinking – a skill set that is necessary at the college level and beyond. This will inevitably conflict with
Sternberg wrote a letter to the school’s parents at the start of the school year telling them about how the politicians and bureaucrats at Albany were messing up their child’s education.
He wrote:
What we will be teaching students is to be effective test takers; a skill that does not necessarily translate into critical thinking – a skill set that is necessary at the college level and beyond. This will inevitably conflict with
Waiver Madness
Washington, D.C., has announced that it will set different testing targets for children of different racial groups.According to a story in the Washington Post, this is now common practice among the states that have obtained waivers from No Child Left Behind.
The District and the states are acknowledging that children of color are so far behind their white and Asian peers that they will need more time to catch up. Actually, in D.C., black students will be expected more progress than white students so they can catch up with white students.
The story says:
Officials say the new targets account for differences in current performance and demand the fastest progress from students who are furthest behind. The goals vary across much of the country by race, family income and
The District and the states are acknowledging that children of color are so far behind their white and Asian peers that they will need more time to catch up. Actually, in D.C., black students will be expected more progress than white students so they can catch up with white students.
The story says:
Officials say the new targets account for differences in current performance and demand the fastest progress from students who are furthest behind. The goals vary across much of the country by race, family income and
How Testing Reduces Instructional Time
A veteran teacher explains how the testing process affects kindergarten students:
I taught Kindergarten for 23 years. In addition to using imbedded assessment practices during instruction (listening, watching, asking, redirecting, challenging, etc.) I also conducted individual interviews with kids, when needed, to find out what they knew so that I could diagnose problems and plan individual instruction. In recent years my assessment practices became less and less valued by people in charge. Everyone wanted standardized test results that spawned digital graphs about kids. This did not bother me until I found out how much instructional time was lost.
Here’s the reality: You begin the year by testing to obtain baseline scores. One might think this is useful because by testing again at the end of the year you could have a nice graph showing growth. But unfortunately
I taught Kindergarten for 23 years. In addition to using imbedded assessment practices during instruction (listening, watching, asking, redirecting, challenging, etc.) I also conducted individual interviews with kids, when needed, to find out what they knew so that I could diagnose problems and plan individual instruction. In recent years my assessment practices became less and less valued by people in charge. Everyone wanted standardized test results that spawned digital graphs about kids. This did not bother me until I found out how much instructional time was lost.
Here’s the reality: You begin the year by testing to obtain baseline scores. One might think this is useful because by testing again at the end of the year you could have a nice graph showing growth. But unfortunately
Bugs in Tech Heaven
The Broad-trained superintendent decided to go all-digital in Huntsville, Alabama.
So he purchased 22,000 laptops and a Pearson online curriculum.
The going has been rough.
Students, teachers and parents are complaining about glitches. A student says that it takes her longer to do her
So he purchased 22,000 laptops and a Pearson online curriculum.
The going has been rough.
Students, teachers and parents are complaining about glitches. A student says that it takes her longer to do her
The Absurdity of the “Parent Trigger” Idea
The movie “Won’t Back Down” is being heavily promoted by its backers.
But there is lots of pushback from parents and teachers. And the reviews have been almost uniformly bad, including those from non-educational sources.
This article, by a retired teacher, cites many of those reviews and asks a fundamental question: If taxpayers support the school as a public benefit, why should parents have the power to privatize it?
But there is lots of pushback from parents and teachers. And the reviews have been almost uniformly bad, including those from non-educational sources.
This article, by a retired teacher, cites many of those reviews and asks a fundamental question: If taxpayers support the school as a public benefit, why should parents have the power to privatize it?
More on Charters in Ohio
A reader writes in response to an earlier post about Ohio charters:
This is sooooooo true. One charter Academy in Toledo is a good example of this. It is run out of Lansing MI and is housed in a closed Catholic school building. There are little people cutouts hanging from a chart high in every classroom. Most are red. Red denotes did not pass the test. Yellow almost passed. Green passed. In the classroom I saw, the math people were all red. For reading, there were three yellow and one green; the rest were
This is sooooooo true. One charter Academy in Toledo is a good example of this. It is run out of Lansing MI and is housed in a closed Catholic school building. There are little people cutouts hanging from a chart high in every classroom. Most are red. Red denotes did not pass the test. Yellow almost passed. Green passed. In the classroom I saw, the math people were all red. For reading, there were three yellow and one green; the rest were
More Standardized Testing for Kindergarten
Testing children in kindergarten is becoming common practice. Oregon will begin testing all 5-year-olds next fall to assess their “readiness” for kindergarten. It is never too soon to test children, and some states have drafted standards for pre-schoolers.
How did this happen? An article by Stephanie Simon in Reuters explains it all.
“Testing young children is not a new concept. In the 1980s, many states assessed children to determine whether they were ready to enter kindergarten or first grade. Experts in child development denounced the
How did this happen? An article by Stephanie Simon in Reuters explains it all.
“Testing young children is not a new concept. In the 1980s, many states assessed children to determine whether they were ready to enter kindergarten or first grade. Experts in child development denounced the
Get Involved in Saving Public Education in Indiana
A group of concerned parents, retired teachers, and friends of public education in Indiana created a website,which is here.
They are the Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education.
To lend a hand, read their materials and join them in the battle to stop privatization of public education and
They are the Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education.
To lend a hand, read their materials and join them in the battle to stop privatization of public education and
A Student Reports on Education Nation
Stephanie Rivera is preparing to be a teacher at Rutgers University, where she is a junior. Stephanie has her own blog. But what’s special about Stephanie is that she has strong values, she has guts, and she is articulate. As an activist devoted to educational equity, she rightly is suspicious of faux reforms sponsored by billionaires and corporations.
Stephanie attended Education Nation. This is her report on te various panels and town halls. It is well worth
Stephanie attended Education Nation. This is her report on te various panels and town halls. It is well worth
A Naive Film Director? UPDATE!
How could the director of this film not know that he was promoting an idea dear to the agendas of rightwing think tanks and ALEC?
What Happened at Elite High Schools in NYC?
Juan Gonzalez of the New York Daily News is appalled at the steadily shrinking proportion of black and Hispanic students in the city’s elite exam high schools:
He writes:
In 1999, three years before Michael Bloomberg became mayor, black students comprised 24% of the student body at Brooklyn Tech. This year, the percentage of black students has plummeted to 10%.
Stuyvesant’s student body was nearly 13% black in 1979; it then dropped to 4.8% by 1994; this year it’s an
He writes:
In 1999, three years before Michael Bloomberg became mayor, black students comprised 24% of the student body at Brooklyn Tech. This year, the percentage of black students has plummeted to 10%.
Stuyvesant’s student body was nearly 13% black in 1979; it then dropped to 4.8% by 1994; this year it’s an
Cool Greeting for KIPP Founder in New Zealand
Mike Feinberg is visiting New Zealand to talk about KIPP, and some of the New Zealanders are none too happy about it.
From the attached article, it is clear that they are not thrilled with the “no excuses” doctrine. As one writer says, “If you wouldn’t do this to your own child, why would you do it to other people’s children.”
From the attached article, it is clear that they are not thrilled with the “no excuses” doctrine. As one writer says, “If you wouldn’t do this to your own child, why would you do it to other people’s children.”
NYC School Reform Ignores Diversity
Admission to New York City’s elite high schools is determined by one test and one test only. As a result of this policy, few black or Hispanic students are admitted to these schools. Diversity has dropped sharply in the past several years.
Civil rights groups are suing the city.
Consider these startling facts:
“Although 70 percent of the city’s public school students are black and Hispanic, a far smaller percentage have scored high enough to receive offers from one of the schools. According to the complaint, 733 of the 12,525 black and Hispanic students who took the exam were offered seats this year. For whites, 1,253 of the 4,101 tes
Civil rights groups are suing the city.
Consider these startling facts:
“Although 70 percent of the city’s public school students are black and Hispanic, a far smaller percentage have scored high enough to receive offers from one of the schools. According to the complaint, 733 of the 12,525 black and Hispanic students who took the exam were offered seats this year. For whites, 1,253 of the 4,101 tes
Fact-Checking Jeb Bush and the Florida Miracle
We have often heard of the Florida miracle, as recounted by former Governor Jeb Bush.
Remember the Tezas miracle?
I know there was no Texas miracle.
This reader says there was no Florida miracle.
Remember the Tezas miracle?
I know there was no Texas miracle.
This reader says there was no Florida miracle.
A Clueless Review of Anti-Union, Anti-Public Education Film: UPDATE WITH LINK!
The Los Angeles Times published a review–maybe it is an article, not a review, it is hard to tell–of the anti-union, anti-public education film “Won’t Back Down.” The article reaches no judgments about anything, other than the opening box office, which does not look good.
It says that critics claim the film is anti-union, but its director and writer don’t agree. Critics say that the producer is a rightwing zealot, but the director and writer say it doesn’t matter. Presumably the conservative billionaire
It says that critics claim the film is anti-union, but its director and writer don’t agree. Critics say that the producer is a rightwing zealot, but the director and writer say it doesn’t matter. Presumably the conservative billionaire