SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT OCTOBER 17 CAMPAIGN FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS! « DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
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A Teacher for the New Jersey Legislature
Here is a great way to stop the attacks on teachers and stop the privatization of public education: elect teachers to fight for kids and public schools.Marie Corfield is a teacher who is running for the New Jersy Assembly. She already has had one face-to-face confrontation with Governor Chris Christie. I hope she has the chance to have many more. The Christie administration is determined to give public funds to profiteers and entrepreneurs to run schools.
New Jersey has great public schools. They regularly rank #2 or 3# of all states on NAEP. New Jersey also has districts that are intensely poor and segregated. Profiteers won't cure their deep economic ills.
Corfield is in a tight race. She has a good chance to win.
You can help her with a contribution or by clicking on the link in Jersey Jazzman's post about her.
A Rebuke to Testing Fanatics–Not That They Care
An interesting article in the Sunday New York Times about how test performance is affected by social and psychological factors.
Our public policy today seems built on the assumption that standardized tests accurately measure what was taught and learned. Teachers and most test experts know how fallible the tests are.
The author, Annie Murphy Paul, concludes:
This research has important implications for the way we educate our children. For one thing, we should replace
Our public policy today seems built on the assumption that standardized tests accurately measure what was taught and learned. Teachers and most test experts know how fallible the tests are.
The author, Annie Murphy Paul, concludes:
This research has important implications for the way we educate our children. For one thing, we should replace
Testing Runs Amok in Oklahoma
Florida pioneered the use of school grades. New York City followed. Now other states and districts are jumping aboard.
The latest to adopt school grades is Oklahoma. The superintendents there don’t understand what is gained by this action. For some reason, the people who put grades on schools think of this as “reform,” but it is not.
It is a label based mostly on test scores. What we have learned in New York City over the past decade is that
The latest to adopt school grades is Oklahoma. The superintendents there don’t understand what is gained by this action. For some reason, the people who put grades on schools think of this as “reform,” but it is not.
It is a label based mostly on test scores. What we have learned in New York City over the past decade is that
A Question for Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney likes to boast that Massachusetts is number 1 in the nation in academics, and he is right. Massachusetts is the highest scoring state on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in math and reading, in fourth and eighth grades.
Now, as we know, Mitt is very anti-union. His educational platform excoriates the bad teachers’ unions, that allegedly protect bad teachers and drive down educational quality.
But, wait a minute! Massachusetts has a completely unionized teaching force. How can
Helping Kids or Helping Charters?
Now, as we know, Mitt is very anti-union. His educational platform excoriates the bad teachers’ unions, that allegedly protect bad teachers and drive down educational quality.
But, wait a minute! Massachusetts has a completely unionized teaching force. How can
Helping Kids or Helping Charters?
Wendy Lecker, advocate for public education in Connecticut, raises important questions.
Why was Hartford’s low-performing Milner School handed over to charter operator Jumoke Academy? Why did Hartford officials do nothing to help Milner until the charter school took over? Why did Jumoke get $2 million to fix Milner but no help was available to Milner before the takeover?
Lecker asks: is the responsibility of the state to help the kids or to help grow the charter sector?
Since State Commissiomer of Education Stefan Pryor comes from the charter sector, she suspects it is the latter
Corporatization of Public Education?
Why was Hartford’s low-performing Milner School handed over to charter operator Jumoke Academy? Why did Hartford officials do nothing to help Milner until the charter school took over? Why did Jumoke get $2 million to fix Milner but no help was available to Milner before the takeover?
Lecker asks: is the responsibility of the state to help the kids or to help grow the charter sector?
Since State Commissiomer of Education Stefan Pryor comes from the charter sector, she suspects it is the latter
Corporatization of Public Education?
An interesting article at open.salon.com speculates about the current drive to privatize American public education.
Inevitably, the author makes the US/Finland comparison. What is missing? He or she never mentions that Finland does not have any standardized testing. Not until students apply to college (which is tuition-free, by the way).
Teachers are respected not only because it is tough to become a teacher–the selection process is rigorous–but
Inevitably, the author makes the US/Finland comparison. What is missing? He or she never mentions that Finland does not have any standardized testing. Not until students apply to college (which is tuition-free, by the way).
Teachers are respected not only because it is tough to become a teacher–the selection process is rigorous–but