If I Were Secretary of Education…..(1)
In response to another post, asking what would you do if you were Secretary of Education:
If I were the Secretary of Education, I would take all the
money being spent on testing and use a good portion of it to hire
aids, reading specialists, nurses, librarians, and all the other
support staff needed to truly serve the needs of a school.
School boards would consist of teachers and parents.
If I were the Secretary of Education, I would take all the
money being spent on testing and use a good portion of it to hire
aids, reading specialists, nurses, librarians, and all the other
support staff needed to truly serve the needs of a school.
School boards would consist of teachers and parents.
Walton Foundation Awards $158 Million for Privatization
The Walton Family Foundation has many billions of dollars. Though not as big as the Gates Foundation, it is one of the biggest three donors to education today. (The third billionaire foundation is the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.) All three of these foundations support charter schools, testing, and choice.
Of the three, the Walton Foundation is the most conservative. It has a strong preference for free-market and libertarian policies. Last year, it handed out $159 million in education grants. This year, $158 million.
Here is their list of winners for 2012.
The Walton Foundation is built on the fortune produced by the Walmart stores. Walmart is not a friend to Main Street, and the Walton Foundation is not a friend to community public schools. The foundation, like its stores,
Of the three, the Walton Foundation is the most conservative. It has a strong preference for free-market and libertarian policies. Last year, it handed out $159 million in education grants. This year, $158 million.
Here is their list of winners for 2012.
The Walton Foundation is built on the fortune produced by the Walmart stores. Walmart is not a friend to Main Street, and the Walton Foundation is not a friend to community public schools. The foundation, like its stores,
Reader: How I Scored the FCAT Tests
A reader explains what happened when she was hired to score the FCAT:
My first job out of college in 2001 was scoring 8th grade FCAT essays. We made $10/hour in a small office building in Arizona, and we churned out scored tests like Big Macs.
Sometimes the bossmen would test our overall consistency by having us score the same writing sample. One of these samples blew me away with its creativity and control of language. It had definite boy’s handwriting and was
My first job out of college in 2001 was scoring 8th grade FCAT essays. We made $10/hour in a small office building in Arizona, and we churned out scored tests like Big Macs.
Sometimes the bossmen would test our overall consistency by having us score the same writing sample. One of these samples blew me away with its creativity and control of language. It had definite boy’s handwriting and was
Mercedes Schneider Investigates NCTQ Letter Grades: Part 1
Yet another national report from another reformer group, grading the states that meet their definition of what ought to be done.
Here, Mercedes Schneider, a Louisiana teacher with a Ph.D. in statistics and research methods, dissects the
Here, Mercedes Schneider, a Louisiana teacher with a Ph.D. in statistics and research methods, dissects the
Heilig to KIPP: Just Tell the Truth
Julian Vasquez Heilg has started a series that follows the money.
Previous entries looked at Sandy Kress, the advocate for high-stakes testing and lobbyist for Pearson, andTeach for America.
In this entry, he takes KIPP to task for understating what it spends per pupil. He relies on public data. He calls on KIPP to be a “little more honest.”
Previous entries looked at Sandy Kress, the advocate for high-stakes testing and lobbyist for Pearson, andTeach for America.
In this entry, he takes KIPP to task for understating what it spends per pupil. He relies on public data. He calls on KIPP to be a “little more honest.”
Another Chance to Investigate D.C. Cheating
There have been two official investigations of allegations of cheating in the public schools of the District of Columbia during the tenure of Michelle Rhee. Neither of them found any evidence of widespread cheating, yet many questions remain, including questions about the depth and scope and basic competency of the two official investigations.
USA Today first reported the extraordinary erasure rates in at least half the D.C. Public schools. In addition to the striking number of answers that were changed from wrong to right, there were a large number of schools
USA Today first reported the extraordinary erasure rates in at least half the D.C. Public schools. In addition to the striking number of answers that were changed from wrong to right, there were a large number of schools
Good News! Students in Portland, Oregon, Are Speaking Out
High school students in Portland, Oregon, are organizing to fight high-stakes testing.
From their statement:
“The PPS and Portland Student Unions will be teaming up in organizing an Opt-Out Campaign in which students are encouraged to opt-out of taking their standardized OAKS tests. The Student Unions want to send a strong message against to the standardized testing system as we believe that standardized tests scores are an inaccurate depiction of a student’s knowledge, have an extremely high correlation to a student’s family’s income, have a high correlation with race, are expensive, and in all are taking up class time that we could use learning
From their statement:
“The PPS and Portland Student Unions will be teaming up in organizing an Opt-Out Campaign in which students are encouraged to opt-out of taking their standardized OAKS tests. The Student Unions want to send a strong message against to the standardized testing system as we believe that standardized tests scores are an inaccurate depiction of a student’s knowledge, have an extremely high correlation to a student’s family’s income, have a high correlation with race, are expensive, and in all are taking up class time that we could use learning
Diane in the Evening 1-29-13 Diane Ravitch's blog
Diane Ravitch's blog: Florida’s Nutty Accountability System by dianerav Between the two Bush brothers–George W. and Jeb–the nation’s education system is locked into a regime of endless testing, grading, evaluating, marking, measuring, etc. It doesn’t seem to get us very far. After all, Texas has been in this business for as long as anyone can Australian Educators Thank Garfield Teachers by dianerav Our compatriots in Australia are watching the growing rebellion against high-stakes testing with interest and hope. They are impressed by the courage and unity of teachers at Garfi... more »