Bloodless Abstractionism
A dedicated advocate for putting the reality of a living being, a child, back into the actuarial equations of our political considerations, Peg With Pen posts this on the first day of 2013:
Teachers, as you plan how to resist corporate education reform and rebuild public schools on National Opt Out Day (Jan.7th) - or any day for that matter - here is one way to do it - do not allow others to refer to children based on their test scores. Children cannot be called "UnSats" or "Partials" or any other label attached to a number.
It is beyond disrespectful and allows teachers to become removed from the actions they are taking, therefore, they/teachers are less likely to wake up to the pain and suffering inflicted on
Fiction/nonfiction debate a diversion from the big question: Should we have common core standards?
Posted as a comment at: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2012/12/literature_versus_nonfiction_d.html#comments
The debate over fiction vs. non-fiction in the Common Core is diverting us from a more important question: should we have common core standards?
The rational for the standards is the belief that our schools are "broken." There is no evidence this is true: Middle class American students who attend well-funded schools score at the top of the world on international tests. Our unspectacular scores are because US has such a high percentage of child poverty, 23.1%, the second-highest
The debate over fiction vs. non-fiction in the Common Core is diverting us from a more important question: should we have common core standards?
The rational for the standards is the belief that our schools are "broken." There is no evidence this is true: Middle class American students who attend well-funded schools score at the top of the world on international tests. Our unspectacular scores are because US has such a high percentage of child poverty, 23.1%, the second-highest
The "real hurdle" in educational reform: Poverty
Protecting children from the impact of poverty
Sent to the Chicago Sun Times, January 1, 2013
Yes, poverty is the “real hurdle to education reform” (Dec. 29).
We can protect children from some of the impact of poverty immediately and inexpensively. Poverty means inadequate diet, inferior health care, and lack of access to books at home, in school and in the community, among other things, and each of these has a devastating effect on school performance.
Sent to the Chicago Sun Times, January 1, 2013
Yes, poverty is the “real hurdle to education reform” (Dec. 29).
We can protect children from some of the impact of poverty immediately and inexpensively. Poverty means inadequate diet, inferior health care, and lack of access to books at home, in school and in the community, among other things, and each of these has a devastating effect on school performance.