Shameless StudentsFirst Tries to Buy Iowa
Even though Michelle Rhee suffered multiple embarrassments in the past few weeks–with John Merrow reporting her refusal to investigate the cheating scandal that occurred on her watch and the Broader Bolder Approach reporting the failure of her “reforms”—her organization continues to push her failed “reforms” on states across the nation.
StudentsFirst pumped over $317,000 into legislative races in Iowa to ensure that legislators would listen to its radical, anti-public education message. It was the single biggest contributor to state races in 2012.
Now it is filling the airwaves with ads urging the legislature to adopt changes that will advance Rhee’s personal vendetta against teachers and public education.
She demands that teacher evaluations be tied to test scores, even though research and experience have shown
StudentsFirst pumped over $317,000 into legislative races in Iowa to ensure that legislators would listen to its radical, anti-public education message. It was the single biggest contributor to state races in 2012.
Now it is filling the airwaves with ads urging the legislature to adopt changes that will advance Rhee’s personal vendetta against teachers and public education.
She demands that teacher evaluations be tied to test scores, even though research and experience have shown
Common Core: Are Schools Ready?
Paul E. Barton, an experienced education researcher and author of the book National Standards: Getting Beneath the Surface, is concerned that the implementation of the Common Core standards is happening too quickly. He wrote this post for this blog:
The much-anticipated Common Core Standards have been rolled out—and widely praised—and tests based on the standards are being created. Now is a really critical stage when teachers must be trained and a curriculum created, and states and schools seem to be on their own. The standards have been described as very rigorous and challenging, requiring teachers to learn new pedagogies. These tasks will be both time consuming and expensive.
The early returns publicly available are worrisome. A recent Education Week story bore the headline, “Teachers
A Critical Stage for the Common Core
The much-anticipated Common Core Standards have been rolled out—and widely praised—and tests based on the standards are being created. Now is a really critical stage when teachers must be trained and a curriculum created, and states and schools seem to be on their own. The standards have been described as very rigorous and challenging, requiring teachers to learn new pedagogies. These tasks will be both time consuming and expensive.
The early returns publicly available are worrisome. A recent Education Week story bore the headline, “Teachers
Testing Madness Goes Totally Nuts
Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, DC, warned students that anyone who did not take the DC tests would not be allowed to play in my athletic activities next year.
In addition, the school posted a table of prizes and raffle tickets that students could win every day they took the tests.
Says the school: “DCCAS Testing Schedule – We will be administering the DCCAS April 23-25, 2013 to all scholars that have been identified to take one or more of the assessments. Scholars who do not show for a
In addition, the school posted a table of prizes and raffle tickets that students could win every day they took the tests.
Says the school: “DCCAS Testing Schedule – We will be administering the DCCAS April 23-25, 2013 to all scholars that have been identified to take one or more of the assessments. Scholars who do not show for a
Paul Barton on Common Core Implementation
Paul Barton, an experienced analyst of trends in American education, has written this piece to emphasize the importance of appropriate implementation of the Common Core standards. He warns that testing should not begin until teachers are prepared, a curriculum is in place and has been taught, and teachers have the materials they need.
A Critical Stage for the Common Core
The much-anticipated Common Core Standards have been rolled out and tests based on the standards are being created. Now is a really critical stage when teachers must be trained and a curriculum created, and states and schools seem to be on their own. The standards have been described as very rigorous and challenging, requiring
A Critical Stage for the Common Core
The much-anticipated Common Core Standards have been rolled out and tests based on the standards are being created. Now is a really critical stage when teachers must be trained and a curriculum created, and states and schools seem to be on their own. The standards have been described as very rigorous and challenging, requiring
Jersey Jazzman Says John Merrow “Created” Michelle Rhee
Jersey Jazzman deconstructs John Merrow’s post “Who Created Michelle Rhee?”
If you recall, Merrow spread the blame for her undeserved celebrity among four suspects:
1. Rhee herself, by inflating her resume
2. The media, including himself, for featuring her 12 times on PBS
3. Rightwing funders
4. The unions because of their intransigence.
JJ pins the blame for Rhee on…..read it yourself.
If you recall, Merrow spread the blame for her undeserved celebrity among four suspects:
1. Rhee herself, by inflating her resume
2. The media, including himself, for featuring her 12 times on PBS
3. Rightwing funders
4. The unions because of their intransigence.
JJ pins the blame for Rhee on…..read it yourself.
Did John White Pull Out of inBloom or Not?
Mercedes Schneider tries to figure out what John White did or did not do in relation to Louisiana’s agreement to share confidential student data with the Gates-Murdoch inBloom project. It appears that the state board of education never knew about this arrangement and that it was a secret deal made by John White.
Is there some kind of secret government-corporate group that makes these deals about students without bothering to inform democratically elected officials?
Is there some kind of secret government-corporate group that makes these deals about students without bothering to inform democratically elected officials?
This Blog: One Year Old, 4 Million + Hits
One year ago today, I started this blog.
This week, on April 21, the blog reached 4 million page views.
I had no idea when I started a year ago that the blog would turn into a platform for parents, students, teachers, principals, superintendents, school board members, and everyone else who is dissatisfied with the status quo.
The people now controlling education policy in Washington and the big foundations are defenders of
This week, on April 21, the blog reached 4 million page views.
I had no idea when I started a year ago that the blog would turn into a platform for parents, students, teachers, principals, superintendents, school board members, and everyone else who is dissatisfied with the status quo.
The people now controlling education policy in Washington and the big foundations are defenders of
David Berliner on “A Nation at Risk”: Three Decades of Lies
Three Decades of Lies
We have endured 30 years of lies, half-truths, and myths. Bruce Biddle and I debunked many of these untruths in our book, The Manufactured Crisis, in 1995. But more falsehoods continue to surface all the time. The most recent nonsense was “U. S. Education Reform and National Security,” a report presented to us last year by Joel Klein and Condoleezza Rice. A Nation at Risk had us losing the political and economic races to the Soviet Union and Japan. Did we? No. Our economy took off, the Soviet political system collapsed, and Japan’s economy has retreated for two decades. So much for the predictions of A Nation at Risk.
Diane in the Evening 4-23-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Be Wary of This Website by dianerav About once a week, I receive emails from an organization I do not know. It contains beautiful graphics claiming to rate different aspects of education. Usually I delete without opening, but this one caught my eye because it said it was rating the states. The email says: “Hi Diane, “Ever wonder how your state working to create a better education system? Please take a look at this infographic based on data from the State of Education: State Policy Report Card 2013. Feel free t... more »
