The problems facing community colleges — in seven graphs
A new report on the state of America’s community colleges says that while these institutions are “expected to shoulder the bulk of the challenge” of lifting America’s postsecondary graduation rates, many are not equipped to do the job. The report, … Continue reading →
NY principals: Why new Common Core tests failed
Teachers and principals in New York have expressed strong concerns about the new high-stakes standardized tests supposedly aligned with the Common Core State Standards that were recently given to students across the state. The following letter to New York Education Commissioner John King from a number of New York principals explains the depth of the problems educators found with the tests.May 2013Dear New York State Education Commissioner John King,We New York City and Metropolitan Area Principals hold ourselves accountable to ensuring that all of our students make consistent and meaningful academic progress. Although we are skeptical of the ability of high stakes tests alone to accurately
The serious risks of rushing new teacher evaluation systems
Increasingly we are hearing concerns from educators that new education reforms are being rushed, including the Common Core State Standards. At the same time, new teacher evaluation systems are being put into place as well. Here to evaluate the risks … Continue reading →
The billionaires lose one
Big money doesn’t always win the day. At least it didn’t in a school board race in Los Angeles in which a few million dollars showered on a favored candidate failed to overcome the poorly funded campaign of a fifth-grade …Continue reading →