The End of Public Education in Philadelphia?
Will Bunch, Philadelphia journalist, reports rumors that state officials may be planning to privatize all of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia schools tried privatization a decade ago and it didn’t work. But this seems to be the cheapest way to get rid of the Philly problem instead of giving the kids and schools what they need.
Philadelphia schools tried privatization a decade ago and it didn’t work. But this seems to be the cheapest way to get rid of the Philly problem instead of giving the kids and schools what they need.
Common. Core: Skepticism in the New York Times
Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus wrote an interesting article about the Common Core in Sunday’s New York Times. They don’t usually write about K-12 education, so their perspective is different from that of educators who complain about the speed and secrecy with which th standards became national.
A few tidbits:
“It is the uniformity of the exams and the skills ostensibly linked to them that appeal to the Core’s supporters, like Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Bill and Melinda Gates. They believe that tougher standards, and eventually higher standardized test scores, will make America more competitive in the global brain race. “If we’ve encouraged anything from Washington, it’s for states to set a high bar for what students should know to be able
A few tidbits:
“It is the uniformity of the exams and the skills ostensibly linked to them that appeal to the Core’s supporters, like Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Bill and Melinda Gates. They believe that tougher standards, and eventually higher standardized test scores, will make America more competitive in the global brain race. “If we’ve encouraged anything from Washington, it’s for states to set a high bar for what students should know to be able
New York Advocacy Groups Post Petition to Remove John King
Advocacy groups have posted a petition on change.org calling for the removal of John King as state commissioner.
Parents and educators reject King’s blind faith in high-stakes testing and his determination to evaluate educators based on test scores, despite the absence of evidence for this approach and the certain negative consequences.
Parents and educators reject King’s blind faith in high-stakes testing and his determination to evaluate educators based on test scores, despite the absence of evidence for this approach and the certain negative consequences.
The Néw High School: Deja Vu All Over Again
Arne Duncan announced that he plans to hold a national competition for a redesign of the high school. He wants to dangle $300 million (if Congress agrees) for those who come up with the best redesign of the American high school. He is thinking STEM, technology, and other such big ideas.
As I read of this idea, I couldn’t help but remember back to 1991 when the first President Bush assembled smart people like Lamar Alexander as secretary and David Kearns (CEO of Xerox) as deputy secretary. David Kearns created a national competition to design the school of the future. The prize was $50 million (raised in the private
As I read of this idea, I couldn’t help but remember back to 1991 when the first President Bush assembled smart people like Lamar Alexander as secretary and David Kearns (CEO of Xerox) as deputy secretary. David Kearns created a national competition to design the school of the future. The prize was $50 million (raised in the private
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-10-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Camins: Two Roads Diverged in a Wood….. by dianerav “Two roads diverged in a wood,” begins one of Robert Frost’s most famous poems. Arthur Camins wrote in 2011 about the fateful choice confronting American education. In 2011, he wrote: “U.S. education is at a transformational moment. The choices we make will determine whether our schools become collaborative and democratic or prescriptive and authoritarian. The policies proposed by the federal government for ... more »