Philly Burns; The Inquirer Fiddles
Perhaps they haven't yet heard about this in the editorial offices of the Philadelphia Inquirer, but the city's schools are about to implode, thanks to Tea Partyin', constitution-shreddin', public-education-destroyin' wingnut Governor Tom Corbett and his fellow travelers in Harrisburg. While ignorant ideologues like Andy Smarick pretend that Philadelphia is somehow proof that rampant privatizatio
B'Bye Bowen
Another one of Jeb! Bush's Chiefs For Change moves on to greener pastures: Maine Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen announced Friday that he will resign effective Sept. 12 to take a job with the national Council of Chief State School Officers, according to a statement from Gov. Paul LePage. Bowen, who was appointed by LePage in March 2011, has been at the center of the governor’s ambitious an
YESTERDAY
Dear NJ Teacher Voting For @GovChristie: ARE YOU INSANE?!?!
Dear Fellow NJ Public School Teacher Getting Ready To Vote For Chris Christie This Fall: Are you out of your freakin' mind?!?! Christie presented his major accomplishment as breaking the back of public-sector unions with government employees while simultaneously wooing private-sector unions. “We have the endorsement of 24 building-trade unions,” he said. “We have an opportunity as a political
A Crib Sheet for the Rhee/Perry Tour
Looks like someone is desperately trying to become relevant again: Michelle Rhee wants to have a candid conversation with her fiercest critics.And she’s asking local teachers union leaders and activists — long her most vocal opponents — to be a part of each event. According to the invitations sent Wednesday, Rhee’s goal is to bring teachers and their union representatives into the wider conver
AUG 15
Criteria, Norms, NASCAR, and Driving Tests in NY
Here's a bit of completely made up news: the New York State Education Department is taking over driving exams for the state's Motor Vehicles Department. As we all know, the unacceptable rate of accidents on New York's roads is due to a lack of "rigor" in driving instruction. John King, NYSED commissioner, is going to change all that with a new driving test that is more "realistic"; it will emphasi
AUG 13
"No Excuses" Is Destroying Lives in the UK
Leonie Haimson twitter-points to an incredibly disturbing report from The Prince's Trust, a British charity set up by Prince Charles* to help disadvantaged young people in the UK. By their account, giving out lots of bad grades - just like New York State recently did, with SecEd Arne Duncan's hearty approval - is destroying many young British lives: Key findings > One in six young people (18 pe
NY State Tests: Misguided Mixing of Norms and Criteria
ADDING: I continue my discussion here. Before I go any further, I think I need to regroup. Most of you probably have a good familiarity with what I'm going to discuss; however, I think it may be helpful to step back for a moment and think about some of the basics before we proceed. I know it will be helpful to me. When we last left our discussion of the crashing of New York State's test scores,
AUG 10
Scoring NY Tests With the Triple Lindy!
One of my guilty pleasures is screwball comedies, and one of my favorites stars the great Rodney Dangerfield: Back To School. In the climatic scene of the movie, Rodney wins the big diving meet ("Hey gang, forget about the football game; let's get pumped for the big diving meet!") by flawlessly executing a dive that defies all known laws of physics: the Triple Lindy! What makes the Triple Lindy
