Reader: The Public Doesn’t Understand the Flaws of High-Stakes Testing
A reader whose nom de plume is “labor lawyer” responds to the AP survey–claiming that parents approve of high-stakes testing–with these observations: Anecdotal evidence (my own conversations over several years with well-educated middle/upper-middle-class parents), the overwhelming majority of parents approve relying, at least in part, on student test scores to evaluate teachers, including to dis
From a “Nobody Teacher” in Philadelphia
Received as a comment on an earlier post about the collapse of public education in Philadelphia due to lack of state funding: “As a nobody teacher in Philadelphia, born and raised here, I am truly stunned by this event at the Union League, the priciest, most snobbish, insulated institution in our city. There is nothing “public” about the place, and, in fact, they barred Catholics from being club
How the AP Turned a Survey into Propaganda
A widely distributed AP story claimed that parents favor high-stakes standardized testing and think that their children are taking the right number of tests. The obvious intent of the story was to deflate the anti-testing movement, which has been surging in recent years (consider that almost every local school board in the state of Texas passed a resolution opposing high-stakes testing and the leg
Kevin Welner Critiques Cunningham Attack on Me
Peter Cunningham launched a harsh attack on me and my forthcoming book, “Reign of Error.” I assume he has not read it as it won’t be available for a few more weeks. Some 200 comments were posted on his article, almost none supporting his intemperate accusations. One of them was a silly claim that I don’t want minorities to go to college, refuted here and in the book and many other places. Kevin We
Paul Thomas: Common Core and the Gravy Train
Paul Thomas points out that standardized test scores correlate closely with family income. He notes the lack of any evidence that more testing makes students smarter. The driving force behind the demand for Common Core and more testing is profit.
TFA About to Take Control of Atlanta School Board
Teach for America has always said that its long-term goal was to train future leaders who would take a significant role in shaping education policy. That is happening. Such alumni as Michelle Rhee, Kevin Huffman (state commissioner in Tennessee), John White (state commissioner in Louisiana), and Eric Guckian (education advisor to the extremist Governor of North Carolina) are using their power to p
Anti-Testing Movement Grows in NY Suburbs and Towns
The collapse of test scores in New York following the first tests of the Common Core standards is fueling the growth of the anti-testing movement. A huge protest took place in Port Jefferson Station on Long Island on Saturday. Fifteen hundred people turned out to denounce the Common Core and the tests that labeled most children as “failures.” To get a turnout of this size on a Saturday in August in a small town signals big trouble for Common Core and its cheerleaders in the State Education Department. Hero educator Dr. Joseph Rella was one of the speakers. Newsday, the most widely read newsp
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: The Attacks BeginBecause of my new book, which won’t be available until September 18, I fully expect the corporate reform attack machine to come after me. They have invested a lot of energy in charters, vouchers, merit pay, stripping teachers of tenure, collective bargaining rights, pensions, etc. despite the lack of any evidence t
