One Secret of Success Academy’s Success
We know a few things for sure about Eva Moskowitz’s NYC charter schools. We know they have very high test scores. We know that the Broad Foundation was so impressed by the test scores that it awarded the charter chain $5 million to expand. We know that the chain wants to expand to 100 schools in the next decade. Now we know something else, something that had long been suspected. Success Academ
NPE Candidate Battles Koch Brothers in Douglas County, Colorado
Please view the website of the Network for Public Education, where you can find the links and photos that accompany this announcement. Koch Brothers Enter the Douglas County Race NPE-endorsed Candidate Faces AFP-Backed Tea Party Candidate NPE-endorsed candidate Ronda Scholting now faces an opponent in the Douglas County School Board race who is supported by the Koch brothers. This week, it was an
E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Opposes Value-Added Teacher Evaluation
E.D. Hirsch, Jr., the founder of the Core Knowledge curriculum, wrote an article opposing value-added teacher evaluation, especially in reading. Hirsch supports the Common Core but thinks it may be jeopardized by the rush to test it and tie the scores to teacher evaluations. He knows this will encourage teaching to the test and other negative consequences. Hirsch believes that if teachers teach s
Computer Glitches Are Commonplace at Big Publishing Corporations
A reader submits the following comment. He or she might also have noted the computer failures of testing companies this past spring, for example, in Indiana and Oklahoma. The reader says: Pearson has a pattern of poor performance nationwide, stretching back for more than a decade. For example, A. In 2002, a computer glitch caused malfunctions in some online math tests and Pearson incorrectly faile
What Did Martin Luther King, Jr., Teach Us?
Note to readers: I cross-posted this at Huffington Post 30 minutes ago. Please leave comments there as well as here. Spreading our story. I had a note from an outstanding superintendent in a fine suburban district in New York, someone I greatly admire. He is experienced and wise. He has the support of parents, staff, and community. He runs one of the state’s best school districts. He wrote of the
Extra! Extra! Read All About It! NY Times Goes RFA!
I hope Norm Scott, retired New York City teacher, blogger, and videographer, will forgive me for posting this hilarious satire, rather than merely putting up a link. The unwritten rule of the blogosphere is that you post the link so the other person, who wrote it, gets traffic. Please open this link and give Norm the traffic he deserves. You will enjoy his site, which reflects his wisdom and wit.
George Wood: Why Does Ohio Keep Changing the Rules for Judging Schools?
George Wood is superintendent of Federal Hocking School District and an articulate supporter of public education in a state where public education is under siege by the governor and legislature. How can schools function in an atmosphere of constant turmoil and interference by politicians? Here are his thoughts about the state’s new report card for schools: A perspective on the State’s new report
Retired, But Still a Teacher, Miss the Kids
In response to a post about a teacher’s last day of teaching first grade, this retired teacher wrote the following: I read this while sitting on the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard and soon was sobbing uncontrollably. My husband returned from the deck, saw me reading on my phone and asked if someone died. It’s been one year since I retired after 34 years of teaching. Last Day’s letter rekindled all the
BAT Founder: Education “Reform” Is a Coup D’Etat
Mark Naison is one of the founders of BAT, the Badass Teachers Association. He says that what is happening to public education today is nothing less than a coup d’état, a stealthy takeover of public education by elites who know little or nothing about education. Some do it for the power; some for greed; some for ideology. Whatever their reason, it is time to resist. Naison writes: “There Has Been
Diane in the Evening 8-29-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Our Thoroughly Insane Teacher Evaluation SystemThis is a letter from Arthur Goldstein to his colleagues at Francis Lewis High School in Queens, New York. Arthur is chapter chair of his school, where he teaches English language learners. He also had a terrific blog called NYC Educator. This is what he told the staff about the new te
