An Inside Joke for Readers of This Blog
This came from a reader: A talking pineapple standing on a ziggurat sees a half built plane flying through the air and losing altitude. The plane has three people, the smartest man in the world, a hippie, and a pilot, but only two parachutes. Who should go? Obviously the smartest man says he should. That leaves the pilot and the hippie and the pilot asks if they should flip a coin. The hippie sa
David Coleman, the Most Influential Man in U.S. Education?
Joy Resmovits has posted an admiring article about David Coleman, architect of the Common Core standards and now head of the College Board. It tells you much of what you need to know about the man whose ideas are reshaping what almost every public school students in the United States will know and be able to do. Note that Coleman tried to be a teacher, he says, but didn’t get hired. And now he wil
NC Teacher: Who Will Want to Teach?
A reader in North Carolina reflects on the Legislature’s many punishments imposed on teachers: “As a teacher in NC, I am disappointed yet not surprised by the recent cuts. Another year without a raise while our health insurance premiums continue to rise, the demand increases, leadership decreases, and class size balloons. The people who make the most money on the district and state level are so di
Is New York Paying Too Much for Education?
Governor Cuomo likes to complain that New York spends too much for education. That was one of his reasons for wanting a “death penalty” for schools with low test scores. Instead of doing anything to help them improve, like expanding Pre-K or reducing class sizes, he wants to “kill” those schools by eliminating democratic control of education–that is, by state takeover, mayoral control, or privatiz
A Brilliant Article by a Retired Superintendent: Please Read It and Help It Go Viral
If you read about education, you are sometimes tempted to think that all common sense has departed this nation, its leaders, and its mass media. They keep looking for quick fixes, miracles, turnarounds, and magical answers as “solutions” to education problems. Here is Ray Strabeck, a retired school superintendent in Mississippi, who reminds us that there are still people who know what they are tal
What in the World Were State Officials Thinking?
Howard Schwach taught for more than 25 years, developed test items for the state, and worked on curriculum development for special education students. He recently reviewed sample items from New York’s Common Core tests and professed astonishment. He wrote: From the first moment that I looked at some practice tests for the English Language Arts tests that were given recently, I knew that the kids a
Ghost Schools in Ohio=$$$
Ohio is the for-profit Capitol of US education. Here is one of the profiteers’ secrets: They collect tax dollars for no-show students. This is from Bill Phillis of the Ohio coalition for education and adequacy. Ghost schools 8/30/13 About five years ago, Scripps Howard News Service published, Ghost Schools-A special investigative report by Scripps Howard News Service finds taxpayers paying mill
An Educator Awakens to the Grim Realities of Life
This teacher left a powerful comment about how he became educated about real life by teaching. The myths he had learned in his youth fell away when confronted by the children whose lives are burdened by poverty. Please tweet this comment. It should go viral. Add your voice. This reader said in a comment: “People harass me for talking about poverty all the time. I come from a middle class, white fa
Help the U.S. Department of Education Evaluate State Tests
The U.S. Department of Education on its official blog asked for help and advice in evaluating state testing systems aligned with the Common Core. Forget the fact that the U.S. Department of Education is barred by law from doing anything to control or direct curriculum and instruction. How about offering your help? Here is a suggestion posted as a comment: “First of all let’s address the standards
NC Teacher: Walk in Our Shoes
This teacher in North Carolina has an invitation for the legislators cutting the schools’ budget and the pundits who applaud them: Walk in our shoes. She writes: “I’d like to put out a call to every politician who had a hand in passing NC’s new budget. To every policy maker who thinks this is a good (or even just acceptable) idea. To every parent forsaking public education. To every taxpayer
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 8-31-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGTODAYAn Educator Awakens to the Grim Realities of LifeThis teacher left a powerful comment about how he became educated about real life by teaching. The myths he had learned in his youth fell away when confronted by the children whose lives are burdened by poverty. Please tweet this comment. It should go viral. Add your v
Diane in the Evening 8-30-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Cuomo Wants “Death Penalty” for “Failing Schools”New York Governor Cuomo wants a “death penalty” for “failing schools,” He was referring to the public schools of Buffalo, which is one of the state’s poorest districts. He threatened state takeover, mayoral control, or charters. None of his remedies has ever succeeded. But they will
