A Real Educator Will Run for State Superintendent in Oklahoma
This is exciting! Folks, the tide is turning! An experienced superintendent announced that he will run for state superintendent against Janet Barresi, the current superintendent who is a member of Jeb Bush’s shrinking Chiefs for Change. Barresi worked as a speech pathologist, then became a dentist. She opened charter schools. She is part of the Jeb (“test ‘em until they cry, then give everyone a
Alice Mercer Reviews “Reign of Error” and EdTech
Alice Mercer’s review of “Reign of Error” addresses the question raised by some EdTech reviewers about where I stand on the use of technology in the classroom. She quotes from the book to demonstrate that I strongly believe in the value of technology as a tool to transform and enliven teaching. Why read a few sentences in a dull textbook about John F. Kennedy’s electrifying Inaugural Address when
Rhee Vs. Ravitch in Philadelphia
As it happened, Michelle Rhee and I nearly crossed paths in Philadelphia. This article describes our contrasting visions for the public schools of Philadelphia. She spoke on September 16, in a panel that included George Parker, the former head of the Washington Teachers Union, who now works for Rhee, and Steve Perry, ex-CNN commentator. Governor Tom Corbett cut $1 billion from the schools in 2011,
Why Teachers Should Write the Tests, not Corporations
While I was traveling to Denver, I received a request from The New Republic to respond to an article by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the provost of the University of Pennsylvania, who asserted that we need more tests, because studying for tests makes kids smarter. I wrote this article, responding to Dr. Ezekiel that what matters most about tests is who writes them, how quickly results are reported, and wh
Gary Rubinstein: Jared Polis’ Charters Show Low Growth
Since I am not allied with the corporate reformers, I don’t put much credence in test scores. But the reformers love Big Data and seem to believe that everyone and everything can be measured. They use phrases like “you measure what you treasure” and “you can control only what can be measured.” I happen to think such thoughts are anti-humanistic and technocratic to an extreme, but then I am not in
How Common Core Killed the Dinosaurs
Amy Prime, a second grade teacher in Iowa, used to teach about dinosaurs as a unit that taught science, social studies, language, literacy, math, and the arts. Now the dinosaurs are gone. Killed again. This time by Common Core. Amy writes: “So I grieve for the lost dinosaurs. I grieve for the challenge and energy I got as a teacher from striving to get to know my kids and create lessons for the
The Question of Vallas and Pryor in Connecticut
This is an article that appears in the newsletter of the Connecticut Association of School Administrators. I can’t give a link because it is part of a pdf. I am working on learning how to insert a pdf into the blog but have not mastered it yet. Give me time. The article was written by attorney John M. Gesmonde. Gesmonde, a graduate of Columbia University and the University of Connecticut Law Sch
Noel Hammatt: What If “Failing Schools” Aren’t?
Since I had the wrong link in the original, I am reporting. Noel Hammatt is an independent researcher and former board member of the Baton Rouge public school board. He is one of the best-informed and most courageous researchers in a state where truth is to be found not in official statements, which are political, but in the work of bloggers and independent researchers like Hammatt. This is a grea
Maybe My Best Interview Ever: NPR Morning Edition
I was interviewed by Steve Inskeep of NPR Morning Edition. It airs today. It may be the best 5-minute summary of “Reign of Error.” A note to my friends who teach and use educational technology. Contrary to the introduction, I do not oppose technology. I support technology as a tool for teachers, not a replacement for teachers. I know, from direct personal experience, that there are people in boar
Leonie Haimson Reviews “Reign of Error”
I wrote this post while waiting to board my flight from Denver to Seattle. I forgot the link! No excuses! I also forgot to add that Leonie Haimson is a hero of public education, a woman who has repeatedly, courageously stood up to the rich and powerful on behalf of children. She was long ago added to the honor roll of this blog. She has advocated, litigated, testified, organized, written, research
Leonie Haimson Reviews “Reign of Error”
I have known Leonie HAimson for nearly 10 years. She is the most articulate, best informed, most relentless champion of children, families, and public schools that I know. If the Gates-Murdoch data mining operation should fail nationally, Leonie did it. She has fought unceasingly for reduced class size, parent involvement, the reduction of high-stakes testing, and evidence-based policy. She does a
Noel Hammatt: What If “Failing Schools” Aren’t?
Noel Hammatt is an independent researcher and former board member of the Baton Rouge public school board. He is one of the best-informed and most courageous researchers in a state where truth is to be found not in official statements, which are political, but in the work of bloggers and independent researchers like Hammatt. This is a great analysis he made of the state’s grading system, in which h
Marc Tucker: No Other Country Tests Every Student Every Year
Marc Tucker posted a fascinating dialogue with two testing experts, Howard Everson and Robert Linn. Here are some of the salient points. MT: Is this country getting ready to make a profound mistake? We use grade-by-grade testing in grades 3-8 but no other country is doing it this way for accountability; instead they test 2 or 3 times in a students’ career. If the United States did it that way, w
Jonathan Kozol Reviews”Reign of Error” in Sunday New York Times
I was thrilled to receive this wonderful review by Jonathan Kozol in the Sunday New York Times.
Aaron Churchill of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, takes issue with Bill Phillis’s negative view of Ohio charter schools. He says that critics like Phillis compare charter schools to districts instead of to schools. Fordham is a charter authorizer in a ohio. Churchill writes: “Charter school naysayers are quick with their “what’s wrong with” quips, and the criticism is at times deserved. Many o
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-26-13 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 Best Article Ever About New Orleans’ Charter SchoolsWe all have heard or read or seen the stories in the mass media about the “miracle” in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina, which Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called the best thing that ever happened to education in that city, wiped out public education and the teachers’ unio