Breaking News: John Deasy Resigns
John Deasy, superintendent of schools in Los Angeles, announced he was resigning as of February.
John Owens Reviews “Reign of Error”
—- I’ve posted my review for Anton Community Newspapers, a chain of 18 weeklies covering New York’s Nassau County and the Gold Coast of Long Island. http://www.antonnews.com/features.html Stop The Educational Insanity Diane Ravitch’s new book combines heart with the ultimate fact-check If you want to do one thing this year for our children, our nation and our future, buy a copy of Diane Ravitch’s
Schneider Reviews Rhee’s Tax Forms
Mercedes Schneider here analyzes the tax returns submitted by Michelle Rhee for her two organizations. One engages in political activities, and the other is an advocacy group. Rhee gives generous contributions to those who seek the privatization of public education. Schneider notes the close connection between Rhee and the creators of Common Core. She concludes her review with these thoughts:
“Brave New World” in the Bronx
This teacher read about the student in Philadelphia who died of an asthma attack; there was no school nurse because of Governor Tom Corbett’s massive budget cuts. “I currently teach middle school in the South Bronx. These children raised in and in the shadows of dystopian housing projects and buffered by the emotional and societal detritus of poverty have seen the organizing and “purifying” fires
Angela Engel: Support Your Child by Opting Out of State Tests
What we have learned after thirty years or more of standardized testing, is that the tests mirror family income education: they measure gaps but do nothing to close them; our kids spend (waste) too much time preparing to take the tests; the test results are massively misused for rewards and punishments instead of for diagnostic purposes; the testing industry is rich and powerful and hires lobbyist
Sandra Korn, Harvard ’14, Says No to TFA
Sandra Korn, class of 2014 at Harvard, was invited to join TFA. She said no. She explains why here. “For one, I am far from ready to enter a classroom on my own. Indeed, in my experience Harvard students have increasingly acknowledged that TFA drastically underprepares its recruits for the reality of teaching. But more importantly, TFA is not only sending young, idealistic, and inexperienced coll
As Poverty Grows, the Claims of “School Reform” Fade
Remember all the times that “reformers” like Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, Wendy Kopp, and Joel Klein have said that the answer to poverty is to “fix” schools first? Remember their claims that school reform (more testing, more charters, more inexperienced teachers, larger classes, more technology) would vanquish poverty? For the past decade, our society has followed their advice, pouring billions into
Linda Darling-Hammond on the Common Core Standards
Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University is a highly respected figure in American education. She was Barack Obama’s spokesperson during the 2008 campaign, and many educators expected and hoped that she would be selected as Secretary of Education. How different the scene would be if that had happened! I have been trying to persuade Linda to learn how to tweet (I say, there is nothing to it, if
America’s Political Powerhouse: Teach for America
Jersey Jazzman has been following the money. He made an amazing discovery. The four candidates for the Atlanta school board who are alumni of Teach for America are collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in out of state contributions. Although maybe this massive outpouring of money to fund these candidates is not quite so amazing because we see the same thing happening in school board races ac
The Lessons of L.A.’s iPad Fiasco: Is Anyone Listening? Does Anyone Care?
So Los Angeles spent $1 billion on iPads, promising grand outcomes, closing the digital divide between rich and poor, the “civil rights issue of our time,” yada, yada, yada. But as this blogger points out, this move was made without the most elementary planning or forethought. Should anyone have been consulted before spending 25-year school construction bond money on iPads? Will voters ever agai
What Do International Test Score Comparisons Mean?
Uh-oh! Another study has appeared warning that we are falling behind other nations on international standardized tests. The National Assessment Governing Board released the results of a study comparing the performance of U.S. states to nations that participated in the 2011 TIMSS. Students in most US states were above the international average but the nations known for their test-taking culture d
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-23-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: David Greene: The Sound of SilenceDavid Greene, experienced teacher and mentor, was out of the country for afew weeks. When he returned, he was excited to hear echoes of our struggle against high-stakes testing, privatization, the theft of public schools, and data piracy in the mainstream news. Is the silence over? Are we on the cu