What color is a great school?
A great school isn’t just an “A” school in today’s “accountability” era. It’s also a green one.
Bad ones aren’t just F’s but they are also green. In-between schools, depending on just how the students perform, can be orange, yellow or lime (not to be confused with green).
It may sound like a class of kindergarteners came up with this color-schemed way to judge schools, but it was actually adults in Michigan who, not surprisingly (given the illogic of it) are already reconsidering its value just a few months after it went into effect, according to this Associated Press story in the Lansing State Journal.
Michigan is one of a growing number of states that rates its schools on student performance. In about 15 states, such as Florida, the chosen method is by slapping A-F grades on schools depending on standardized test scores. Oklahoma has one of those A-
The doubts of a school choice supporter
Does the school choice movement threaten to leave some kids behind? Here’s a piece on this by educator and author Sam Chaltain, who began his career as an English teacher in New York City and who now writes about the intersection of education and democracy at www.samchaltain.com. Previously, he was national director of the Forum […]
More colleges extend application deadlines due to Common App woes
A growing number of colleges and universities around the country are extending early decision application deadline beyond Nov. 1 because of the continuing problems that some students, counselors and schools are facing with the newly designed online Common Application. While a number of schools have extended the deadlines, some others have provided students with optional […]
Five stereotypes about poor families and education
Here is an excerpt from a new book called “Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap,” by Paul C. Gorski, associate professor of integrative studies at George Mason University. The book, which draws from years of research to analyze educational practices that undercut the achievement of low-income students, is part […]
YESTERDAY
Why the much-maligned field trip really matters
Experiential learning has taken a back seat to test-driven education, but here’s why it still matters. This was written by Matthew Wheelock is a former teacher and the executive eirector of Live It Learn It, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization. By Matthew Wheelock My 4th grade students struck gold a decade ago when I was a […]
Virginia schools boards pass anti-SOL resolutions
About 30 school boards in Virginia have passed resolutions that call on education officials to revamp the Standards of Learning testing system, saying that there is “little research” that shows that students “will be better prepared to succeed in their careers and college” by taking the 34 standardized tests the state gives to each child […]
OCT 26
Why job interviews don’t work
Do job interviews really help the people doing the hiring make better decisions? Here’s an interesting post by cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham writes about here that is just as important. Willingham is a professor and director of graduate studies in psychology at the University of Virginia and author of “Why Don’t Students Like School?” His […]
The real 21st-century problem in public education
There are plenty of problems in public education, but here’s the biggest, from Elaine Weiss, the national coordinator for the Broader Bolder Approach to Education, a project of the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute that recognizes the impact of social and economic disadvantage on many schools and students, and works to better the conditions that limit […]
OCT 25
Should colleges consider financial aid in admissions decisions?
George Washington University’s student newspaper The Hatchet this week reported that the school had for years claimed to be “need-blind” when considering applications — meaning that they didn’t take into account a prospective student’s ability to pay without financial aid — when in fact it did consider financial need. A university official issued a statement of […]
Faculty fight university’s link to controversial school turnaround district
Professors at Eastern Michigan University are fighting to end the school’s connection to a highly controversial state school takeover district created by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. The faculty members argue that they had no input in the way the Education Achievement Authority is run and that they oppose the way the EEA is being operated. […]