Guest Blog: From Spellings to Duncan: Using NAEP as Policy Propaganda by Paul Thomas
Editor’s note: While Diane is on a somewhat reduced blogging schedule, she has invited members of the Education Bloggers Network, a consortium of people who blog about education issues on the national, state or local level to contribute to her blog. If you are a blogger who supports public education and would like to join the Education Bloggers Network, contact Jonathan Pelto at jonpelto@gmail.c
Correction and Full Testimony on Test-Related Stress in New York
Yesterday I posted an excerpt from testimony to a state senate hearing in New York. I had seen it on another blog. I had the wrong name of the person testifying. Here is her name and her full testimony. Mary Calamia Statement for New York State Assembly Education Forum October 7, 2013 at 10:14pm Statement for New York State Assembly Education Forum Brentwood, New York October 10, 2013 I am a licen
Los Angeles: Why the Title I Funding Formula is Unfair
The blogger known as “Red Queen in LA” responds to a petition she posted here, asking the Los Angeles school board not to remove those schools in which 40-49% of students are poor from their source of Federal funding, called Title I. She also notes that charter schools receive Title I funding even if they have a tiny proportion of students below the poverty line. She writes: Mike, did you read
NYC Parent Blog Reviews Record of Andres Alonso
The most popular guessing game in New York City these days is Who Will The New Mayor Choose as Chancellor? Many names have been floated, including some who currently work in the Bloomberg DOE. Seems unlikely. Some have suggested J.C. Brizard, who was disliked by teachers in Rochester and booted out by Rahm Emanuel in Chicago. Unlikely. Another name floated is former Baltimore superintendent Andres
Who Will Fight for Public Education in 2016? Hillary or Elizabeth Warren?
In case you have any doubt, I have given up on both political parties when it comes to the present corporate assault on public education. Arne Duncan could be Secretary of Education for either Obama or Romney. He cheerleads for rightwing governors like Bobby Jindal and hails privatizers like Jeb Bush. On education, the two parties are interchangeable. Frankly, the public education system was bett
Bruce Baker: What Those NAEP Scores Really Mean
The indefatigable Bruce Baker is at his best in this post, where he puts the NAEP scores into perspective. As he notes, it is not useful to look at a two-year test score change as a reliable indicator. It is far wiser to look at scores in a longitudinal fashion and, when possible, look at other factors that may affect test scores. Then, too, he notes that the NAEP results do not align well with Mi
Parent: How Can I Save My Child from Common Core Testing?
A letter from a parent in New York City. Any advice for her? I just learned about Common Core Standards this afternoon at a school orientation in Queens, New York. I have a 1st grader and a child in kindergarten. I am told my child will have a test tomorrow and he is expected to know how to read. He is in Kindergarten! He only recognizes every letter in the alphabet but I never took on teachin
This Tennessee Student Makes More Sense Than Our Educational Leaders
Please take five minutes and watch this wonderful student in Tennessee give an o Impassioned speech about how current “reform” policies are ruining education. He blasts the Common Core because of its emphasis on standardization. He expresses his respect for teachers. He says “Standards-based education IsRuining the way we teach and learn.” He says bluntly “Why don’t we just manufacture robots ins
Catholic Scholars Blast Common Core
In an unusual statement, 132 Catholic scholars wrote a statement highly critical of the Common Core, which they sent to every bishop in the nation. They urged the bishops not to adopt Common Core in Catholic schools and to withdraw it where it had been adopted. They conclude that the Common Core standards are designed as standardized workforce training, doing nothing to shape and inspire the heart
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-10-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: New Mexico: Where Data Count More Than ChildrenThis is a comment by an educator in New Mexico: My name is Tine Hayes. I have been teaching high school in Gallup NM for 14 years. I am dual certified in Fine Arts and Social Studies, and I am level three and National Board certified. This year more than ever in the past I am dishear