Reader: How About VAM for Public Officials?
Now that public officials demand that teachers produce higher test scores or get fired, this reader named Dienne has a great idea. She was inspired by the efforts in Missouri to revise the state Constitution to require that teachers be evaluated by the standardized test scores of their students. She writes: “I think value added evaluations should be put in the U.S. Constitution. “For elected offic
Rothstein, Carnoy, and Tucker on International Test Scores
Last January, Richard Rothstein and Martin Carnoy released a report on international test scores, arguing that American students perform better than is generally believes. Since many people are deeply invested in the conventional claim that American students lag the world on international tests, their report led to a flurry of controversy. This post by Rothstein and Carnoy responds to Tucker’s cri
Chicago Drops inBloom, Protects Student Privacy
Leonie Haimson reports that Chicago has pulled out of inBloom, the massive data collection project funded by the aGates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation. Leonie has been the key figure nationally in alerting parents, educators, officials, and the media to the plans of inBloom to collect hundreds of points of data about children, using software developed by Rupert Murdoch’s Wireless Generat
When Albert Shanker Turned Against Charters
In 1993 and 1994, Albert Shanker turned against his own idea: charter schools. Once an avid proponent, he became convinced that they would become a vehicle for privatization. Here is one of his columns reflecting his disillusionment with what had been his own creation: Where We Stand by Albert Shanker President, American Federation of Teachers NEW YORK TIMES – July 3, 1994 Noah Webster Academy $4
Let Us Be Thankful
Let us be thankful for life and health. Let us be thankful that we live in a free and democratic society. Let us be thankful for the parents who love and cherish their children. Let us be thankful for the children, filled with dreams and hopes and the joy of childhood, and let us pledge to protect them. Let us be thankful for the educators who help children and young people grow, develop, learn,
Paul Karrer: My Students Are Not Coddled
Paul Karrer teaches fifth grade in a low-income community in California. He writes: Frank Bruni’s New York Times piece “Are Kids Too Coddled?” basically states tougher education standards like the Common Core may require a tough love that some parents and educators don’t like. So some parents are opting their kids out of testing. Mr. Bruni is a journalist not an educator and it shows. He’s done
Rocketship Charter Fails to Meet Enrollment Target in Milwaukee
Milwaukee is a city with three competitive sectors: charters, voucher schools, and a shrinking public school system. It is also one of the lowest performing cities on the NAEP, a demonstration of the inability of competition among schools to improve test scores. So what do Wisconsin officials do in response to these dismal facts? They are expanding the charter sector. One of the beneficiaries of t
Do We Have Enough College Graduates–Or Too Few Jobs for Them?
Arne Duncan often says that our education system must compete with other those of other nations, and President Obama says that we must raise our college graduation rate to first in the world by 2020. But this reader (Reteach for America) disagrees. He or she might have added this recent article about unemployment among college graduates in Europe. It’s not a matter of educating Arne. It’s been a
Common Core on Teaching the Gettysburg Address: What a Travesty!
The Common Core emphasizes the importance of “close reading,” that is, understanding the meaning of a text without reference to context or background knowledge, which presumably might privilege some students over others. In this post, Valerie Strauss explains how the writers of the Common Core conceptualize the teaching of the Gettysburg Address. It was delivered by President Abraham Lincoln on No
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-27-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: mark as readEduShyster: When Public Pensions Are “Reformed,” Pensioners Get ShaftedMazinger G, a member of the unaccredited EduShyster Academy, here explains what happened in Rhode Island when a “reformer” took control of the state’s pension funds. What happened when the state treasurer Gina Raimondo adopted. New strategy of invest