Chiara’s Christmas Gift to Others: Honesty and Courage
Chiara de Blasio, the 19-year-old daughter of the Mayor-elect of New York City, released a video describing her struggles with alcohol and drug dependency, as well as depression. She very honestly addresses how hard it was to seek and find help, how much it meant to have the support of her parents and to engage in therapy. She is honest, open, and direct. Her candor will make it easier for others
VAM Expert: D.C. Score Errors Are NOT a “Minor Glitch”
Last Friday, before the winter break, D.C. officials quietly released the news that the D.C. IMPACT evaluation system contained technical errors. It was the perfect time to reveal an embarrassing event, hoping no one would notice. Spokesmen minimized the importance of the errors, saying they affected “only” 44 teachers, one of whom was wrongfully terminated. But Professor Audrey Amrein-Beardsley e
The Regents Research Fellows: Who Are They?
Whitney Yax has prepared an infographic that describes the web of connections and experience among the New York Regents Research Fellows. You will not be surprised to learn that many have a background in Teach for America, the New York City Department of Education, and New Schools for New Leaders. Nine of the 25 fellows had classroom experience.
Peter Dreier: The Real History of the Pledge of Allegiance
I received this email today. It is a valuable reminder to our friends who wave the flag to defend the politics of greed and indifference to the sufferings of others. Friends, During these days of shopping madness and conspicuous consumerism, it makes sense to remind ourselves that Francis Bellamy, a Christian Socialist, wrote the “Pledge of Allegiance” in 1892 as an antidote to Gilded Age greed,
Pelto: Connecticut Governor Malloy Will Pay PR Firm $1 Million to Sell Common Core
Blogger Jonathan Pelto reports that Governor Dannell Malloy of Connecticut plans to spend $1 million to a public relations firm to sell the idea of Common Core. This suggests that he is concerned about the kind of public backlash that was caused by the botched implementation of Common Core in New York. Connecticut is one of the three highest performing states on NAEP, and parents are not likely
Will Bunch: What’s So Different About America?
Will Bunch, Philadelphia columnist, writes here about American exceptionalism. Why do we have endless battles over small distractions while ignoring the most glaring problems in our midst? Why do we have talk show hosts babbling about the latest burp in the culture wars while remaining silent about the stark inequality that blights our country? Why do we celebrate the “success” of our billionai
What This Fifth Grade Teacher Learned While Teaching in Finland
Tim Walker moved to Finland with his family. They have moved permanently, as Tim’s wife is Finnish. Tim now teaches fifth grade in Helsinki. He experienced culture shock. Here is what he learned: children need time to refresh, teachers need time to refresh. Both groups take frequent breaks during the day. But that’s not all: read on.
Paul Horton: A Message for the Gang of Four about the Cultural Revolution in U.S. Education
Consider this historical satire. It was written by Paul Horton, who teaches history at the University of Chicago Lab School. A Modest Proposal for the Gang of Four (Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, Michelle Rhee, Jeb Bush) Your plan for defeating the yellow dogs of reaction has not been effective. You need to get serious. Because you know very little about the history of revolutionary progress (Mr. Dun
A Season to Be Grateful to Teachers of Music and Art
David Gamberg, superintendent of schools in both Southold and Greenport, New York, is an educator who cares about the whole child. He knows what matters most. He knows that test scores are not what matter most in the development of a healthy child. In this post, he describes the music classes in second grade in Southold. He sees the joy that the teachers and students share. And he can’t help but r
YESTERDAY
Patrick Hayes on the VAM Fiasco in D.C.
Patrick Hayes is a teacher in Charleston, South Carolina, who is leading the fight to block test-based, value-added evaluations of teachers in that district. As many posts on this blog have iterated and reiterated, most researchers think that VAM is flawed and error-ridden. (Check out Audrey Amrein-Beardsley’s blog VAMboozled and Edward Haertel’s ETS lecture.) Hayes read about the errors in the Ma
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Robert Freeman: How to Destroy Education While Making a Trillion DollarsWe know the formula by now for destroying public education and handing it off to entrepreneurs who can cut costs, package it, extract a profit (or remain nonprofit while paying exorbitant executive salaries): Cry “crisis.” Set impossible targets (100% success o
