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CORPORATE ED REFORM
The common core is NOT the answer to low PISA scores.
Sent to the San Francisco Chronicle, Dec 3, 2013The media has learned nothing from the extensive research done on international test scores in the last decade ("U.S. Students Get Stuck in Middle of the Pack on OECD Test," December 3). Study after study shows that the strongest predictor of high scores on these tests is poverty, a conclusion that is backed by a number of other studies sho
How did we do? EdSource reader survey results are in - by Erin Brownfield
Don’t you hate it when you take the time to answer a survey, then never hear a word about the results? Rest assured, EdSource won’t let that happen. In November, many of you participated in our first survey of EdSource Today readers. We were very gratified by the response. Nearly 200 ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit the Edsource Today website for full links, other content, and more! ]
Leaked Documents Reveal IRS Concerns, Funding Crisis at Corporate Lobbying Group ALEC
The Guardian has published a major investigative piece that once again exposes the scandalous ways of the right wing lobbying group, American Legislative Exchange Council(ALEC). Among the biggest revelations: ALEC may soon face a budget crisis, and is feeling the heat of public pressure from activists and its own membership in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin shooting by George Zimmerman in Flo
Just Follow the Script:Teaching by Textbook!
I tried. I really tried. Maybe there is something wrong with me. I mean who wouldn't want a nice, new, clean book with every word you should say written out in nice, clean, bold text? Who wouldn't want each lesson guided? Each lesson telling you what to do, how to do it, and when to do it? I tried. I couldn't do it. When it told me to say certain words, I found myself saying other words.
NEWS: Remainders: The connections between PISA scores and poverty
Poverty rates alone don’t explain the U.S.’s low PISA scores, which came out today. (Hechinger) Dana Goldstein: Parsing PISA means examining income inequality, tracking, and healthcare, too. (Slate) Diane Ravitch: Remember that the U.S. has never been first on international tests. (Answer Sheet) Shanghai isn’t “China”—and one writer says it’s cheating to allow the media to equate them. (Slate) ST
NEWS: De Blasio tabs team tasked with making pre-K a reality
Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio with members of his early education working group. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s ever-expanding transition team just got a little bigger. De Blasio today introduced the six-person group in charge of figuring out how to make a reality out of his campaign’s boldest pledge, to provide full-day pre-kindergarten to nearly 70,000 four-year-olds. De Blasio first announced he wou
AERA Interview with Scott Nine
by Dana Bennis in Blog
ALEC is losing members and financing, worried about IRS
Leaked documents today reveal the secretive lobbying group ALEC is losing members and financial support as the public becomes aware of its goal to empower corporations and destroy the middle class.For years, the Koch-funded organization has acted as a corporate dating service, funding lavish vacations for state lawmakers and introducing them to corporate donors with deep pockets. In exchange, lawm
Common Core for Infant Future Opt-Outers: Read Ravitch
Mommy engages Max in close reading. No context please.Who is that Ravitch lady who is scaring the beejeezus out of ed deformers?
Carerruption | EduShyster
For far too long, three little words have been holding back the adult interests that long to put students first. What are they you ask? The teachers union conflict of interest laws. Thankfully these outdated and antiquated restrictions are now out of sight and out of mind where they belong. And while haters like you are ...read moreThe post Carerruption | EduShyster appeared first on NPE News Brie
My View of the PISA Scores | Diane Ravitch’s blog
The news reports say that the test scores of American students on the latest PISA test are “stagnant,” “lagging,” “flat,” etc. The U.S. Department of Education would have us believe–yet again–that we are in an unprecedented crisis and that we must double down on the test-and-punish strategies of the past dozen years. The myth persists ...read moreThe post My View of the PISA Scores | Diane Ravitch
Pasi Sahlberg: How Should PISA Scores Affect Finnish Education? | Diane Ravitch’s blog
Finland was not at the top of the PISA league tables in the latest assessment. So what does this mean for the future? Here, Pasi Sahlberg explains that Finland never cared about being first. What it wanted most was to have the kind of education that was best for youth development. What will happen now ...read moreThe post Pasi Sahlberg: How Should PISA Scores Affect Finnish Education? | Diane Ravi
Initiatives Promote Farming in American Indian Communities
Though the number of American Indian farmers has soared in recent years, many of them still have difficulty getting access to credit. Despite a growing number of American Indian youth joining their local chapters of Future Farmers of America, few young Natives are enrolling in food and agricultural programs in college. And in spite of food production taking place on many reservations, there is lit
U.S. Trails Behind Other Countries in Eliminating Educational Disparities
When it comes to educational performance among advanced nations, the United States remains in the middle of the pack. But when it comes to eliminating educational disparities between poor students and their more affluent peers, the U.S. lags behind “many other countries.” Those are among the key findings from the latest version of the Programme for International Student Assessment or the PISA 2012
Collection Of Excellent Posts, Videos, Quotes & Articles Commenting On PISA Results
Here are some excellent additions to The Best Posts & Articles On 2012 PISA Test Results I posted this morning just after they came out: NASSP Statement on PISA Results: Despite Fervor Over Scores, US Continues to Ignore Lessons My View of the PISA Scores is by Diane Ravitch. The PISA Puzzle is by Dana Goldstein. Here are a couple of excerpts from her Slate piece: There’s another PISA result t
More College Adjuncts See Strength in Union Numbers
Adjunct faculty members, considered the working poor of academia, are increasingly turning to the Service Employees International Union to gain higher pay and a semblance of benefits.
Speculating on De Blasio’s Choice for Schools Chief
Several educators frequently mentioned as candidates for New York City schools chancellor once worked under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, but then criticized his policies.
Parents Push to Quiet Roar From Trains Near Queens School
Parents of children at Public School 85 want the Education Department and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to fix what they say is an obstacle to learning.