Schools Matter:
Schools Matter All Week
Sent to Education Week, January 25, 2014We need to take a much closer look at claims that increased time spent in reading instruction results in improvement in reading achievement ("Fla. Pushes Longer School Day, More Reading in Some Schools," Jan. 22). According the Ed Week article, scores were higher than comparison schools in only 20 of the 100 schools observed. In other words, in 80
Shooting Ourselves in the Foot
No one, myself included, expects a profession to hold lockstep to only one voice—including teachers.But Help teachers improve their craft, an Op-Ed by a public school teacher, calls for helping teachers become better educators, but in fact, perpetuates the worst aspects of the education reform movement.In the end, this piece repeats misguided claims about school and teacher quality as well as stud
YESTERDAY
The Common Core: A Disaster for Libraries, A Disaster for Language Arts, a Disaster for American Education
Stephen KrashenKnowledge Quest 42(3): 37-45 (2014). There never has been a need for the common core and there is no evidence that it will do students any good. The common core ignores the real problem in American education: Poverty. The common core will continue the process of turning schools into test-prep centers, and bleed billions from places the money is badly needed, where it can help protec
Burning through Teachers and KIPP's Public Shaming of Children
Here is a tiny clip from one interview with a former KIPP teacher that I have been re-reading today. Sadly, it represents the norm for the total compliance testing camps where these former teachers taught:. . . the first thing I would say would be, like I said, there is zero down time. And they are completely understaffed. For example, because the school was on such a ____________, we couldn’t ge
March 28-30, Denver, CO: Be There
"Parents in this year’s opt-out movement are standing up for something larger than their own child’s test-day happiness: the conviction that all children have better things to do with their days than fill in bubbles on a multiple-choice sheet, and that all children have better things to do with their heads than bang them against a table in despair." --The New Yorker, 01.23.14Be a pa
JAN 23
The Common Core and Voluntary Reading
Sent to the New York Times, January 23, 2014Charles Blow's inspirational testimonial ("Reading is fundamental," January 22) in support of reading is supported by mountains of research showing that voluntary reading results in tremendous growth in all areas of literacy. Is this the same Charles Blow who enthusiastically endorsed the Common Core Standards in the Times a few months ago (&q
Children's Authors Beg Obama for Relief from Testing Insanity
Wish in one hand, and spit in the other; see which one fill up first. From MSNBC, of all places:Famed author and poet Maya Angelou and 120 other children’s book authors are challenging President Obama’s national education policy over what they call an “overuse and abuse” of standardized testing. They say the focus on testing hurts children’s imaginations and has a negative impact on children’s lo
JAN 22
Something's Rotten at the Center of the Common Core
Stan Karp, at Rehinking Schools, knows how to get to the heart of the matter and has a way with words. Thanks for providing us teachers with some good reading on a snow day."Something's Rotten at the Center of the Common Core"Something's Rotten at the Center of the Common Core January 22, 2014 | This is a revised version of a talk on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) delivered in
JAN 21
"STANDARDIZED" Documentary Philadelphia February 6
This very important and timely film is a must see. It will make its debut at Howard Middle School in Orlando, Florida on January 25 and will be in Philadelphia on Thursday, February 6 at 6 pm.Check the web site to see where it is playing and bring it to a theatre or a school near you. Filmmaker David Hornberger of Rockfish Productions attended the Occupy the Department of Education events in 2012
Tennessee Politicians Squirm As Gates Classroom Cameras and Biometric Devices Become Public Knowledge
From Clockwork Orange“Track me” is an oft-repeated command barked by the positivized would-be teachers and temporary missionaries who receive a modicum of training to stand guard over children incarcerated in segregated corporate reform schools that have come to be regarded by Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, alike, as the solution to the growing problem of poor urban populations. These tota
JAN 19
Selections from, comments on Ravitch, Everything you need to know about the common core
Excerpts from, and a few friendly comments on, Diane Ravitch's essay, Everything you need to know about the common core. (Comments marked with "SK"). My hope is that this very strong essay will turn the tide.http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/01/18/everything-you-need-to-know-about-common-core-ravitch/1. "These two federal programs (NCLB and Race to
JAN 18
A Few More Dots: Corporate School Indiana Update
By Doug MartinSince I’m busy preparing my book Hoosier School Heistfor the printers, I've decided to note a few things not in the book and several recent happening in the corporate school movement in the Hoosier state. 1. The Friedman Foundation, which gave out free t-shirts of Milton to anyone who left comments on its site responding to Diane Ravitch's take on the group's new "research,&quo