A Reviewer of “Reign of Error” Has Some Advice for Readers of This Blog
This reviewer enjoyed the book and says she learned a lot. But she felt turned off by the tone of some of the comments on the blog. So,e are nasty, some are sarcastic. I told her that many readers are frustrated and feel powerless because the tiny elite that now controls education doesn’t listen. As readers know, I don’t censor comments except for cursing and vendettas. When the tone turns viciou
Valerie Strauss Dissects the Empty Rhetoric in Obama State of the Union Address
President Obama continues his policy of using the State of the Union to demonstrate the gap between what he says and what his administration does. Valerie Strauss carefully dissects that speech here in reference to education. Once again, he warned that it was time to get away from “fill-in-the-bubble” standardized tests, perhaps unaware that the new federally-funded Common Core tests were made by
Rhode Island Town Says No to Common Core Testing
The school committee of Tobrtton, Rhode Island, voted 4-1 to delay Common Core testing. The state education department insisted that Rhode Island educators were deeply involved in the creation of the standards. “In its resolution, the committee states that that local school committees, teachers and parents were not involved in the development of the Common Core, a set of education standards deve
Mercedes Schneider and Peter Greene Offer Timely Help to Dennis Van Roekel
Dennis Van Roekel is a supporter of the Common Core standards. He recently said in an article in Education Week that no one has really set out their specific objections to the standards or offered a better alternative. Two teacher-bloggers here offer help to Dennis. I know that Dennis is a dedicated advocate for teachers and for public education, so I hope he will read and take heed of advice from
A New Day in New York City: Veteran Educators in Charge, not Whiz Kids
The new Di Blasio team is off to a good start in education. The Bloomberg team is quietly exiting stage right. One of the key players, Marc Sternberg, has moved to the Walton Family Foundation to promote vouchers. Another, Shael Suransky, will be president of Bank Street College, which does not share his enthusiasm for test-based accountability. The new chancellor, Carmen Farina, is assembling her
When Will Ohio Demand Charter Accountability?
Twenty years ago, when I supported the interesting idea of charter schools, there was a clear and oft-stated purpose for them: Freedom from regulation in exchange for results and accountability. That deal has been repudiated by the charter industry. They want freedom from regulation, freedom from supervision, and freedom from public audits with no accountability. They want public money with no c
Are the Members and Staff of the NY Board of Regents Effective?
This statement was written by Katie Zahedi and Bianca Tanis. Katie Zahedi is principal at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, NY, and serves on the administrative panel for NYSAPE. Bianca Tanis is a public school parent in the Hudson Valley as well as an elementary special education teacher and a co-founder of NYS Allies for Public Education. “We ask that the New York State Education Departme
A Veteran Principal Eloquently Denounces Common Core and Race to the Top
This powerful speech was written and delivered by Frank Sutliff to a crowd of concerned citizens and educators at the Oneonta (New York) Forum on January 18, 2014. Sutliff is a Principal and is also the President of SAANYS (School Administrators Association of New York State). He said: I appreciate the opportunity I have been given to speak here today. Although I am the President of the School Ad
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-29-14 Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Breaking News: The Hero Parents of NewarkLast night, the parents of Newark spoke out in unison against the bullying tactics of the Christie administration. As veteran journalist Bob Braun reported, state-appointed superintendent Cami Anderson stormed out of the meeting after a parent accused her of not caring as much about Newark’s