Schools Matter:
Schools Matter All Week
Submitted to the Indy Star, March 8, 2014Tim Swarens writes that "Diane Ravitch’s opposition to accountability isn’t realistic," (March 7) because we need to "identify those who excel and those who lag behind."Agreed. But we don't need to test every child every year on every subject to find this out. The NAEP test, a zero-stakes standardized test, is given to samples of studen
It's Time for Congress to Investigate High Stakes Testing
More than 400 educators, citizens, bloggers, activists and parents met in Austin, Texas for the first Annual Network for Public Education Conference. The press release just doesn't seem to be getting much press. Diane Ravitch was on the Ed Show last night on MSNBC. I suppose that's a start but the real story, Ed, is the call for investigative Congressional hearings on how high stake standardized
Let's do some critical thinking
Sent to the Denver Post, March 7.The Douglas County school superintendent says that students should not just "compare and contrast" but "create and evaluate" and engage in critical thinking ("Educators to state: Let's go above common core," March 6).Agreed. Let's start by evaluating whether we should have common core standards and tests at all. How many policy makers
David Coleman's New SAT: Still Racist, Still Classist
It should come as no surprise that the head of the College Board, David Coleman, has made the new SAT more in line with the Common Core. One thing he can't change, even with efforts to provide some online tutorials to those who can't afford $5000 SAT prep courses, is the fact that students from poor backgrounds score lower than those with higher incomes. It has always been the case, ever since
SAT Bad Press = SAT Reboot
Please consider a couple responses to the SAT 2016 reboot announcement, and then another piece on the cost of the Common Core. Put the pieces together:SAT Reboot 2016: "Nonsense It All Is" (P. L. Thomas)Changes To The SAT (The Onion, satire)Common Core Costs Too High, Failure Guaranteed
MAR 06
Do we need the SAT?
Sent to USA TodayNot mentioned in the discussion of changes in the SAT ("Sharpen those pencils: The SAT test is getting harder," March 6) is the question of whether we need SAT-type examinations. In two different studies, researchers from UC Berkeley, Harvard and Princeton reported that high school grades were a good predictor of college success, and that adding SAT scores did not improv
MAR 05
BIlingual education: What does the research say?
Sent to Education Week, March 5, 2014There are two crucial research findings related to the Sen. Lara's proposal to repeal Proposition 227 ("Calif. Bill Would Repeal Bilingual-Education Restrictions," March 4). The first: study after study has shown that students in bilingual programs outperform similar students enrolled in English-only programs on tests of English reading. The second: A
MAR 04
Parthenon to Ed Industry Investors: If Common Core Has teeth, the "Performance Gap" Will get a lot bigger!
One of the chief bottom feeders of the ed industry consulting business is Rob Lytle of the Parthenon Group. Here are two slides from a 2012 ppt. that points out how growth in the ed industry depends upon guaranteed failure mechanism like Common Core, which is the testing delivery system for another generation of public school turnovers to CorpEd. More here.
Massachusetts Parents Should Opt Out of Pearson Pilot Tests
Clearly the State of Massachusetts needs a wake up call. Parents should say NO to PARCC tests. Send a message to the corporate stooges who are more interested in Pearson's well being than the learning needs of children.WORCESTER — Small percentages of students at 31 Worcester public schools will field test a standardized assessment that could someday replace MCAS, but some parents are saying the
Randi the Riddler Goes BAT Shirt Crazy
If you are a BAT dedicated to ending high stakes tests and the testing delivery system, Common Core, you may want to grab your BAT barf bag. Ravitch Conference invited guest and Ravitch chum and Common Core fanatic, Randi Weingarten, emerged from her meeting looking like Robin's mom.
MAR 03
Tennessee School Board Model for Resistance to CorpEd
RESOLUTION OF THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATIONIN OPPOSITION TO LEGISLATIONTHREATENING A FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEMWHEREAS, Rutherford County Schools are not for sale; andWHEREAS, a number of bills are being advanced before the State of Tennessee’s legislature by private lobbyists and for profit companies aimed at privatizing the State of Tennessee’s free public education system; andWHER
Alan Morrison: Another Indiana Amway/Walmart Player
By Doug MartinAfter Indiana House District 42’s Republican Alan Morrison appeared at a crackerbarrel session in the small town of Clinton over the weekend, someone noted on facebook that “Morrison was very condescending and argumentative to some of the citizens, especially to a couple of local school teachers.” This is no surprise to people closely following the school privatization movement in
MAR 02
The Witch of Wall Street May Go to Court
Federal Judge Orders Michelle Rhee Suit to Go Forward, will Broaden to Concealment and Fraud ClaimsA US federal judge has denied a Motion to Dismiss by former DC Public School Chancellor Michelle Rhee in a wrongful termination lawsuit over the mass firings of DC Public School teachers back in 2009. Case to be amended to add concealment and fraud claims against Rhee and her CFO Noah Wepman.