Vote! Today Show Running a Poll on Facebook about Standardized Testing
If you are on Facebook, express your views about standardized testing now: The Today show is doing a survey on Facebook asking whether standardized testing is the best way for kids to learn. https://www.facebook.com/questions/10152328881051350/?qa_ref=pp The latest tally–as of this writing–was 4,300+ against, 37 for. Vote!
Our Education Spring: The Parent-Led Opt Out Movement Grows in New York City
This just arrived in my email from parents in Williamsburg, Brooklyn: This was sent to all D14 Principals and Parent Coordinators. Feel free to share in your districts. ———– Dear Principals, Parent Coordinators, PTA presidents and school communities, At the recent Town Hall sponsored by the CEC14, it was requested that we distribute information on opting out of the upcoming NYState high stakes t
Denis Smith of Ohio: Who Governs Charter Schools?
Denis Smith is a veteran educator who ended his career working for the Ohio State Education Department, overseeing charter schools. This is the first of a series of five articles. In it he considers the question of charter school governance. Who runs the school? Who appoints the board? Who is responsible? Is it public or private? Deregulation and privatization go hand in hand. Denis Smith is a r
WSJ: Big Data Enters the Classroom
Yup, it is a fact. Big data is here and it is going to tell us everything anyone wants to know about your children or your students. Actually, Big Data presents itself as a way to “help” students and teachers, but in fact will be a cool way for entrepreneurs to develop apps, sell student data, and make money. Over the past decade, schools have started using cloud storage or begun sending more data
Peter Greene: Connecting the Dots Between CCSS and Big Data
Peter Greene, in a serious vein, explains that the Common Core standards are integrally connected to the collection of data. They can’t be changed or revised–contrary to the nationally and internationally recognized protocol for setting standards–because their purpose is to tag every student and collect data on their performance. They cannot be decoupled from testing because the testing is the mea
Knewton, Pearson, and Big Data: Here They Come!
Big data will open the way to the future of education, says the CEO of Knewton. The company is piloting its products at Arizona State University. Whatever we used to call education will cease to exist. Big data will change everything. “The so-called Big Data movement, which has been largely co-opted by the for-profit education industry, will serve as “a portal to fundamental change in how educ
Massachusetts Kindergarten Teacher: I Quit
I am really sorry to have to publish posts like this. I don’t want to see any teacher quit, especially the veteran teachers who are needed to help new teachers learn the ropes. And yet, there is a massive outflow of teaching talent from our public schools, caused by the soul-deadening testing regime that has throttled creativity and independent thought among teachers and students like. The spirit
Your Child Is Now a Data Point. Thanks, Pearson and Arne!
If you have been wondering why data mining matters so much, you will want to see this video. Please note that the U.S. Department of Education’s logo is on this video. In it, an entrepreneur named Jose Ferreira, CEO of Knewton, shares his vision for a future in which education of every individual child is completely determined by data. Education today happens to be the most “data-mineable industry
Teacher: I Am One of the the Worst Teachers in My State
This teacher thought she was doing a swell job. But then the ratings came out and she discovered she is the worst teacher in the state! In the past, she has won many awards, and she loves teaching. In addition: I initiated and continue to run the chess and drama clubs with no remuneration. I do get a small stipend for being the academic games coordinator, running the Mathletes team and spelling be
Yong Zhao Explains What Is Wrong with PISA
Yong Zhao posted the first of five blogs about the faulty claims of PISA, the international test that false reformers love to cite as evidence that our schools are failing and our kids don’t work hard enough. The five blog posts are drawn from Zhao’s much awaited new book. If you have not read his other books, order them now. Catching Up or Leading the Way and World Class Learners. You will enjoy
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-24-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: SAT, ACT Sued for Selling Student DataA lawsuit was filed against the SAT and ACT for selling confidential data of students to colleges. Some states mandate that all students must take one of these tests, whether they are college bound or not. Students assume that their names and scores will be shared with colleges to which they ap