Great Opinion Piece in NY Times: “Save Us from the SAT”
A wonderful article appeared in today’s New York Times about the SAT. While the letters columns and the talking heads were discoursing on the meaning of the redesign of the SAT, Jennifer Finney Boylan, recounted her own tortured experience taking the SAT. She offers no hope that the changes are anything more than cosmetic. Her view: “All in all, the changes are intended to make SAT scores more a
Will You Sign a Petition to Governor Cuomo? Please Fund Our Public Schools!
From: “Greg Basta, NYCC” Subject: She is FED UP with Cuomo! Date: March 7, 2014 Join Zakiyah’s Fight! Click Here To Sign The Petition Demanding Governor Cuomo Fully Fund Public Schools in NY State I’m angry! Governor Cuomo claims to be the “students’ lobbyist,” but his actions tell a different story. For the last four years, he has severely underfunded New York’s public schools leaving public sch
Will You Sign a Petition to Governor Cuomo? Please Fund Our Public Schools!
From: “Greg Basta, NYCC” Subject: She is FED UP with Cuomo! Date: March 7, 2014 Join Zakiyah’s Fight! Click Here To Sign The Petition Demanding Governor Cuomo Fully Fund Public Schools in NY State I’m angry! Governor Cuomo claims to be the “students’ lobbyist,” but his actions tell a different story. For the last four years, he has severely underfunded New York’s public schools leaving public sch
Paul Thomas: Why South Carolina Should Not Tie Teacher Evaluations to Test Scores
The indefatigable Paul Thomas of Furman University wrote an opinion piece for a major newspaper in South Carolina, warning against the error of evaluating teachers by test scores. This, he says, is a bad idea that won’t die. In other words, it is a zombie policy. Thomas carefully reviews the research on this idea for a lay audience, explaining what they need to know about the inaccuracy and bias i
Here Are the Trailers for “Rise Above the Mark”
Reader Lloyd Lofthouse found trailers on YouTube for the wonderful film “Rise Above the Mark.” Please watch it and try to get the film to show in your community. Lloyd Lofthouse writes: “ “Here’s the trailer for “Rise Above the Mark”. If you click on YouTube’s name, right-hand lower corner of the video’s frame, that will take you to YouTube where you may also watch the other two, longer trailers
Fairy Princess Explains Child Abuse
When she read that parents in New York are planning an Opt-Out rally on March 29, this reader sent the following poem: “Way to go NEW YORK ! BRAVEHEART of our Nation! “I Opted Out in Texas by resigning. As an educator, I could no longer violate my professional ethics or my conscience and participate in a state school system that abuses children. I felt that I was being manipulated and “used” to a
OECD Head Admits that Shanghai Numbers for PISA Lower Than Previously Admitted
In the ongoing debate between Tom Loveless of Brookings and Andreas Schleicher of the OECD, score one for Loveless. Loveless has steadfastly maintained that the astonishing scores from Shanghai are almost meaningless because of the missing students. At a conference in Great Britain, Schleicher admitted that about a quarter of the children in Shanghai were not sampled for the PISA exam. Yet he con
Good News: Japanese Edition of “Reign of Error”!
Wonderful news! I just learned from my literary agent that there will be a Japanese translation of “Reign of Error.” The Japanese people will learn from our mistakes. Will we? Almost all of my books have been translated into Japanese. They are eager to improve their excellent public school system.
Peter Greene Channels David Coleman on the Redesign of the SAT
Peter Greene teaches high school in Pennsylvania so naturally he is very interested in the redesign of the SAT. So, in a well-used journalistic tradition, Greene assumes the voice of David Coleman–president of the College Board–to explain the reasoning behind the changes. This is his conclusion. You get the drift. Open the link and read it all. “Yes, the SAT was a biased test. It still is– but
John Thompson: An Early Post-Mortem for Common Core
John Thompson, an experienced teacher and historian, is convinced that Common Core will die unless there is a moratorium on high-stakes testing. The early returns from states that have tested the “rigorous” Common Core show high failure rates, especially among poor and minority youth. Thompson writes: Real world, there are only so many hours in a day, and time is running out on the opportunity to
“Rise Above the Mark”: A Fantastic New Film About Real Teachers and Schools!
You have to see this film: “Rise Above the Mark.” It was produced and written by educators and friends of public education in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is professional, compelling, and honest about the challenges facing children, schools and teachers today. The team interviewed Pasi Sahlberg, Linda Darling-Hammond, Marc Tucker, me, and others. But more importantly, the film interviews teachers,
Veteran Teacher Says: No Matter What They Throw at Us, I Won’t Quit
Another third-grade teacher weighs in on the damage that politicians and legislators and testing corporations are doing to children: Forget all of our methods classes in college. Forget developmental learning. Forget that children are not all the same. Every word above is true. I too am a third grade teacher. Or perhaps I should say I am now a third grade test administrator. Education is no long
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-6-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Wall Street Journal: Cuomo Poll Numbers TumbleThere is little doubt that Andrew Cuomo will be re-elected, given that he has raised $33 million from New York’s financial titans. But the latest Wall Street Journal poll shows that Cuomo’s numbers dropped sharply to their lowest point. Apparently, his claim to be the “lobbyist for stud