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Steve Nelson: How to Become a “Successful” School
Steve Nelson has written a brilliant commentary on the way we judge school “success.” He begins by discussing the Moskowitz-de Blasio battle and notes that the $5 million attack ads were sponsored by “Families for Excellent Schools.” He writes: “This campaign is calculated propaganda. The only “family” materially involved in this organization is the Walton family which, through the Walton Famil
NPE Endorses Daylin Leach for Congress in Pennsylvania!
The Network for Public Education has endorsed Daylin Leach for the U.S. Congress. Daylin Leach is running for the 13th Congressional district in Pennsylvania. He is a strong supporter of public education, and we need him in Congress. I urge you to send whatever you can to help Daylin Leach get elected. *************************************************************** Here is the statement of the N
Reader: Whole Brain Teaching is Psychological Child Abuse
A reader posted the following comment about “Whole Brain Teaching.” By the way, I too recommend Elisabeth Bruehl-Young’s book Childism. It is an informative and in some ways a frightening book about how adults abuse children and think it is normal behavior. This method of “conditioning” children with authoritarian fear and intimidation is “abusive”. It is the same as “bullying”. It’s purpose is
An Interview with Alan Singer on Common Core and Reading
Alan J. Singer of Hofstra University has studied the Common Core closely and suggested not only flaws but ways it could be improved. Unfortunately there is no feedback process to make changes or to upgrade content. Michael Shaughnessy interviews Singer here for Education News. Here is a good question and answer: 2) What is this concept called ” text complexity ” and who developed it? “If you look
New York Legislature: Billionaire-funded Charter Schools Will Not Have to Pay Rent for Public Space
The following just in as the New York State Legislature responds to the pressure of a $5 million advertising campaign demanding free space for privately-managed charters. Also, the billionaires behind this ad campaign have given handsome sums to Governor Cuomo and other key politicians. Cuomo has received at least $800,000 from the charter advocates. Under the legislation below, the charters are g
No Child Left Behind became law in January 2002. Twelve years later, it is a discredited law that remains on the books only because Congress can’t agree doesn’t know what to do next. They are trapped in the quagmire of a failed accountability system and they don’t know how to get out. But Race to the Top compounded the basic error of NCLB–relying on testing and accountability to “reform” schools–a
Experts: (Sir) Michael Barber Is Wrong about Massachusetts
Andy Hargreaves, Pasi Sahlberg, and Dennis Shirley are noted for their scholarly, articulate, and outspoken opposition to the Global Education Reform Movement (GERM), which is spreading like a virus. Now, one of the chief exponents of GERM–(Sir) Michael Barber–has delivered a report to Boston informing the business community that the schools are mediocre and need a strong infusion of privatization
Here is the Bill Moyers Interview in Full
Bill Moyers is one of my heroes. He is one of the few people in the media who is as concerned about the privatization and monetization of the public sector as I am. He has a long memory, and he has not forgotten that a good society needs both a strong public sector and a strong private sector. Nor has he forgotten that the real civil rights movement was about tearing down the walls of a segregated
Your Introduction to “Whole Brain Teaching”
Prepare yourself. Thousands of readers opened the “Confessions of a Teacher in a No-Excuses Charter School.” Many were horrified. Some couldn’t believe what she wrote. Some said that there are certain kinds of students who come from dysfunctional homes and need this sort of structure. She sent me this video, which is a demonstration of robotic responses in “Whole Brain Teaching.” What d
NC: How to Waste Taxpayer Dollars on a Useless Bonus Plan
Governor McCrory has had a new idea. Given the terrible morale of teachers in his state and the exodus of veteran teachers, it is important for the state to act quickly to support its teachers. But that is not his idea. He wants to use Race to the Top dollars to pay $10,000 each to 450 teachers across the state. Since merit pay and bonuses have not had a positive effect anywhere else, consider t
YESTERDAY
“The Roar of the Charters”: My Post in the New York Review of Books
This article, which I wrote for the New York Review of Books, connects the dots that I have been writing about these past few weeks. It shows how the charter lobby spent $5 million to attack Mayor de Blasio, completely derailing his own progressive reform agenda of universal pre-kindergarten and afterschool programs for adolescents. The charter schools serve 6% of New York City’s children, 3% of N
Parents in New York Tell You Why You Should Opt Out
Listen and watch as these parents in New York City tell you why your children should opt out of the state tests. The high-stakes standardized testing is a massive waste of time. The results come in long after your child has changed teachers. The teachers learns nothing of value from the tests: just the scores. The tests have no diagnostic value. It is a horse race with no point other than to
Watch Bill Moyers Tonight and This Weekend
I will be discussing privatization this weekend with Bill Moyers.
Jack Schneider: Public Schools Outperform Private and Charter Schools But No One Knows It
Jack Schneider, a historian of education at the College of the Holy Cross, writes that public schools actually outperform private and charter schools but it is a deeply kept secret. There is a reason. Private schools and charter schools build their brand. They aspire to be selective. They market themselves to create a sense of scarcity. Parents think they are lucky if their child is accepted. Publ
When Geronimo Met Joanne Barkan: Thoughts About Philanthropy in Los Angeles
I met a Los Angeles named Geronimo at the Network for Public Education meeting in Austin. Of course, that is a pseudonym. Geronimo, who often comments here, met Joanne Barkan, who wrote a post about philanthropy here. Here are Geronimo’s reflections: One of the great pleasures of my NPE experience in Austin was getting to talk to Joanne Barkan at length. In Los Angeles, we have felt the full b
Ohio: Denis Smith Explains the Charter Movement: Part 3
Denis Smith is a retired school administrator who worked both as a sponsor representative for charter schools as well as a consultant in the state charter school office. In this five-part series, he offers his perspective about charter school governance and how this mechanism designed to provide transparency and accountability for public entities is sorely lacking and may in fact be the “fatal des
New York Officials Tremble as Opt Out Movement Grows
The New York Daily News reports that the revolt among the state tests is growing among parents. State officials are doing whatever they can to tamp down the parent rebellion against the state’s obsession with testing. No one at the State Education Department ever speaks of the “joy of learning,” as New York City Chancellor Carmen Farina did when her appointment was announced. The state department
Sarah Darrer Littman: Don’t Believe the Common Core Propaganda
Journalist Sarah Darrer Littman in Connecticut wondered why the legislature was so eager to shut off debate about the Common Core. Connecticut is not a state with a big Tea Party presence. Parents are trying to understand the issues surrounding the sudden shift to national standards whose effects are unknown. She knows that Arne Duncan and Governor Dannell Malloy and Connecticut’s commissioner Ste
Billionaires Buy Charter Success in New York Legislature, with the Help of Governor Cuomo: UPDATE
Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters describes the deal to benefit the billionaire-funded charter schools that is being negotiated right now by the New York legislature and will be voted on next week. It is not too late to make your voice heard! Governor Cuomo, who received $800,000 for his re-election campaign from charter school advocates, is making good on his promise to take care of charters
Mr. Katzoff Writes an Open Letter to Chris Matthews and MSNBC
Howard Katzoff doesn’t understand why the commentators at MSNBC are so ill-informed about education issues. With the exception of Ed Schultz and possibly Chris Hayes, the commentators at MSNBC have swallowed the snake oil of corporate reform. Although they are usually out front on social and political issues, they sound like Fox News on education. When Education Nation opens in September, all of N
Teacher: How New Jersey Is Trying to Break Its Teachers
This letter arrived from: Douglas McGuirk English Teacher Dumont High School Dumont, NJ My Testimony about the AchieveNJ Act: The AchieveNJ Act is certainly doing its part to make a convoluted mess out of the art of teaching our children. In this testimony, I will address the most readily apparent of its many problems: data collection, Student Growth Objectives, Student Growth Percentiles, PARCC t
Anthony Cody: Why Do “Reformers” Hate Democracy?
Anthony Cody wonders why corporate education reformers hate democracy. They love mayoral control, but only if the mayor agrees with their privatization agenda. They hate local school boards, because they are elected and can be removed. They love private corporate control. They work to enact ALEC’s goal of removing local control from communities. Democracy is too messy. The reformers know how to b
Joanne Barkan: How to Criticize “Big Philanthropy” Effectively
Joanne Barkan has written several important articles for Dissent magazine on the role of big foundations in shaping education policy. She spoke at the Network for Public Education conference in Austin on March 1-2 about how to criticize the role of big philanthropies in reforming our schools. She prepared this draft of her remarks: How to Criticize “Big Philanthropy” Effectively by Joanne Barkan C
MAR 27
New York: Tax Breaks for Donors to Private Schools Dropped Out of Budget
Late-breaking news from Albany: according to this story in the Buffalo News, tax breaks for private and religious schools will not be in the state budget. “A plan promoted by the Catholic Church to give lucrative state tax breaks to donors to private schools has died in last-minute budget talks, lawmakers said Thursday night, as has a push by charter schools to get the state to reimburse them for
Good News! NYC Department of Education Issues Guidelines for Opting Out of Tests
Here is good news indeed! After a dozen years of test mania in New York City, Chancellor Carmen Farina issued instructions for testing that make clear that students will not be punished for opting out of the state tests that start next week. Here are key quotes: What should a principal do if parents express an interest in opting their children out of the State exams? “The principal should offer
Florida Teacher Donates His Bonus to NPE to Fight Testing Craze
Kevin Strang, a high school music teacher in Orange County, Florida, won an $810.87 bonus for teaching in an A-rated school. He is donating his bonus to the Network for Public Education to fight high-stakes testing, school grading, merit pay, and the other corporate reforms that treat teachers as donkeys in need of carrots and sticks. Kevin is a professional, and he expects to be treated as a pro
Vivian Connell: How She Will Play the Hand Dealt to Her
I earlier posted Vivian Connell’s letter in which she described her reaction when she learned she has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Vivian here tells us of her continuing journey and reminds us of her boldness of spirit, her determination to squeeze out of life all she can without self-pity but with courage. I really liked her opening epigram: “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frod
Good News! Helen Gym To Be Honored by White House
Helen Gym, one of our heroes of public education, will be honored by the White House as a “champion of change.” “Gym has been named a Chesar Chavez Champion of Change – one of 10 community leaders nationally who have “committed themselves to improving the lives of others in their communities and across the country,” people who “represent the values and steadfast determination of Cesar Chavez to o
Chris Thinnes: His Moving Description of the NPE Conference
In this post, Chris Thinnes movingly describes his reaction to the first national conference of the Network for Public Education. Most powerful to me was his reference to the absence of hierarchy. All of us–students, parents, educators, citizens, old, young–met as equals. It was, from all accounts, a great and empowering experience. The words I heard often were, ” I am so glad to know that I am no
Shame on the New York Times
The New York Times published a story about the political consultants to Mayor de Blasio who have been paid $236,000 to lobby in Albany for universal pre-kindergarten, which would help poor children across the city. The New York Times has not written a story about the more than $4 million spent by hedge fund managers to gain preferential treatment for privately managed charter schools and to guar
A Letter to Chancellor Farina: Next Steps in Reforming the New York City Public Schools
Chancellor Carmen Farina has taken on a massive challenge by stepping into a central office shaped by people who were mostly non-educators, who had a faith-based reliance on test scores, and who believed that the way to “reform” schools was to close them. This strategy didn’t work, by any measure. By the end of Bloomberg’s term, the overwhelming majority of parents were opposed to his “reforms,” a
Andrea Rediske Reacts to Political Maneuvering to Eliminate “Ethan’s Act”
I received the following statement from Andrea Rediske about the political games now being played in the Florida legislature. “An open letter to Florida Legislators: “When Orange County Public Schools required a letter from the hospice company overseeing the end of Ethan’s life justifying the extension of the FAA waiver, two thoughts came to my mind. The first was: “This is absolutely shameful
Hedge Funders Spend Over $4 Million on TV Ad Campaign to Slam de Blasio
The front group misleadingly called “Families for Excellent Schools” has added nearly another $1 million to the $3.6 million it has spent on television advertising to slam Mayor Bill de Blasio and to press Albany to expand funding for charter schools. Of course, none of the families of the children in the ads are paying for the ads. Four of the five founding board members of “Families for Excellen
Florida: “Ethan’s Act” Disappears, But Survives in Another Bill
Andrea Rediske, the mother of Ethan Rediske, worked tirelessly to persuade the State Legislature in Florida to pass an act that would have eliminated the state’s relentless demand to test Ethan as he lay dying in hospice. Ethan was born with profound disabilities; he was blind and suffered from cerebral palsy, yet the state tormented him to take its standardized tests. Read Andrea Rediske’s testim
Karen Wolfe: Why Liberals Don’t Like the Common Core
Karen Wolfe, a parent in Los Angeles, tries to understand why liberals and progressives find themselves opposed to Common Core and lumped together with the Tea Party, with whom they otherwise have no agreement. While the Tea Party opposes the Common Core because they fear a federal takeover of public education, liberals and progressives have different reasons to oppose the Common Core. Karen Wolfe
What Makes a Great Teacher? This Is What Students Think
Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, Michelle Rhee, and the National Council on Teacher Quality think they know what makes a great teacher. A great teacher is the one whose students got higher test scores this year than last year. A great teacher, they think, brooks no excuses. In the no excuses charter schools, the teachers snap their fingers and demand immediate compliance with commands. Nicholas Ferroni, w
NYC Elected Officials Rally Today to Denounce “Corrupt Budget Deal” with Charter Lobbyists
As the New York Daily News broke the news that hedge fund managers behind a front group called “Families for Excellent Schools” spent more than $4 million for attack ads against de Blasio and for protection of privately managed charter schools–which are not subject to public audit because they are not public schools–parent advocates announced an emergency rally to protect the public schools and th
Robert Shepherd Does a Close Reading of the Common Core and Doesn’t Like What He Sees
Robert Shepherd, a regular commentator on the blog, has a long career as an author and a developer of curriculum, textbooks, and every other aspect of education publishing. From his comments on this blog, we know he has strong feelings about the Common Core. Let’s be blunt: He is not a fan. He has seen the future and he does not like what he sees. Shepherd writes: Dear Common Core Curriculum Commi
Confessions of a Teacher in a “No Excuses” Charter School
This manuscript was sent to me by a teacher who worked in a “no excuses” charter school in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York. Her descriptions of the classroom practices there are vivid and often chilling. The children are treated in a manner that demands robotic responses. What is demanded of them is total obedience. They are being trained like seals or parrots, not educated. The account
MAR 26
NYC: Emergency Rally Thursday at Noon
Emergency meeting on Thursday on behalf of the 97% of New York State students who are not in charter schools: Anyone who can make it tomorrow should do so. The state budget is hitting crunch time, with the Charter lobby spending millions on behalf of privatization and the 3% in charters, while firmly controlling both the Governor and the State Senate. Support must be given to Speaker Silver and t
Michigan: Ellen Cogen Lipton: We Will Bear Witness
Representative Ellen Cogen Lipton has been one of the most outspoken critics of Governor Rick Snyder’s Education Achievement Authority. The EAA was created to gather up the low-performing schools in the state and put them under a single leader, in this case, the Broad “trained” superintendent John Covington. There have been numerous accounts by students and teachers of mistreatment and abuse, poor
Ohio: Denis Smith on Charter School Governance: Part 2: Who “Owns” Charter Schools?
Denis Smith is a retired school administrator who worked both as a sponsor representative for charter schools as well as a consultant in the state charter school office. In this five-part series, he offers his perspective about charter school governance and how this mechanism designed to provide transparency and accountability for public entities is sorely lacking and may in fact be the “fatal des
Please Watch Bill Moyers & Co. This Weekend on PBS
On Tuesday, I taped an interview with Bill Moyers. The show will air six times this weekend on PBS stations across the nation. Bill has become an expert on ALEC, having done important programming (see here) about that shadowy corporate-funded organization that is promoting deregulation of the public and private sectors and encouraging privatization. Given his interests and mine, we had a great con
A Veteran Teacher Defends the Teacher at the Center of the Vergara Trial
The Vergara trial in Los Angeles is an effort funded by a very wealthy man to eliminate due process for teachers in California. The theory of the case is that when teachers have tenure (due process), then it is hard to fire bad teachers. Thus, the civil rights of minority students are violated by the very concept of due process, because more of those who teach them should be fired. But tenure ties
Governor Pat Quinn: Paul Vallas Does Not Support Charter Schools
Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois surprised many people by choosing Paul Vallas as his running mate for re-election. Vallas once headed the Chicago schools. He headed the Philadelphia schools, where he launched a major experiment in privatization, which was widely judged a failure. He left Philadelphia with a large deficit. He then was selected to take over the New Orleans district after Hurricane K
Sir Michael Barber Unveils Stale Ideas for Massachusetts for Bargain Basement Price of $250,000
EduShyster has outdone herself with this brilliant post. It is the story of how the business leaders of Massachusetts got hornswoggled by some fellow named (Sir) Michael Barber, who works for Pearson and does big thinking for them. [NB: As an American, I don't recognize titles other than Mr., Miss, Mrs, and Dr.] You know, of course, that Massachusetts made a “grand bargain” between its politic
Kevin Welner: Why Legislators Adopt VAM Formulas They Don’t Understand
Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center, wrote this commentary in response to the complaints of teachers who are evaluated by the scores of students they never taught. Few people can understand the complex algorithms underlying VAM scores, and the people who wrote these formulae can’t explain them in pain English. Yet teachers are fired or get a bonus if their incomprehensib
Pre-K Makes Sense, But Some on the Right Don’t Want to Believe the Evidence
Grover Whitehurst of the Brookings Institution has become the GOP’s go-to guy for proclamations against universal pre-kindergarten. Whitehurst was education research director for the George W. Bush administration, and he provides the ammunition for those who say that pre-kindergarten has no lasting benefits and “doesn’t work.” His arguments are useful for those who don’t want to pay the price of s
Peter Greene: Forget About Ridiculous Expectations
Peter Greene, always a font of common sense, explains how we replaced “the soft bigotry of low expectations“ with the “hard tyranny of ridiculous expectations.” He writes: “We have, for instance, substituted the expectation that every third grader will read at grade level no matter what. In some states (I’m looking at you, NY) we raised the standard for proficiency arbitrarily. And we have just ge
Our Education Spring Goes National: Report from Fairtest
Say no to high-stakes testing! Say no to data mining of your children , Say no to corporate reform! Say no to those who want to monetize our children! Here is a report from Bob Schaeffer of Fairtest: Anyone who still believes that the resistance to testing misuse and overuse is confined to a few big cities and “liberal” activists, should click through this week’s news clips. In fact, testing p
Our Education Spring Goes National: Report from Fairtest
Say no to high-stakes testing! Say no to data mining of your children , Say no to corporate reform! Say no to those who want to monetize our children! Here is a report from Bob Schaeffer of Fairtest: Anyone who still believes that the resistance to testing misuse and overuse is confined to a few big cities and “liberal” activists, should click through this week’s news clips. In fact, testing p
A New Website about Education Issues
A new website launched recently to aggregate articles about education. It is called “Realcleareducation,” associated with “Realclearpolitics.” I have found some good articles in the site, which does a national sweep of education news. But just like my blog, which is pro-public school, pro-teacher, and pro-parent, as well as anti-privatization and anti-high-stakes testing, the new site has a poi
NC Loses Another NBCT Teacher
Governor Pat McCrory and the Legislature in North Carolina are doing their best to get rid of the state’s's star teachers, and they are succeeding. The state is losing large numbers of experienced teachers, because of low salaries. Teachers’ salaries have been flat for six years and are now 46th in the nation. This National Board Certified Teacher quit, and she wrote a letter to the governor to
MAR 25
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
MAR 24
Sahlberg: The Only Standardized Test that Finnish Students Take
Finnish students almost never take a standardized test. They take tests written by their teachers. There is one test, however, that students take at the end of high school. It is the same for all students but the quality of the questions is far more complex and interesting than the questions found on the SAT or the ACT. Here Pasi Sahlberg explains the kinds of questions that Finnish students are
Peter Greene Shows How to Measure Grit
There has been much discussion in the blogosphere and elsewhere about the importance of “grit.” Some of this started with the publication of Paul Tough’s book “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiousity, and the Hidden Power of Character,” which argued that those characteristics are crucial to succeeding in adverse circumstances and that they can be taught. It continued with the award of a MacArthur t
Anthony Cody on the Common Core: Are They “Standards”?
Anthony Cody read my post this morning about why the Common Core standards fail to meet the most minimal procedural requirements for standard-setting–the requirements laid out in detail by the American National Standards Institute–and concludes that Common Core cannot be considered standards. They were written in secret. There was no transparency or openness in the process. Another reader asked
Comment: The Common Core “Standards” Are Not Standards
I cross-posted my article about “The Fatal Flaw of the Common Core Standards” at Huffington Post and on Valerie Strauss’ The Answer Sheet, to reach the broadest possible audience. This comment appears on Huffington Post: Craig Schultz (Craig_Schultz) 3 749 Fans·Jonah and Ahab had different perspectives Thank you Diane Ravitch for bringing up a point which has never been mentioned previously.I
Texas: Parents Opt Their Child Out of Testing and Test Prep
Kyle and Jennifer Massey in Waco, Texas, wrote a respectful letter to their child’s principal explaining why they would not permit him to take the state STAAR tests or to engage in test prep for STAAR testing. As his parents, they care more about their child than the Legislature or Governor Perry or Pearson. They clearly, in this instance, know more than the legislators who are influenced by lobby
Breaking News! Taxpayers Will Pay $1 Billion for Vouchers to Private, Religious Schools This Year
Stephanie Simon at Politico.com here documents the spread of the voucher movement, which shifts $1 billion away from the nation’s public schools to private and religious schools. Hundreds of these schools teach creationism as written in the Bible and teach other subjects, including history and even mathematics, from a religious and dogmatic perspective. She writes: Taxpayers in 14 states will bank
With VAM: All Teachers of the Gifted Are “Bad” Teachers
In this age of value-added measurement, when teachers are judged by the rise or fall of their students’ test scores, it is very dangerous to teach gifted classes. Their scores are already at the top, and they have nowhere to go, so the teacher will get a low rating. It is also dangerous to teach English language learners, students with disabilities, and troubled youth. Their scores will not go up
Jeff Bryant: The New Extremist Attack on Democracy
Jeff Bryant here describes the rise of an anti-democratic worldview that threatens not only public education but democracy itself. Under the fraudulent guise of “education reform,” extremists seek to destroy public education and turn it over to private entrepreneurs. They trust the marketplace, not the public. They are true believers in the doctrines of free-market economist Milton Friedman, not
SAT, ACT Sued for Selling Student Data
A 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 apply, but it turns out that far more is disclosed about students, and it is sold, not just shared. It appe
The Fatal Flaw of the Common Core Standards
Across the nation, parents and educators are raising objections to the Common Core standards, and many states are reconsidering whether to abandon them as well as the federally-funded tests that accompany them. Arne Duncan, Jeb Bush, Bill Gates, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Business Roundtable vocally support them, yet the unease continues and pushback remains intense. Why so much controv
Are You Attending American Education Research Association Meeting in Philadelphia?
If the answer is yes, please come to one or both of the two sessions where I am speaking on April 3. I will give the John Dewey Society lecture at the Convention Center, 100 Level, Room 114, from 4-7 pm. (Lots of time for discussion). My topic: “Does Evidence Matter?” Fair warning: The room holds only 600 people. Before the Dewey lecture, I will join Philadelphia parent activist Helen Gym and Carl
MAR 23
Just 27% in Rasmussen Poll Think SAT Should Be Major Factor in College Admission
Bad news for the All-New, Revamped SAT: Only 27% in the most recent Rasmussen poll think that the SAT should be a major factor in college admission. Actually, it may be even less than 27%. According to Rasmussen, “…most Americans don’t think the SATs are an accurate reflection of a student’s abilities, nor do they believe they should be a major factor in college admissions. A new Rasmussen Reports
Peter Greene: Why Standardized Testing Sucks
Peter Greene here explains what most teachers know about standardized testing. It is a monumental waste of time and money. It doesn’t reflect what students were taught or learned. He writes: “Standardized testing is completely inauthentic assessment, and students know that. The young ones may blame themselves, but students of all ages see that there is no connection between the testing and their e
Common Core for Commoners, Not My School!
This is an unintentionally hilarious story about Common Core in Tennessee. Dr. Candace McQueen has been dean of Lipscomb College’s school of education and also the state’s's chief cheerleader for Common Core. However, she was named headmistress of private Lipscomb Academy, and guess what? She will not have the school adopt the Common Core! Go figure.
Vivian Connell: The Face of a Hero
On February 11 of this year, I met Vivian Connell. She was on a panel at the North Carolina Emerging Issues Forum moderated by John Merrow. Vivian was one of six people who explained why she left teaching. She described the disrespect in which the current leadership of North Carolina holds teachers and the deterioration of working conditions. She said she decided to go to law school, yet she misse
Teacher: When Will We Be Able to Think of Children Again?
This teacher explains: She loves teaching. She loves her students, but she wants the high-stakes testing and the Race to the Top to stop. She knows that her students are set up to fail. It is all so wrong, so mean-spirited, so cruel. This is what she knows: “I am a NYS certified public school teacher teaching 3rd grade in an economically disadvantaged school district in rural upstate New York. I h
Jason Stanford: A Hard Choice in Texas: $100 for a Graphic Calculator or $15 for an App?
Jason Stanford is a political journalist in Texas who keeps a close watch on the nexus between money, politics, and education. He is especially interested in how lobbyists shape decisions about where the education money should be spent. In this post, he sees the usual lobbyists pressing to make more money for their clients: Forcing schools to buy a graphing calculator for every single 8th grader i
From One Teacher to Another: VAM is Junk Science
After Kafkateach stated that his/her VAM scores were poor because he/she is a teacher of gifted students and have no way to go higher, this response came from Chris in Florida: We’re in this together here in Florida, kafkateach. I am National Board certified, have 2 masters degrees (only 1 is in education), 20+ years of experience, and was named a Teacher of the Year by three different programs in
Mother: My Son Hates School, How Can I Help Him?
This comment came from “Albany Mom”: I agree with the writer that “if parents do not advocate for their children, who will?” However, I need help knowing how to advocate for my child. Who is going to help? My husband and I have struggled with the demons of Common Core this year, watching our 9 year old son sink into what looks like depression. We can’t afford private school, so I have coerced, o
Students Organize to Resist Destructive “Reforms”
Students have the power to stop the destructive forces that are ruining their education and treating them as data points, not humans who want to learn. They are holding a conference in Los Angeles, where they will discuss strategies to resist school closings, high-stakes testing, data mining, and other current efforts to turn their educational opportunity into an opportunity for entrepreneurs to u
Ohio: You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
A reader in Ohio writes: This is one of the people who is making law on public schools in Ohio: “Powell legislator stirs controversy over views on public schools Two weeks after calling public education “socialism” and saying it should be privatized, state Rep. Andrew Brenner said of those criticizing him with vulgarities: “I’m guessing those people had a public education.” The Powell Republican
Florida Teacher Evaluated on Scores of Students She Never Taught: Junk Science Alert!
Value-added-measurement (VAM) produce ratings that are inaccurate and unstable. In Florida, about half of teachers don’t teach tested subjects, so they are assigned scores based on the scores of their school, meaning they are rated in relation to the scores of students they never taught and subjects they never taught. This Florida teacher explains why she was rated a 23.6583 out of 40, even though
MAR 22
Breaking News: Feds Investigate Florida Scholarship Program for Bias Against Minorities, Poor
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating the Florida “Brighter Choice” scholarship program, whose criteria were changed in a way that has a disparate impact on black and Hispanic students. The Miami Herald reports: “Since the program’s inception, an outsized share of more than $4 billion in scholarships has gone to white or affluent families, at least some of who
Boston: Citizens Fight Deformers
Boston’s Citizens for Public Schools show how a powerful group of parents, teachers, and concerned citizens can inform the public and keep the heat on legislators. I was unable to repost all the links; there were so many! Go to their website to find them all. Here is their latest update: CPS writes: What a fascinating week it’s been for education news! First, there was the spectacle of leading ch
Lauren Anderson: Why the Focus on “Grit”?
Lauren Anderson, a professor at Connecticut College, probes the upsurge in interest in the concept of “grit” and “character” and concludes that it is just another form of “blaming the victim.” She is especially critical of the work of Angela Duckworth, who recently won a MacArthur “genius” award. Duckworth has emerged as the leading academic in “grit” studies. Anderson takes the “grit” narrative t
President Obama Will Give Commencement Address at Worcester Tech High School
This should be interesting. President dent Obama will deliver the commencement address at Worcester Tech High School in Massachusetts. Many Worcester parents are opting out of the Common Core tests funded by the Obama administration. Secretary Duncan visited Massachusetts last week and said its students–with the nation’s highest scores on NAEP–are not prepared for global competition. Wonder whethe
When Bill Gates Told State Legislators What to Do and They Did It: UPDATE!
Mercedes Schneider came across a speech that Bill Gates gave to state legislators in 2009. It lays out the blueprint for everything that has happened in education since then. Forget what you learned in civics class. Gates gave legislators their marching orders. Duncan already had his marching orders. Gates laid out $2.3 billion to create and promote the Common Core standards. His buddy Arne handed
Reader: Brookings Analyst Sees CCSS As Entry Point for “Big Data” Machine
Reader Laura H. Chapman shares this exchange with a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution about the Common Core: I had a brief email exchange with Darrell West of the Brookings about the CCSS. He wants the CCSS to be standardized so that test scores will provide “big data” for his real interest, which is an automated system of tellin students what they need to do in order to master CCSS conte
Houston: A Teacher Struggling to Survive in a “Model” District
Rachel Fairbank is a first-year teacher in Houston. She always wanted to be a teacher. She was inspired by her own teachers. But she is drowning in paperwork, busywork, mandates, and directives. She doesn’t know if she will make it. The district does nothing to support her as a new teacher. Houston was honored by the Broad Foundation as the most improved urban district in the nation (reprising its
Report: Shocking Loss of Teachers in Louisiana Due to State Incompetence
Rodolfo Espinoza reports that Lafayette, Louisiana, is experiencing a major exodus of teachers who have resigned because of confusing and conflicting directions from the state bureaucracy. Espinoza is president of the local teachers’ association. He writes: Lafayette is in a crisis of employee resignations and early retirements. Changes in state policies spearheaded by unqualified state leaders, c
Linda Darling-Hammond Testifies in Vergara Trial
A friend who observed the proceedings in the Vergara trial sent me the following notes, based on the testimony of Stanford professor Linda Darling-Hammond. She is probably the nation’s leading expert on issues related to teacher recruitment, preparation, retention, and support. Her testimony, based on many years of study and experience, was devastating to the plaintiff’s case. Linda Darling-Hammo