Coalition of 114 education groups: Ryan 2015 budget would ‘devastate’ schools
The 2015 budget proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan’s House Budget Committee would “devastate funding for education and make college less affordable,” a coalition of 114 national education associations and institutions charged in an open letter sent to the panel. The Ryan budget would, according to this story by my Post colleague, Ed O’Keefe, cut more than […]
‘Dear public school teachers: we are sorry’
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg is a parent living in Highland Park, New Jersey, and a member of Highland Park Cares About Schools, a nonpartisan coalition of coalition of parents, educators, and others interested in preserving public education. Here is an open letter she wrote to public school teachers in New Jersey and beyond. Dear Public School Teachers, We […]
Principals slam 2014 NY Common Core tests as badly designed
Students in New York have been taking state-mandated Common Core-aligned standard tests in English Language Arts in recent days and, for the second year in a row, educators are saying the tests — designed by the giant education company Pearson — were badly designed for the second straight year. Last year, the tests sparked controversy […]
Koch brothers help Kansas lawmakers strip teachers of tenure
The Kansas legislature just passed legislation that strips teachers of tenure and the right to due process, a move pushed by conservative lawmakers who were forced by a state Supreme Court ruling to provide more funding to poor school districts and wanted to get something out of the deal. After stripping teachers of their tenure, legislators […]
Ten concerns about the ‘let’s teach them grit’ fad
One more thing school reformers think schools should be doing these days is teaching kids to have “grit.” To explain what this is all about is author Alfie Kohn in an article adapted from the author’s new book The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Children and Parenting, just published by […]
4-7-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Common Core test gives students no time to think — teacherTravis Durfee is a teacher at Watkins Glen Middle School in Watkins Glen, New York who is administering Common Core-aligned standardized tests to students that were designed by Pearson, the education company. In the following piece, which he calls “Driving Lessons,” he looks from within the schoolhouse gates at the disconn