Tens of Thousands Opt Out in New York: A Determined Movement Is Born
Michelle Chen has a nice piece in The Nation. A small clip:The families and educators who have opted out might be taking a militant stance, but with the integrity of public education under threat, no high-stakes data points can trump the defense of the open mind.
Korea's Test Scores High Despite Schools and Teachers
by Michael Horn for Forbes:In my travels throughout Korea, in virtually every meeting I heard a variation of the same theme. “Why does President Obama think that Korean schools are good?”Although there are disputes about how much Obama or Education Secretary Arne Duncan like Korean schools—see here and here, for example—there is no question that Korea’s students’ consistently high PISA scores and
Helen Gym Philadelphia Hero
When parents unite for public schools.From Helen Gym: By far one of the most intense experiences of my life was going on stage atTEDx Philadelphia at the beautiful Temple Performing Arts Center on March 28. TEDx is quite the production, and my fellow speakers were simply stunning. From the luminous Natalie Nixon who talked about seeing life through jazz, to talks on education from Science Leadersh
Corporate Welfare Charter Schools--the Vampire Squid of Education
from Alan Singer at HuffPo:On Sunday, March 23, 2014 in a speechat Riverside Church in Manhattan, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, faced with declining public opinion poll numbers, made nice to charter school companies and their wealthy backers. He told congregants that his administration and the charter movement have a common goal and share common ground. But de Blasio should not have made nic
4-7-14 Schools Matter
Schools Matter: Brooklyn Schools Lead the Way “There was inappropriate content, many highly ambiguous questions, and a focus on structure rather than meaning of passages.” Brooklyn schools lead the way. From The NationThere’s a growing nationwide movement opposing these tests as the result of a corporate-driven agenda that has distorted real learning, widened the achievement gap, increased financi