Breaking News: Chicago Teachers Union Opposes Common Core
The Chicago Teachers Union adopted a resolution opposing the Common Core. This is big news because the parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers, accepted millions of dollars from the Gates Foundation to support and promote the Common Core. Fred Klonsky posted the following account of the CTU action: Chicago Teachers Union adopts resolution opposing the Common Core State Standard
Chancellor Carmen Farina Sends a Note of Thanks to New York City’s Teachers
What a difference one election makes! For a dozen years, New York City had a Department of Education and a Mayor who viewed teachers with disdain. At best, they were checkers on a checkerboard controlled from “downtown,” doing the bidding of business-school graduates or TFA wonders who had little regard for veterans. Now, with a new mayor and a chancellor who is an experienced educator, the tone h
FairTest: 12th Grade NAEP Shows Failure of NCLB, Race to Top Strategies
FairTest comments on today’s release of 12th grade NAEP scores. Their conclusion: a dozen years of test-based accountability has had no discernible effect on the test scores of seniors. This accords with the 2010 report of the National Research Council, which released a report saying that incentives and test-based accountability are ineffective. Although I have never put much stock in 12th grade N
More on Florida Decision that Teacher Evaluation is Unfair But Legal
In Florida, teachers are given ratings based on the scores of students they never taught. Teachers in several counties challenged the law in court. The judge agreed that the system was unfair, but refused to overturn it. Where teachers are concerned, Junk Science is just fine. It is okay to rate a teacher based on the performance on tests of students the teacher never met, never taught.
A Common Core Disaster: Did the Holocaust Actually Happen?
Will Fitzhugh, the peerless founder of The Concord Review, sent me this astonishing article. The Concord Review is a marvelous journal that publishes the original research papers of high school students. If anyone happens to know a hedge fund manager or philanthropist or billionaire in search of a worthy cause, tell him or her to contact Will Fitzhugh so that our great high school students who lov
John Thompson: Our Education Spring Is Coming
John Thompdon, historian and teacher, understands the long view of history. He thinks deeply, tries to see different sides of issues, and given his training in the study of history, knows that bad things eventually collapse, wither, die, fade away. And so I am glad to see his support for my belief that the current ungrounded attacks on public education and on teachers will not survive. It is such
AIR Files Lawsuit Against Pearson Multi-Billion $$$ Contract to Score PARCC
Now begins the struggle for billions of dollars for Common Core testing. Bear in mind that this is public money that should be spent on reducing class sizes, providing arts programs, hiring librarians and counselors, and supplying other necessary services to students and schools. The next time you hear some politician or pundit complain about the cost of public education, remind them of the billio
Duncan Proves That Common Core Is a Federal Mandate by Threatening to Punish Indiana for Backing Out
Over the past few years, as almost every state adopted the Common Core standards, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan insisted they did so voluntarily. He insisted that the creation of the standards was “state-led” and that the federal government had nothing to do with it. No part of these statements was true. The states adopted the CC because they would not be eligible to compete for a share of ne
Patrick Walsh on the Death of Philosophy in a World of Philistines
Many bloggers have commented on the pretentiousness and vacuousness of the gaggle of politicians, entrepreneurs, and hedge funders who have gathered in the Adirondacks of New York and audaciously dubbed themselves the “thought leaders” of our time. They called their meeting “Camp Philos,” to claim association with such intellectual giants as Ralph Waldo Emerson. Their goal, they said, was to discu
Teachers of Conscience Speak Out Against Market-Based Reforms
A group of teachers in New York City wrote an impassioned plea against the market-based reforms of the Bush-Obama era. It has since been signed by parents and educators from across the nation. It takes a strong position against high-stakes testing and the standardization of the Common Core. Read this letter and consider signing it. ############# This is the beginning: “We have patiently taught un
Gary Rubinstein Writes a Letter to Mike Petrilli
Gary Rubinsten has written a series of “reformers,” questioning their claims. In this letter, he writes to B list reformer Michael Petrilli. Understand that a reformer these days is someone who hates unions, views teachers with contempt as lazy and greedy, blames teachers if schools don’t achieve perfection, and welcomes school privatization. Mike is interesting to Gary, mainly because he occasion
North Carolina: The Negative Impact of “Read to Achieve” for Third Graders
North Carolina is a state where the Legislature have been actively revising education policy to promote privatization through vouchers and charters, while passing laws to make teaching more rule-bound and less rewarding. The state has experienced a large outflow of veteran teachers, from the profession and from the state. One of the more problematic legislative incursions into education is the new
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-6-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Rick Hess Blasts Duncan’s Waiver PolicyRick Hess of the conservative American Enterprise Institute wrote a hard-hitting and sensible column critical of Arne Duncan’s NCLB waivers. The column is especially pertinent in light of Duncan’s decision to withdraw his waiver from Washington State for daring to defy his will. Duncan will pu