NPE News Briefs ← from The Network for Public Education:
NPE News Briefs
from The Network for Public Education
Why Kentucky Dropped the PARCC Test | Diane Ravitch’s blog
When Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced he was withdrawing the state from the PARCC tests, he expressed concern about competitive bidding, among other things. He was not the only one to have this issue. At the beginning of 2014, Kentucky decided to withdraw from the PARCC testing consortium. PARCC is one of two federally funded ...read more
Is It Time for a Truce | CURMUDGUCATION
As guest blogger over at Anthony Cody’s Living in Dialogue, John Thompson asks the question, “Is it time for a truce.” He’s responding specifically to the Gates Foundation call for a two-year testing moratorium. Now that they’ve put down that particular club, do we point down our pointy sticks and try to have a chat? ...read more
The big money and profits behind the push for charter schools | PandoDaily
At this point, it should be fairly obvious why the technology industry is so high on so-called education “reform.” More computer-based standardized tests and online learning means more opportunity for the industry to sell its wares to school districts. What has been less clear is why the corporate sector’s Masters of the Universe have involved themselves ...read more
John White’s PARCC Contract Problems | @ THE CHALK FACE
In January 2005, I bought a house in Muncie, Indiana, to remodel. It was quite the adventure for a number of reasons, one of which was the creative ways that the previous owner managed to dodge making structurally-sound renovations. For example, the electrical system was in chaos. When the electrician opened up the breaker box, ...read more
Special-needs student may be barred from graduating because of two points on standardized test – The Washington Post
Unless the Rhode Island House of Representatives goes along with a Senate-approved moratorium on the use of a standardized test as a requirement for high school graduation, Molly Coffey won’t be able to get a diploma. On that critical test, the 18-year-old, who has a form of Down syndrome, missed the graduation cutoff by two ...read more
D.C. Dumping Test Scores From Its Teacher Evaluations
WASHINGTON (AP) — The District of Columbia public school system, one of the first in the country to evaluate teachers using student test scores, announced Thursday that it would suspend the practice while students adjust to new tests based on Common Core standards. Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced the decision, saying officials are concerned it wouldn’t ...read more
Connecticut: Charter School CEO Does Not Have Doctorate, As Claimed | Diane Ravitch’s blog
Yesterday, it was revealed by the media that the CEO of one of Connecticut’s charter chains, Michael Sharpe, has a criminal background. Today the story emerged that he does not have a doctorate, although the chain’s website refers to him as “Dr. Sharpe.” Perhaps of greater significance is that his charter school in Hartford did ...read more
Breaking News: R.I. House of Representatives Passes 3-Year Ban on High-Stakes Graduation Test | Diane Ravitch’s blog
In a big victory for the Providence Student Union, the Rhode Island House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a three-year moratorium on the use of a high-stakes graduation test. The vote was 63-3. A similar bill was passed earlier by the State Senate. The legislation now goes to Governor Lincoln Chafee. The PSU engaged in numerous ...read more
JUN 18
John White: Ignore Governor Jindal! | Diane Ravitch’s blog
State Commissioner John White says Louisiana will NOT drop Common Core or the PARCC tests. John Whiite issued this statement: Jun 18, 2014 BATON ROUGE, La. – The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and the Louisiana Department of Education today reaffirmed that the state will implement the Common Core State Standards, as ...read more
JUN 17
Knowledge Ventriloquism – Ken Zeichner takes us inside the teacher prep war echo chamber | EduShyster
EduShyster: You introduced me to one of my favorite new concepts—*knowledge ventriloquism.* The release of the National Council on Teacher Quality *review* of the nation’s teacher prep programs seems like an appropriate time to share this concept with the world. So what is *knowledge ventriloquism*? Break it down for us. Ken Zeichner: It’s a particularly ...read more
A Silicon Valley Entrepreneur, A Billionaire And A USDOE Assistant Secretary Walk Into A Courtroom…| Mother Crusader
Much of the press surrounding the Vergara decision has focused on the role of David Welch, President of the Silicone Valley Telecommunications behemoth, Infinera. Dave Welch isn’t a teacher, politician or lawyer, but he was the driving force behind a landmark court ruling Tuesday that is poised to overhaul public education in California and across the ...read more
Writing Expert: Computer Scoring by PARCC-Pearson Tests Is Fundamentally Flawed | Diane Ravitch’s blog
Les Perelman, who was in charge of MIT’sWriting Across the Curriculum program, wrote this opinion piece for the Boston Globe. Perelman said that student essays written for the PARCC test, created by Pearson, would be scored by computers. Unfortunately, the computer scorers are unable to detect the meaning of language. Instead, they rely on length, ...read more
What is NCTQ? | Diane Ravitch’s blog
With the release of the NCTQ ratings of teacher preparation programs, this is a propitious time to review its origins. It was created by the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute. It floundered, then was rescued by a grant of $5 million from Secretary of Education Rod Paige in the early days of the Bush administration. ...read more
When Arne Duncan Brought His Snake Oil to Charleston | Diane Ravitch’s blog
When Arne Duncan went to South Carolina, he probably expected to meet the usual compliant, uninformed business crowd. But Patrick Hayes of EdFirstSC was waiting to meet him, hear him, and ask questions. And Hayes is neither compliant nor uninformed. Hayes writes: Ever seen a weasel tap dance? Would you like to? Well, here it ...read more
NCTQ Coverage- How’s It Look So Far? | CURMUDGUCATION
The release of this year’s NCTQ teacher prep school ratings is another opportunity for news organizations to practice press release journalism. The good news is that as of noon-time on June 17, most outfits aren’t even bothering to do that. Foxnews.com is headlining a list of twelve terrible teachers who are being protected by tenure. ...read more
A case for why K-12 teachers need tenure | The Washington Post
BY VALERIE STRAUSS The issue has become a big topic of conversation because of the recent verdict in the “Vergara trial,” in which a Los Angeles judge tossed out California statutes giving job protections to teachers. The decision didn’t exactly come out of nowhere; school “reformers” have been moving for several years to weaken or eliminate ...read more
And the Best News Story Title of the campaign goes to….. | Wait What?
While Election Day is still 140 days away, the New Haven Independent’s Melissa Bailey appears to be the sure winner of the Best News Story Title of the 2014 gubernatorial campaign. If a post-election AWARDS CEREMONY for this year’s race for Governor is going to be held, the organizers can safely fill out and seal ...read more
JUN 14
If You Don’t Know Much About Education, Don’t Write About It | Jersey Jazzman
I spend most of my time on this blog writing about education. Why? Because I’m a teacher and a student of education policy, so I have informed opinions about the subject. I don’t spend a lot of time writing about venture capitalism and the tech sector. Why? Because I don’t know much about it. I ...read more
Superintendents: Slow Down CCSS Implementation | Diane Ravitch’s blog
American Association of School Administrators say the Common Core must be slowed down. “Dear Colleagues: As we move forward in advocating on behalf of school superintendents, one of the hottest topics right now is the Common Core State Standards. I am pleased to share with you that AASA, The School Superintendents Association, released today a ...read more
Public School Spending Fell in 2012, for First Time Since 1977 | Diane Ravitch’s blog
Teachers and administrators continue to feel the pain of budget cuts, long after the end of the recession of 2008. While politicians complain about the cost of schooling, those who work in schools are aware of an era of austerity and disinvestment in education. This article explains what happened. Federal stimulus dollars helped the schools ...read more
Efficiency-Minded Reformers Today Draw from Efficiency-Minded Reformers of a Century Ago | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
The crusade among reformers for data-driven decision-making in schools and evangelizing new technologies didn’t just begin in the past decade. Its roots go back to Frederick Winslow Taylor‘s application of scientific methods a century ago to what workers do each day to increase their efficiency and productivity. In the decade before World War I and ...read more
