What Happens When Handwriting Fades?
The New York Times reports today that the loss of handwriting skills may lead to the loss of cognitive development. Maria Konnikova writes: “Does handwriting matter? “Not very much, according to many educators. The Common Core standards, which have been adopted in most states, call for teaching legible writing, but only in kindergarten and first grade. After that, the emphasis quickly shifts to p
Alan Singer: Why Is This Charter Management Company Still in Business?
Alan Singer asks why National Heritage Academies is still in business, in light of its business practices. For-profit companies are good at making profits, and that’s what NHA does well. NHA has most of its charters in Michigan, where more than 80% of charters operate for-profit. It has ties to ALEC and conservative think tanks. It also operates charters in other states. Singer writes: “In 2005
When Will Bill Gates Admit He Was Wrong–Again?
Bill Gates has loomed large in education for the past decade. The reason is obvious: his foundation is the largest in the world, and districts are more than willing to accept his conditions in return for his money. When anyone asks Gates whether it is right that one man and one foundation should have so much influence, he says that the money he gives is minuscule compared to the hundreds of billi
Edushyster: Graduation Rate at Boston Charters No Better Than Public Schools
Massachusetts is preparing to lift the cap on charter schools, the assumption being that they have cracked the code to educating the neediest children. The Boston Globe has been cheerleading for the charter sector, along with the usual hedge funders and philanthropists. Only problem, says Edushyster, is facts. EduShyster writes: “At the heart of our great debate about how much greater charter s
Stephen Krashen: Pearson Poll Finds Support for Common Core!
Stephen Krashen shows himself to quite the satirist in this report. HUMOR ALERT: I post this notice because it is hard to tell the difference between satire and reality in American education these days. Krashen writes: “There is now no doubt: Americans overwhelmingly support the common core. In a poll organized by the Pearson Publishing Company, 96% strongly agreed with the statement, “Schools s
North Carolina Republicans Offer Nearly $500 Million to Abolish Tenure–This Teacher Says “No”
North Carolina’s Republican-dominated State Senate hates teacher tenure. They hate it so much that they are willing to offer nearly $500 million in higher salaries if teachers are willing to abandon their tenure. Bear in mind that tenure in K-12 education is not a guarantee of lifetime employment; it is a guarantee of due process rights. Also note that until recently, North Carolina was thought t
Pasi Sahlberg: How Are Finnish National Standards Different from CCSS?
I invited Pasi Sahlberg, the eminent scholar of Finnish education, to write a brief description of how the Finnish national standards function. The key differences, as you will see, between the Finnish national standards and the Common Core standards is first, the role of teachers in writing and revising them, and second, that Finland has no external national testing of the standards Sahlberg, wh
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-2-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Ohio’s Charter Dropout FactoriesOhio has some of the worst charter schools in the country, which avoid accountability because their owners contribute generously to elected officials. Among the worst performing charters are those specifically designed for dropouts. Some of these schools teach students online. Can you imagine how ine