An Update on My Knee Injury
Thanks to all those who have inquired about my health. I was on Long Island in a remote location, no one nearby, when I tripped and landed on my left knee on April 5. I was alone, had no cell phone, and had to drag myself inch by inch into the house to reach a phone. Within minutes, the town’s fire department and police officers arrived to put me in a stretcher and take me to the localhospital. On
The Facts About Corporate Education Reform in Denver
Jeanne Kaplan recently retired as an elected member of the Denver school board. She has started her own blog where she will keep track of education in Denver. Here is her inaugural post, where she lays out the facts about “reform” in Denver. The biggest “success” has been the steady increase in privately managed charter schools, most of which get free public space. The educational gains are harde
Laura Chapman: Trouble Ahead for Higher Education from ALEC, Gates, Duncan
Laura Chapman writes in response to a post about OECD ratings for higher education in different nations based on ability of adults to answer standardized test questions. This comes as the U.S. Department of Education has declared its intention to rate, rank, and evaluate colleges and universities by a variety of criteria, then to tie funding to ratings. That is, to bring the data-based decision ma
Reader: That Nonsensical Moratorium on High-Stakes
The Gates Foundation called for a two-year suspension of the high stakes evaluation of teachers–ratings and rankings tied to student scores—but not a moratorium on the testing. A reader writes: “If there is a moratorium on the evaluations connected to the tests, then there is no point in continuing the tests either since the sole purpose of the tests was to attempt to measure growth for the purpo
Akron Beacon-Journal: Why So Many Turkish Gulen Charter Schools in Ohio?
Could it be those free trips to Turkey for key legislators? One of the curious aspects of the charter movement, beloved by both Republicans and the Obama administration, is the growth of Gulen charter schools. These are schools associated with a reclusive Turkish imam named Fetullah Gulen who lives in the Poconos but leads a vigorous political movement in Turkey. The Gulen schools have a board of
NPE Endorses Valerie Wilson for State Superintendent in Georgia
This comes from the website of the Network for Public Education: Fight for public ed. in GA to be decided in July 22 run-off. Support Valarie Wilson for GA State Superintendent. On July 22, the run-off for Georgia State School Superintendent will be decided. Valarie Wilson, NPE’s endorsed candidate and the past-president of the Georgia School Boards Association, was the top vote-getter in the May
The Excellent But False Messaging of the Common Core Standards
Have you ever wondered about the amazingly effective campaign to sell the Common Core standards to the media, the business community, and the public? How did it happen that advocates for the standards used the same language, the same talking points, the same claims, no matter where they were located? The talking points sounded poll-tested because they were. The language was the same because it cam
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Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: “Data Is Fool’s Gold of the Common Core”Common Core standards are usually described in the mainstream media in idealistic terms, using the positive and affirmative messages to sell the idea to the public. Doesn’t everyone want “high standards?” Doesn’t everyone want every single student to be “college and career ready?” Doesn’t eve