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FairTest: Resistance to Over-Testing Grows Nationwide
Here is FairTest’s weekly roundup of resistance to test mania: This week’s biggest assessment reform news was the vote to “opt out” of state-mandated standardized exams by the Lee County, Florida School Board. Though that was the most dramatic action so far this school year, we are seeing more and more local officials across the nation speaking out against testing overkill. As grassroots activists
John Thompson: When Arne Duncan Punished Oklahoma for Dropping Common Core
John Thompson, widely published writer, historian and teacher, wrote this post for the blog. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan obviously knew what he was doing when he timed the USDOE revocation of Oklahoma’s NCLB Waiver on the proverbial “take out the trash day,” just before the long Labor Day weekend. One Duncan soundbite is that Common Core is not a top down corporate and/or federal mandate,
Scholars: “Grit” May Not Be Related to Creativity
An article in Education Week reports on research about “grit” or perseverance at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. Scholars reported that it had more bearing on academic outcomes than on creativity. “Magdalena G. Grohman, the associate director of the Center for Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology at the University of Texas at Dallas, argues that grittiness is n
Gates Funds Programs to Grade Student Essays
Thanks to Leonie Haimson for this item. http://www.grantspace.org/Tools/Knowledge-Base/Individual-Grantseekers/For-Profit-Enterprises/business-funding By and large, foundations do not make grants to for-profit enterprises. If you are seeking funds to start a for-profit business, please consult the resources below for more information. You might also consult the business section of your local publ
Why Computers Should Not Grade Student Essays
In the brave new world of Common Core, all tests will be delivered online and graded by computers. This is supposed to be faster and cheaper than paying teachers or even low-skill hourly workers or read student essays. But counting on machines to grade student work is a truly bad idea. We know that computers can’t recognize wit, humor, or irony. We know that many potentially great writers with un
Peter Greene: Reform and the Cult of Order
Peter Greene has noticed that reformers are in love with order. They love it wWhen students wear identical uniforms and walk in straight lines without a word. He writes: “The Cult of Order believes in blind, unthinking devotion to Order. Everything must be in its proper place. Everything must go according to plan. Everything must be under control. “It is not new to find cult members in education
Plunderbund: Are Religious Charter Schools the New Normal in Ohio?
Plunderbund is one of Ohio’s most valuable bloggers. In this post, Plunderbund points to an alarming trend in that state: the authorization of charter schools that are connected to clerics and churches. To begin with, there are the Gulen schools, associated with a reclusive Turkish imam. With 150 schools, it is the nation’s largest charter chain, with 19 located in Ohio and operating under the na
Two More Florida Charters Close Abruptly
Two more charter schools closed their doors without warning, sending students and parents in search of a new school. This continues a pattern documented by reporters Karen Yi and Amy Shipley in a major investigative story in June. “Two charter schools on Tuesday shut down just two weeks into their first school year, the latest in an unprecedented string of overnight closures among South Florida c
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-2-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why Does the U.S. Test More Often and Earlier than Any High-Performing Nation?Education policymakers in the U.S. seem to think that more tests will produce higher achievement, but there is no evidence for this assumption. As this article from the Center on International Education Benchmarking shows, the U.S. tests more frequently t