Good News: Anti-Due Process Group in Missouri Drops Its Campaign This Year
Good news for teachers in Missouri. The group seeking a constitutional amendment to eliminate teachers’ right to due process (aka “tenure”) has decided to abandon its campaign for now. Called Teach Great, the organization hoped to make test scores the key factor in all decisions about teachers. “The proposed amendment will still appear on the ballot. It seeks to end tenure and require that decisi
Here is a Link to Tavis Smiley Show
In case you missed, here is my interview with Tavis Smiley from September 8. It is about 12 minutes. Tavis asked about the Vergara decision and teacher tenure, about the attacks on teachers and public education, about the goals of the current “reform” movement, Common Core, and my judgment of Race to the Top. All in 12 minutes! By the way, if you wonder why I was holding my head in last minutes o
And Now a Word from “Sad Teacher”
A reader with the name “Sad Teacher” wrote the following comment: “My problem is that I cannot follow the Marzano rubric and continue to get excellent test scores. I’ve been told for many years what to teach, but now we are being ordered how to teach it. It is almost against the law now for a teacher to go to the dry erase board and explain the strategies to solve a proportion. That is called dir
If CCSS is not a Curriculum, Why Do All the Textbooks Look Alike?
A letter from a public school parent: “Hi Diane – I am an avid follower of you, Carol Burris, and other brilliant experts who have helped me understand the state of education today. A lot has been written about CCSS, and we know that advocates love to say “It’s standards, not curricula” and “States are free to teach the standards their own way; it’s not prescriptive.” What I don’t see addressed is
What Is the Real Cost of Federally-funded Common Core Tests?
This report from the Pew Charitable Trusts says that many states are reconsidering the costs of Common Core testing, and a small number have withdrawn from participation in the two federally-funded tests, PARCC or Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. “But as controversy over the Common Core has challenged some states’ commitment to the standards, a number of states have decided to withdraw from
Dawn Neely-Randall: Silent No More
Dawn Neely-Randall is a teacher in Ohio. She is in her 25th year in the classroom. For a long while, she watched in silence as the testing mania absorbed more and more instructional time. And then she decided she had to speak out. She had to defend her students. She had to defend her professional ethics. She could not remain silent. And speak she did. Here is an article that she wrote that appeare
Idaho Says SBAC Not Valid But Will Use It to Evaluate Teachers Anyway
Levi Cavener, a teacher of special education in Idaho, learned that Idaho will give the Common Core test SBAC) to tenth graders even though it includes e length grade content. “However, I was shocked during this exchange when the Director told me that the decision was due to the fact the state was worried students wouldn’t take the test seriously, and they didn’t want their data set tainted…becau
McKinsey: The Global Powerhouse Behind “Reform”
Which is the most powerful player behind the scenes in corporate reform? This article says, without doubt, McKinsey. Where did David Coleman, architect of the Common Core standards, get his start: McKinsey. Which firm pushes the narrative of a “crisis in education”: McKinsey. Which firm believes that Big Data will solve all problems? McKinsey. Look behind the screen, behind the curtain: McKin
Schneider: How “EdNext” Spins Polling About Charters
Mercedes Schneider decided to analyze how the conservative journal “Ednext” gauges public opinion about one of its favorite reforms, charter schools. She reviews the wording of the questions asked over several years. She notes that Ednext never mentions charter school scandals, which are a hot topic in states like Michigan, Ohio, and Forida. “There’s a lot of unregulated money to be made in “sch
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-8-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Eton Headmaster: U.K. Exam System Is Obsolete“Tony Little, headmaster of Eton, says that the U.K.’s testing system is unimaginative and misleading. “England’s “unimaginative” exam system is little changed from Victorian times and fails to prepare young people for modern working life, Eton’s headmaster has said. “Tony Little said th