Let the Children Play! A Book You Should Read | Diane Ravitch's blog

Let the Children Play! A Book You Should Read | Diane Ravitch's blog

Let the Children Play! A Book You Should Read

Pasi Sahlberg and William Doyle have written a wonderful new book about the importance of play for children. Play is important for the healthy development of all children, regardless of their socioeconomic status. It’s title is Let the Children Play. 

Since the passage of no Child Left Behind and the implementation of Race to the Top, the federal government and the states have done their best to stamp out play.

Noted conservative Reformer Checker Finn enjoyed the book but thought it smacked too much of Dewey and Rousseau. Play may be fine for our children, he says, but not for poor children, who need to raise their test scores. No play for them! Sahlberg and Doyle do not agree. They argue that children need to run, jump, imagine, sing, dance, and play-act, whatever their circumstances. It’s called childhood, and all children should have one, not just those who are privileged.

Its time to take a stand on behalf of play, fun, joy for all children.

Let the children play! 

Let the Children Play! A Book You Should Read | Diane Ravitch's blog

4 new studies bolster the case: More money for schools helps low-income students

4 new studies bolster the case: More money for schools helps low-income students

4 new studies bolster the case: More money for schools helps low-income students

Does money matter in education? The answer is increasingly clear.

A 2018 overview of the research on education spending found that more money consistently meant better outcomes for students — higher test scores, higher graduation rates, and sometimes even higher wages as adults. It was enough for Northwestern economist Kirabo Jackson to say the question was “essentially settled.”

Since then, the research hits have just kept on coming.

Four new studies from different parts of the country have come to similar conclusions. In Texas and in Wisconsin, researchers found that spending more translated to higher test scores and boosted college enrollment. Two other studies — one looking at California and another looking across seven states — found that spending more money didn’t affect test scores in more affluent areas, but did boost test scores in higher-poverty districts.

“All four studies find that increased school spending improves student outcomes,” said Jackson.

The findings come as school spending is on the upswing across the country, with states continuing to rebound from the Great Recession and policymakers respond to pressure from striking teachers to invest more in schools. The new research indicates that students are likely to benefit from those increases, even as notable disparities between states like Mississippi and Massachusetts, and between some neighboring school districts, linger.

The studies don’t provide clear answers on how to best use new resources, though, CONTINUE READING: 4 new studies bolster the case: More money for schools helps low-income students

Today's Education Research Report

Education Research Report

Today's Education Research Report

Undergraduate nonfederal grant and scholarship aid between 2003–04 and 2015–16

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

Overall, in each selected year, 2003–04 through 2015–16, between 36 and 46 percent of undergraduates received nonfederal grant aid, which includes grants and scholarships from states, institutions, and private organizations. The National Center for Education Statistics released a new set of web tables today (August 14) entitled Trends in Undergraduate Nonfederal Grant and Scholarship Aid by Demog

YESTERDAY

A Case Study of the College Success Report

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 18h

Unless significant advancements are made in closing existing gaps in educational attainment, America's current employment gaps will worsen as the student population becomes more diverse. Introduced in 2015, Delaware's College Success Report (CSR) enables such advancements by connecting high school course outcomes in math and English to college remediation rates in these same subjects. Delaware's

National report card rates states' safety policies for high school athletes x

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 19h

In the two years since the Korey Stringer Institute (KSI) first assessed all 50 states and the District of Columbia on key health and safety policies for high school athletes, 31 states have adopted new policies -- 16 this year alone. With more than 7.8 million high school students participating in sanctioned sports each year, the need for comprehensive safety policies and training is critical. A

Launch of standardised tool to assess cognitive and language development in two year olds x

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 19h

A new paper published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health co-authored by a University of Warwick researcher provides standardised scores for The Parent Report of Children's Abilities Revised (PARCA-R) questionnaire. The PARCA-R is recommended for routine use in the UK to screen for cognitive and language developmental delay in children born preterm and can be completed by parents in 10 to 15

'Conversation-based' activities reduce mental illness stigma among college students

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 19h

College students who participate in fun, peer-directed activities that openly and honestly address mental illness are significantly less likely to stigmatize people with these conditions, according to a new study led by researchers at Indiana University. The work, published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , is the first study to systematically surv

Growth mindset intervention boosts confidence, persistence

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 19h

A low-cost intervention aimed at fostering a growth mindset in students gave the students more confidence in their entrepreneurship abilities and helped them persist when challenges arose. "The finding is valuable because efficacy, or confidence in one's abilities, and perseverance are powerful motivators and are critical for career development in entrepreneurship," says Jeff Pollack, second auth

Without social and emotional support, adolescent students who have recently made the difficult transition to middle sch...

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 21h

Without social and emotional support, adolescent students who have recently made the difficult transition to middle school experience decreased social belonging, waning academic performance, and increased risk of dropping out. This randomized field trial, conducted at scale across a Midwestern school district, reveals how a psychologically precise intervention for students supported transitioning

Programs and practices in place at schools across the nation

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 21h

The National Center for Education Statistics released a new report, Characteristics of Public and Private Elementary and Secondary Schools in the United States: Results From the 2017–18 National Teacher and Principal Survey First Look . The report introduces new information about public and private K–12 schools. During the 2017–18 school year, 78 percent of all schools reported that they particip

AUG 12

Public opinion and education spending has become inversely related

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

Using new estimates of state-level public opinion, this study explores the relationship between support for increased education spending and statewide per-pupil expenditures from 1986 to 2013. In the 1980s, there was a modest, positive relationship between public opinion and actual spending: States with greater support for increased education spending tended to have slightly higher per pupil expe

Do r to teacher evaluation and tenure policies affect teacher retention?

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 2d

This study examines the effect of Michigan’s 2011 reforms to teacher evaluation and tenure policies on teacher retention. The data are drawn from administrative records containing the population of public school employees 

Education Research Report

CURMUDGUCATION: FL: Educational Hypocrisy On Display

CURMUDGUCATION: FL: Educational Hypocrisy On Display

FL: Educational Hypocrisy On Display

Oh, Florida.

Maybe it was the principal who wasn't sure the Holocaust was a thing. Maybe it was the latest round of teaching mandates passed down, like the last minute mental health mandate. Or maybe he's just still cranky from his ongoing fight with Duval County Schools.

But Florida's education czar Richard Corcoran has had enough.

This guy.

Florida school districts had better fall in line. They had better be implementing the state-mandated Holocaust instruction. They had better be teaching what they're supposed to be teaching. They had better be following all the instructional standards and mandates. If not, he will use all the tools at his disposal. This, mind you, in the state that has vowed toend Common Core once and for all because federally mandated CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: FL: Educational Hypocrisy On Display

Why Art Lessons Are Necessary at School - LA Progressive

Why Art Lessons Are Necessary at School - LA Progressive

Why Art Lessons Are Necessary at School

One way or another, art is present in the life of all people. There are two forms of knowing the world. The first is logical, scientific, or objective; it is built on laws and reasons. At the same time, there is also an emotionally-shaped perception of the world. People navigate through their lives with the help the like/dislike, love/hate, beautiful/ugly concepts as well. It is a necessary component of the human experience of life, which adds to the feeling of completion and satisfaction. It is art that helps people inherit, transmit, and interpret their own experience of sensations and emotions for other people to relate and feel less lonely. Art is actively involved in shaping the value picture of the world.

Music Lessons: The extra boost for the brain

Art helps people inherit, transmit, and interpret their own experience of sensations and emotions for other people to relate and feel less lonely.

It is historically known that making music brings fun and helps people to relax. Nevertheless, few know that music also facilitates achievements in other subjects. One can compare it to a loud-speaker, which increases the strength and reach of a natural voice. The Feversham Primary School in Bradford poses a vivid example of the power of music lessons. Specifically, the school enjoyed a dubious reputation as its students always showed results below average in performance tests. However, almost ten years ago, the director ventured to change the schedule. He appointed an extra music class to all the children. Thus, students now practice singing or playing instruments for up to six hours per week.

The result is impressive: today, elementary school is among the best in the country in terms of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Namely, “…it is in the top 10% of schools in England when it CONTINUE READING: Why Art Lessons Are Necessary at School - LA Progressive

5 Ways to Prevent Bullying in the Classroom - Teacher Habits

5 Ways to Prevent Bullying in the Classroom - Teacher Habits

5 Ways to Prevent Bullying in the Classroom

Guest Writer: Rhonda Martinez

Did you know that one out of five students report being bullied, according to National Center for Education Statistics? In other words in your classroom, 6 out of 30 kids might be the victims of bullying. Right now, we as educators should take action, but what can we do?

We have talked to guidance counselors and experienced educators to find tips on how to create a positive classroom climate. We have singled out 5 main ways to prevent bullying and make the classroom an educationally safe environment.

• Talk with Your Students

Talking about bullying is of utmost importance. Discuss with your students the consequences of bullying. Spend enough time teaching them emotional intelligence: developing empathy, teaching to be respectful and showing them how to understand emotions and feelings.

• Keep an Eye on Small Behaviors

Small indicators can often help you detect bullying at an early stage. Things like eye rolling, laughing cruelly or ignoring can show that the problem exists and it can aggravate if no measures are taken. That is CONTINUE READING: 5 Ways to Prevent Bullying in the Classroom - Teacher Habits

Kennedy HS student says he was unofficially sent home for months, describes what civil rights lawyer calls ‘blatant’ special education violations | The Lens

Kennedy HS student says he was unofficially sent home for months, describes what civil rights lawyer calls ‘blatant’ special education violations | The Lens

Kennedy HS student says he was unofficially sent home for months, describes what civil rights lawyer calls ‘blatant’ special education violations

Nicole Jones said that throughout her son TJ’s four years at John F. Kennedy High School, school administrators seemed to target him. First, they tried kicking him out, citing a dispute over his residency. Then, she said, they placed him alone in what they called a “self-contained classroom.” Finally last November — during what was supposed to be his final year at the school — they just sent him home, telling him to take his classes online at home.

“[The principal] felt that it would be ‘in my son’s best interest’ to be at home and do the work, not in school,” Jones recalled.

But Jones never agreed to the arrangement, and she said the school did not follow the legally required process to put TJ in a home-based setting.

Nineteen year-old TJ, who has bipolar disorder, received special education services at the school. Like other students in special education, TJ — who asked that we not publish his full name in this story — was required by state and federal law to be on a tailored school plan called an individualized education program. Changing his school routine so drastically should have involved evaluating all possible arrangements that could have kept him inside the school building, a meeting with his teachers and mother to review the school’s recommendation and his mother’s signature.

For the past several years, the Orleans Parish school district has been under a federal consent decree for failing to provide adequate special education services. The consent decree mandates an independent monitor provide quarterly reports and provides for increased monitoring of both a CONTINUE READING: Kennedy HS student says he was unofficially sent home for months, describes what civil rights lawyer calls ‘blatant’ special education violations | The Lens