‘A statement of our just grievances’
This speech was delivered at a recent Save Texas Schools rally in Austin by John Kuhn, superintendent of the Perrin-Whitt Consolidated Independent School District. There is something of a revolt against standardized testing occurring in Texas, which I wrote about here. It is in that climate that Kuhn gave this speech, which was first published on Anthony Cody’s *Education Week Teacher *blog, Living in Dialogue. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
Mega Millions: Do lotteries really benefit public schools?
State lotteries that participate in games such as Mega Millions were sold to the public as enterprises that would benefit schools with millions of dollars in proceeds a year. So has public education really received a windfall? Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
A blow-by-blow account of fight over charter school bill
This was* written by Mike Sayer, senior organizer and training coordinator for * * Southern Echo, Inc * *., in Jackson, Mississippi. Southern Echo is a grassroots leadership education, training and development organization that is based in Jackson and works with grassroots communities and organizations throughout Mississippi as well as in the South and Southwest to, among other things, build and sustain a quality, first rate education accessible to all families regardless of race, ethnicity, class, gender, national origin, status, disability or language.* Read full article >> [im... more »
A modern history lesson (or, there’s nothing new under the sun)
This w*as written by Fred Smith, a retired Board of Education senior analyst, worked for the city public school system in test research and development. This first appeared on the City Limits website *. By Fred Smith Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
50-plus banned words on standardized tests
You might expect a standardized test to avoid using profane words but, it turns out, other words are banned too and they may surprise you: dinosaur and Halloween, rock ‘n roll and rap music, just to name a few. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
Study: Historical inaccuracies in films can hinder learning
Historical inaccuracies in popular movies that are used by teachers as learning tools can end up confusing students, a study by Duke University researchers concludes. The researchers asked 36 undergraduates to look at nine texts of 800 words each about a historical figure or event, and also had them watch nine five-minute clips from popular movies that had related content. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
High school that monitors students’ tweets expels senior
A high school in Indiana that tracks students’ tweets made through the school’s computer system — even if it is done from a teen’s home — expelled a senior close to graduation for what it said was a message with foul language. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
Give me charters or give me....
This was* written by Jack Hassard, professor emeritus of science education at Georgia State University and a former high school teacher. He is the author of these books: “The Whole Cosmos Catalog of Science, Science Experiences , Adventures in Geology, The Art of Teaching Science” (2009), and most recently, “Science As Inquiry.” Specialities include science teaching and learning, global thinking and education, geology, web publishing, blogging, writing, and antiquing. A version of this was originally posted at his blog, The Art of Teaching Science *. Read full article >> [image: ... more »
Questions about NAEP benchmarks
This *was written by James Harvey, executive director of the National Superintendents Roundtable, and is part of a discussion on this blog about the National Assessment of Educational Progress. It started with a * * post by Harvey * *that was critical of NAEP’s achievement benchmarks. Then I * * published a response * *from David Driscoll, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, which adminsters NAEP, and which took issue with Harvey’s post. And now, here is Harvey, in response to Driscoll.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [imag... more »
Researchers blast Chicago teacher evaluation reform
Scores of professors and researchers from 16 universities throughout the Chicago metropolitan area have signed an open letter to the city’s mayor, Rahm Emanuel, and Chicago school officials warning against implementing a teacher evaluation system that is based on standardized test scores. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
Ravitch: The toll of school reform on public education
*This* *was written by education historian Diane Ravitch for her Bridging Differences blog, which she co-authors with Deborah Meier on the Education Week website. The item was first published on March 6. In their blog, Ravitch and Meier exchange letters about what matters most in education. Ravitch, a research professor at New York University, is author of “The Death and Life of the Great American School System,” a critique of the flaws in the modern school reform movement that she just updated.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to ... more »
The Answer Sheet - 3 days ago
The longest task force name in history?
“The name of a man,” Marshall McLuhan once said, “is a numbing blow from which he never recovers.” The same might be said for a task force that the American Psychological Association appointed to look into how to reduce prejudice and discrimination against marginalized populations. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
How to remake the Education Department (or, it’s time to give teachers a chance)
This *was written by Peter Smagorinsky, Distinguished Research Professor of English Education at The University of Georgia.* By Peter Smagorinsky Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
‘Bully’ film highlights cockeyed rating system
It’s not only the rating of public school teachers that we are getting so wrong these days. A documentary called “Bully,” which follows a handful of students who were bullied at school by their classmates over the course of a year, is at the center of a ridiculous battle over under what conditions teens can see it. There is, in fact, precedent for a change in rating that makes this especially aggravating — along with the fact that a lot of young people who should see “Bully” now probably won’t. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Red... more »
Largest charter network in U.S.: Schools tied to Turkey
This *was written by Sharon Higgins, an independent researcher and bloggerbased in California. She is also a founding member of Parents Across America.* By Sharon Higgins The largest charter school network in the United States is operated by people in and associated with the Gulen Movement (GM), a secretive and controversial Turkish religious sect. With 135 schools enrolling more than 45,000 students, this network is substantially larger than KIPP, the well-known charter management organization with only 109 schools. A lack of awareness about this situation persists despite it... more »
Education Department’s own Etch-a-Sketch
This *was written by Elaine Weiss, national coordinator of the campaign for a * * Broader Bolder Approach to Education * * . * By Elaine Weiss Policy is complicated, and context-sensitive, so policymakers and other influential actors who change their positions should be excused, even congratulated, when it’s clear they’ve learned from prior mistakes. This does not apply, however, in instances in which the change of heart seems motivated by political calculations. Unfortunately, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s recent statement in* Education Week * criticizing New York City... more »
Secrets of ‘miraculous’ charter management organizations
This* was written by Lance Hill, executive director of the Southern Institute for Education and Research in New Orleans and a member of the New Orleans Education Equity Roundtable . In this post Hill writes about thefinal report from The National Study of CMO Effectiveness,a four-year effort aimed at assessing the impact of charter management organizations on student achievement and identifying practices and structure that are effective at raising achievement. The study was done by researchers from Mathematica Policy Research and the Center on Reinventing Public Education.* Read f... more »
South Korea’s surprising stand-down on digital textbooks
South Korea. one of the world’s most digitized nations, has for years equated the advance of technology with societal progress, including in the area of education. Now, it seems, the country is taking a fascinating breather from its obsession. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
20 questions for parents about K-12 school reform
This *was written by Ronald Willett, a former university professor, researcher and administrator, and former corporate executive, entrepreneur and CEO. For the last decade, as an avocation, he has tracked and researched U.S. K-12, and advocated its legitimate reform and pursuit of innovation.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]
