Mike Rose: Why Teaching “Grit” Is Not Necessarily a Good Thing | Diane Ravitch's blog

Mike Rose: Why Teaching “Grit” Is Not Necessarily a Good Thing | Diane Ravitch's blog

Why Teaching “Grit” Is Not Necessarily a Good Thing

Mike Rose opined a few years back about “grit” and its limitations.

This is one of those articles that is never dated.

Rose, one of my favorite authors, writes:

In a nutshell, I worry about the limited success of past attempts at character education and the danger in our pendulum-swing society that we will shift our attention from improving subject matter instruction. I also question the easy distinctions made between “cognitive” and “non-cognitive” skills. And I fear that we will sacrifice policies aimed at reducing poverty for interventions to change the way poor people see the world.

In this post, I would like to further explore these concerns—and a few new ones—by focusing on “grit,” for it has so captured the fancy of our policy makers, administrators, and opinion-makers….

Let me repeat here what I’ve written in every other commentary on grit. Of course, perseverance is an important characteristic. I cherish it in my friends and my students.

But at certain ages and certain times in our lives, exploration and testing new waters can also contribute to CONTINUE READING: Mike Rose: Why Teaching “Grit” Is Not Necessarily a Good Thing | Diane Ravitch's blog

Expunging injustice – Fred Klonsky

Expunging injustice. – Fred Klonsky

EXPUNGING INJUSTICE

As a teenager and and young man in L.A. in the Sixties I smoked a lot of pot.

Everybody did.

It was cheap and widely available.

And illegal.

Although I wasn’t aware of it – even before The War on Drugs – there were already lots of people in jail for marijuana possession.

In June 1971, Richard Nixon officially declared his “War on Drugs,” claiming that drug abuse was “public enemy number one.”

The rise in recreational drug use in the 1960s led to President Nixon’s focus on targeting marijuana and LSD.   For Nixon, and his generation, pot use was an integral part of the counter culture and the radical political movements of the time.

And, of course, it was.

As part of the War on Drugs Nixon increased federal funding for drug-control agencies and proposed strict measures, such as mandatory prison sentencing, for drug crimes.

Nixon went on to create the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1973. This agency is a special police force committed to targeting illegal drug use and smuggling in the United States.

At the start, the DEA was given 1,470 special agents and a budget of less than $75 million. By 2017 the agency has nearly 5,000 agents and a budget of $2.03 billion.

By the mid-Seventies I no longer smoked at all and have smoked rarely since then.

On a 2015 trip to Amsterdam I bought a joint in what they call a coffee shop. I asked for CONTINUE READING: Expunging injustice. – Fred Klonsky

Most popular education research stories from 2019

Most popular education research stories from 2019

10 of the most popular stories about education research in 2019
Debunking critical thinking, 'grit' and what goes on in gifted classes

For my year-end post, I’m highlighting 10 of the most well-read Proof Points stories of 2019. They are listed in the order of popularity — by the number of times readers viewed them on our website, The Hechinger Report. What stands out for me is how popular education trends, from social-emotional learning to school discipline, aren’t standing up to scientific scrutiny. The research evidence for education technology continues to be weak.

Thank you to everyone who has read and commented on my weekly stories about education data and research. I look forward to continuing this conversation with you next year. If you would like to receive an email newsletter and notification when the column comes out each week, please click here and fill out the form. Happy New Year  and I’ll be back again on Jan. 6, 2020.

1. Scientific research on how to teach critical thinking contradicts education trends

Daniel Willingham, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, makes the case that one of the biggest education trends — critical thinking — isn’t taught properly in schools. An extensive review of the research on how to teach critical thinking argues for teaching students old-fashioned content knowledge instead of CONTINUE READING: Most popular education research stories from 2019

UJAMAA – Parenting for Liberation #P4LKWANZAA

UJAMAA – Parenting for Liberation

Habari Gani?  Ujamaa!

Today is the fourth day of Kwanzaa, a week-long celebration that honors African heritage of the Black Diaspora. We will be highlighting the importance of the seven core principles of Kwanzaa, how you can practice in your families and communities, and share how Parenting for Liberation work embodies the tenets of each principle. 

Today, on the fourth day of Kwanzaa, we celebrate Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) which is to build & maintain our own stores, shops, & other businesses & to profit from them together.

One way that Parenting for Liberation practices Cooperative Economics is that we support Black businesses for our gatherings and events from the food, photography, and artists. Below are some vendors for our Kwanzaa event. Join us in patronizing them! CONTINUE READING: UJAMAA – Parenting for Liberation

Ten Education Stories We'll Be Reading in 2020 - Rick Hess Straight Up - Education Week

Ten Education Stories We'll Be Reading in 2020 - Rick Hess Straight Up - Education Week

Ten Education Stories We'll Be Reading in 2020

As we bid adieu to 2019 and look forward to another year of tranquil good cheer, it's time for my annual prognostications. Now, while some of you have uncharitably observed that I've an uneven record on this count, I shall soldier on, undaunted by the naysaying. Thus, without further ado, here's my best guess at 10 big education stories we'll be reading in the year ahead:

1. As his impeachment trial looms, President Donald Trump's legal team tries a new tactic. In a surprising bid to solidify his position for the Senate trial, Trump's defense team explains that he can't have violated the responsibilities of the office . . . because he never learned what they are. One adviser tells The Washington Post, "I don't think the president ever heard the phrase 'enumerated powers' until the impeachment hearings began." As the White House release puts it, "The president cannot reasonably be expected to comply with niceties of constitutional doctrine that he was never taught." For his part, the president tweets, "DEEP-STATE teachers hid the truth from me in their sh#%hole schools!!!" He adds, "I have the best people. The best! Unlike my LOSER teachers, THEY finally told me about the Constitution and 'emuneraty powers.' Starting now, I will be the most enumerated president ever!!!"
2. Struggling to regain her footing in a tough primary season, Sen. Elizabeth Warren announces that she's upsizing her higher education plan. In a carefully choreographed event at a Massachusetts community college, the candidate with a "plan for everything" unveils her new and improved higher ed plan. "My first plan just wasn't quite free enough," Warren says. "Now, free college will really mean free." Federal funding would cover tuition, fees, books, room and board, Wi-Fi access, travel, professional wardrobe, dorm fridges, boutique coffee drinks, yoga, Spotify Premium, fabric softener, and concert tickets. In a new campaign ad, Warren caresses a ridiculously soft-looking towel and says, "My plan? It's not just free college. It's free fabric softener, too!! How soft, you ask?" She winks, "Soft enough to absorb even a billionaire's dewy, delicious tears." The spot is a huge hit, winning the coveted ad of the year award from the influential Socialist Marketing Alliance of America.
3. Shortly after his Senate acquittal, Trump embarks on a "You're Fired Tour," visiting schools across America to fire teachers (whom he continues to blame for his travails). CONTINUE READING: Ten Education Stories We'll Be Reading in 2020 - Rick Hess Straight Up - Education Week

Kentucky: First Charter School | Diane Ravitch's blog

Kentucky: First Charter School | Diane Ravitch's blog

Kentucky: First Charter School

Kentucky passed a law authorizing charters but never provided funding for them. The new governor of Kentucky, Democrat Andy Beshears, was elected in part because of his strong support by teachers and his commitment to public schools.

https://www.fox19.com/2019/12/28/latest-kentucky-news-sports-business-entertainment-am-est/

CHARTER SCHOOL-DENIED

First charter school application in Kentucky rejected

NEWPORT, Ky. (AP) — The first charter school application filed in Kentucky has been unanimously denied. News outlets report Newport Independent CONTINUE READING: Kentucky: First Charter School | Diane Ravitch's blog

Education Research Report TODAY

Education Research Report

Education Research Report TODAY

A large negative fiscal impact of charter schools on both urban and nonurban school districts

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

Complete report A significant criticism of the charter school movement is that funding for charter schools diverts money away from traditional public schools. The magnitude of such adverse fiscal externalities depends in part on the nature of state and local funding policies. This paper examines the fiscal effects of charter schools on both urban and nonurban school districts in North Carolina. T

Does Broad-Based Merit Aid Improve College Completion? Yes and No

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

This study uses the natural experiment of a state lottery scholarship to measure the effect of generous financial aid on graduation rates at New Mexico's flagship public university. During the study period, the scholarship program paid full tuition for eight semesters for any state resident earning a 2.5 grade point average in their first semester at any public two-year or four-year college. The

Positive effects on student achievement driven by the length of the school day, not the length of the school year

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

Schools often have to decide between extending the length of the school year or the school day. This paper examines the effects of changes in the distribution of instructional time on eighth-grade student achievement through a methodological framework that disaggregates total yearly instructional time into separate inputs for days per year and hours per day. This study's dataset brings together n

The Effects of School Reform under NCLB Waivers: Evidence from Focus Schools in Kentucky

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

Under waivers to the No Child Left Behind Act, the federal government required states to identify schools where targeted subgroups of students have the lowest achievement and to implement reforms in these “Focus Schools.” This study examines the Focus School reforms in the state of Kentucky. The reforms in this state are uniquely interesting for several reasons. One is that the state developed un

Does an Accountability Program that Targets Achievement Gaps Affect Student Performance?

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education granted states the opportunity to apply for waivers from the core requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. In exchange, many states implemented systems of differentiated accountability that included a focus on schools with the largest achievement gaps between subgroups of students. This study uses administrative data from Michigan in a series of regr

 Vocational and Career Tech Education in American High Schools: The Value of Depth Over Breadth

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

Education Finance and Policy, Vol. 15, No. 1: 11-44. Vocational education is a large part of the high school curriculum, yet we have little understanding of what drives vocational enrollment or whether these courses help or harm early careers. To address this deficiency, the authors develop a framework for curriculum choice, taking into account ability and preferences for academic and vocational

College Students’ Sense of Belonging: A National Perspective

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

In a nationally representative sample , first-year U.S. college students “somewhat agree,” on average, that they feel like they belong at their school. However, belonging varies by key institutional and student characteristics; of note, racial-ethnic minority and first-generation students report lower belonging than peers at 4-year schools, while the opposite is true at 2-year schools. Further, a

Improving Teaching Effectiveness in New York City Middle Schools

by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h

Ten years ago, the reform of teacher evaluation was touted as a mechanism to improve teacher effectiveness. In response, virtually every state redesigned its teacher evaluation system. Recently, a growing narrative suggests these 

Education Research Report

The Teacher Strikes: Teachers Speak Out about Their Activism | Diane Ravitch's blog

The Teacher Strikes: Teachers Speak Out about Their Activism | Diane Ravitch's blog

The Teacher Strikes: Teachers Speak Out about Their Activism

California Sunday Magazine published interviews with teachers about their role in striking, walking out, negotiating, bargaining.

It begins:

On February 22, 2018, some 20,000 teachers in West Virginia — many of them wearing red in solidarity — walked out of their classrooms. That April saw strikes in Arizona, Colorado, and Oklahoma, as teachers vented their collective frustration in what became known as the #RedforEd movement. In early 2019, educators picketed in Oakland and Los Angeles, in districts across Washington state and Oregon, and again in Colorado. And this fall, educators in Chicago, the nation’s third- CONTINUE READING: The Teacher Strikes: Teachers Speak Out about Their Activism | Diane Ravitch's blog

CURMUDGUCATION: The Height Of A Dead Salmon

CURMUDGUCATION: The Height Of A Dead Salmon

The Height Of A Dead Salmon

A while back someone sent me an article with a striking lead:

The methodology is straightforward. You take your subject and slide them into an fMRI machine, a humongous sleek, white ring, like a donut designed by Apple. Then you show the subject images of people engaging in social activities — shopping, talking, eating dinner. You flash 48 different photos in front of your subject's eyes, and ask them to figure out what emotions the people in the photos were probably feeling. All in all, it's a pretty basic neuroscience/psychology experiment. With one catch. The "subject" is a mature Atlantic salmon.

And it is dead.

The experiment was run in 2009 and drew a fair amount of attention at the time, perhaps because it allowed editors to write headlines like "fMRI Gets Slap In The Face With A Dead Fish" and "Scanning Dead Salmon in fMRI Machine Highlights Risk Of Red Herrings." The paper, which carried the droll title "Neural correlates of interspecies perspective taking in the post-mortem Atlantic Salmon: An argument for multiple comparisons correction" didn't show that dead salmon have thoughts about human social interactions, and it didn't show that fMRI is junk. It showed, as one writer put it, that "bad statistics lead to bad science."

"Guess what I'm thinking right now!"

To understand why the salmon looked alive, there are two things to get. One is that vast amounts of data invariably include bizarre little outliers, and that if you do not correct for the comparison of the huge amounts of data, junk gets into your system. This matters to us because crunching huge amounts of data is how the Artificial Intelligences using "machine learning" to figure out what a student coulda woulda shoulda completed as a CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: The Height Of A Dead Salmon

The Greatness [A Decade In Review] | The Jose Vilson

The Greatness [A Decade In Review] | The Jose Vilson

THE GREATNESS [A DECADE IN REVIEW]

I became a math instructional coach, went back to the classroom a few years later, graduated hundreds of students, achieved National Board certification, received the Math for America Master Teacher Fellowship, spoke at over 100 venues, was the first current classroom teacher to keynote the American Education Research Association annual meeting and the National Council of Teachers in Mathematics conference, wrote a best-selling book This Is Not A Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education, was the “first” or “only” in a bunch of other places, jumpstarted #EduColor (the name of the movement and the organization), went to the White House and Gracie Mansion on multiple occasions and the United Nations as an invited guest, helped finalize and invested in a Syracuse University scholarship for Latinx students, and either wrote or appeared in most major news publications including The New York Times, ESSENCE, CNN, and The Atlantic. I became a father and husband, got my driver’s license, and a new apartment, too.

I did some things.

At the end of the last decade, I wanted more teachers, especially of color, to sit squarely within their power and visibility without having to leave the profession. In the last ten years, I wrote the blueprint.

In various presentations, when people asked me if I’m a Teacher of the Year for New York or the CONTINUE READING: The Greatness [A Decade In Review] | The Jose Vilson