Education Week: Why I Will Not Teach to the Test

Education Week: Why I Will Not Teach to the Test

Why I Will Not Teach to the Test

—Bob Dahm

It's Time to Focus on In-Depth Learning, Not Shallow Answers

By Kelly Gallagher

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In the midst of controversy surrounding “value added” teacher assessment, which flared recently following the Los Angeles Times’ public teacher rankings, the real issue is often overlooked: The state tests being used to evaluate student progress—and, in turn, the effectiveness of teachers—virtually ensure mediocrity.

Consider the following California 10th-grade-history standard: “Relate the moral and ethical principles in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, in Judaism, and in Christianity to the development of Western political thought.” How long do you think it would take to teach this standard before a classroom of 16-year-olds reached a thorough understanding? Weeks? Months? Consider another social studies standard: “Compare and contrast the Glorious Revolution of England, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution and their enduring effects worldwide on the political expectations

t r u t h o u t | Business Culture and the Death of Public Education: The Triumph of Management Over Leadership

t r u t h o u t | Business Culture and the Death of Public Education: The Triumph of Management Over Leadership

Business Culture and the Death of Public Education: The Triumph of Management Over Leadership

Friday 12 November 2010

by: Henry A. Giroux, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. (Photo: Angela Radulescu / Flickr)

The recent news that Mayor Bloomberg has anointed Cathleen P. Black, the chairwomen of Hearst Magazines, as the new chancellor of the New York City school system is another high profile example of how much business elites in the United States despise public education and its traditional role as a guardian of civic values, democratic politics and public culture. It appears that Black's only suitability for the job is that she has "extraordinary qualifications as a manager," has "marketing prowess" and has participated "in a mentor day with Michelle Obama at a Detroit public school and, several years ago, [served] as 'principle for a day' in a school in the south Bronx."(1) This appointment could provide fodder for a skit for "Saturday Night Live" if it were not both true and tragic. Of course, there is a larger script here that points to the increasing power of

The Educated Reporter: Leaving charters behind in Chicago.

The Educated Reporter: Leaving charters behind in Chicago.

Leaving charters behind in Chicago.

by Linda Perlstein

Linda Lutton of WBEZ and Sarah Karp of Catalyst Chicago collaborated on a project about the student attrition rate at the city’s charter schools, which is higher than at traditional schools. It is a worthwhile listen and read, given how often people talk about charters “pushing out” or “counseling out” students but rarely have substantive reporting behind those comments.

It’s not that the schools portrayed in these pieces actively encouraged these kids to leave (although at least parent quoted seems to be saying that). Higher standards certainly played a part. It’s hard to imagine how to hold on to a student who says, after leaving her charter for a regular school, “I like it a lot better. It’s so much easier. I don’t have to worry about stupid things. ... And I don’t be waking up every morning like, ‘Oh my God, I

California Teachers of the Year 2011 - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

California Teachers of the Year 2011 - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Names Five
Educators as 2011 California Teachers of the Year

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today named five remarkable teachers as the 2011 California Teachers of the Year.

"Our California Teachers of the Year are amazing instructional leaders who have a great passion for helping students reach their full potential," O'Connell said. "They each have unique ways of teaching and thinking that inspire their students to love learning. The Teachers of the Year inspire me, and I hope they inspire veteran teachers and encourage future teachers to follow their footsteps into the classroom."

The 2011 California Teachers of the year are:

• Shannan Brown teaches fifth grade at Thomas Edison Elementary School, San Juan Unified School District, in Sacramento (Sacramento County).
• Darin Curtis teaches eighth grade physical education at Tierra del Sol Middle School, Lakeside Union School District, in Lakeside (San Diego County).
• Beverly Gonzalez teaches fourth grade mathematics and writing at Santa Fe School, Baldwin Park Unified School District, in Baldwin Park (Los Angeles County).
• Jennifer Kelly teaches eighth grade physical science at Middletown Middle School, Middletown Unified School District, in Middletown (Lake County).
• Khadir Rajagopal teaches ninth through eleventh grade mathematics at Grant Union High School, Twin Rivers Unified School District, in Sacramento (Sacramento County).

Detailed biographies are attached.

One teacher is selected to serve as the state's representative to the National Teacher of the Year Program. O'Connell chose Curtis to represent California in the national competition. The National Teacher of the Year winner will be selected next spring by the Council of Chief State School Officers. Candidates will be honored at a White House ceremony.

"Curtis' application addresses how important it is for districts to include physical fitness and health programs in their curriculum," added O'Connell. "He understands how critical it is to instill healthy habits in children at a young age, especially at a time when one in four children do not engage in physical activity. I agree with Curtis' statement in his application that, ‘There is nothing more important than the health of our children.'"

The California Teachers of the Year Program began in 1972 to acknowledge the growing complexity of challenges faced by the profession and the need to promote collaboration among teachers to address challenges. The program is also designed to encourage new teachers to enter the field.

The competition is open to educators who teach prekindergarten through grade twelve. County offices of education nominate winners through their regional Teachers of the Year competitions. A state selection committee reviews candidates' applications and conducts site visits to evaluate the teachers' rapport with students, classroom environment, presentation skills, and teaching methods, among other criteria. The teachers are interviewed at the California Department of Education in Sacramento. The State Superintendent selects the five awardees.

The 2011 California Teachers of the Year will be honored at a special recognition event to be held in the spring.

For information on the California Teacher of the Year program, please visit http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/sr/ct/index.asp.

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Outgoing NYC Chancellor Joel Klein Discusses Leaving, Education Reform (VIDEO)

Outgoing NYC Chancellor Joel Klein Discusses Leaving, Education Reform (VIDEO)

Posted: 11-12-10 01:56 PM

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Read More: Cathie Black, Joel Klein, New York City Public Schools, New York City Schools Chancellor,Steve Perry, Education News

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Joel Klein sat down with Steve Perry Friday to discuss two controversial topics: Education reform, and the announcement Tuesday that he is stepping down as New York City schools chancellor, a position he's held since 2002.

Klein, who is leaving to become an executive vice president at News Corporation, will be replaced by Hearst Magazines chairwoman Cathie Black.

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Latinos majority of students in state schools | percent, students, state - News - The Orange County Register

Latinos majority of students in state schools | percent, students, state - News - The Orange County Register

Latinos now majority in state schools

By FERMIN LEAL

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Latinos now make up the majority of students in California public schools, according to new figures released by the state Department of Education.

More than 50 percent of all 6.2 million students enrolled in the state's k-12 schools in 2009-10 were Latinos. It's the first time ever the group made up the majority of state public school enrollment.

Armando Gutierrez, assistant principal at Heninger Elementary School in Santa Ana, the district locally with the highest number of Latino students, looks over students as they stand in their lines before heading back to class after in this file photo. Latinos in the state now make up the majority of students in California.

MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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In Orange County, about 47 percent of 502,275 students were Latino, while 32 percent were white, 14 percent were Asian and 2 percent were black.

Statewide, 27 percent of students were identified as white, 9 percent were black and 6.9 percent were Asian.

Click here to see data on each O.C. school district, the county total and the state total.

In 2008-09, 49 percent of students statewide were Latino, 28 percent of students were white, 7 percent were black and 8 percent were Asian. Locally last year, 45 percent of students were

Education Week: Eliminating Recess Hurts Kids

Education Week: Eliminating Recess Hurts Kids

Eliminating Recess Hurts Kids

When Testing Pressure is Too Great, We All Lose

By Nicholas Thacher

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The suburban New England town in which I run a small elementary school has just been obliged to eliminate morning recess for its public school children. This has, as one can readily imagine, caused a lot of palaver, dissension, anger, anxiety, and finger-pointing. Our excellent superintendent had the unenviable task of moving from one acrimonious evening meeting to another in the opening weeks of our school year, trying to explain why, since standardized-test scores haven't met the designated benchmarks, the schools have been mandated to eliminate morning recess and force the children to spend their midmorning time swotting up on their academic skills.

This is the "trickle down" of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and a commonwealth that takes occasionally justifiable pride in its challenging standards for its public schools. The thinking is that more minutes in the classroom will enable the youngsters to sharpen their minds and raise their scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS tests.

This is not a new idea, but it's a patently boneheaded one—a virtually perfect example (like the recent anti-bullying legislation cobbled together by the Massachusetts