Oregon: Legislator and Teachers Speak Out Against High-Stakes Testing
When I was in Portland, Oregon, last year, I met a very impressive and thoughtful state legislator, Lew Frederick.
Please watch this video, which begins with Representative Frederick’s passionate plea for a new vision of the outcomes that matter most for students–not test scores on a single day–but the kind of person they are, the kind of lives they might live, the kind of contribution they will eventually make to society.
This is the text of the bill under consideration.
Representative Frederick is followed by teachers, who explain the time lost to test prep and how their students
Please watch this video, which begins with Representative Frederick’s passionate plea for a new vision of the outcomes that matter most for students–not test scores on a single day–but the kind of person they are, the kind of lives they might live, the kind of contribution they will eventually make to society.
This is the text of the bill under consideration.
Representative Frederick is followed by teachers, who explain the time lost to test prep and how their students
Indiana: Here Comes Carpe Diem, Like It or Not
Karen Francisco, one of our nation’s best education writers, cares about the future of public education. Writing for the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, she has closely watched the games that privatizers play.
In this article, she describes a startling decision by a state board to authorize Carpe Diem, an unproven charter school, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
As it happens, Fort Wayne has excellent community public schools. I visited some of them when I was there a year ago.
But Indiana is a red, red state and the legislature and governor are determined to introduce charters and
In this article, she describes a startling decision by a state board to authorize Carpe Diem, an unproven charter school, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
As it happens, Fort Wayne has excellent community public schools. I visited some of them when I was there a year ago.
But Indiana is a red, red state and the legislature and governor are determined to introduce charters and
PTA Mom Explains Why She Marched to Save Public Schools
Kim Burkett went to Austin with her children to speak out for public schools and her community.
She noticed there were two different rallies. On one side of the building was a school choice rally, advocating for vouchers, attended by 30 people, including lobbyists.
On the other side were thousands of parents, students, grandparents, and educators.
Read her account. It gives a good portrait of the battle not only in Texas, but in many states.
She noticed there were two different rallies. On one side of the building was a school choice rally, advocating for vouchers, attended by 30 people, including lobbyists.
On the other side were thousands of parents, students, grandparents, and educators.
Read her account. It gives a good portrait of the battle not only in Texas, but in many states.
Pearson: 2012 Was a Terrific Year
Coach Bob Sikes has been reading Pearson’s report to investors. 2012 was a really good year.
No mention of Pineapplegate:
” The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a consortium of 23 states, awarded Pearson and Educational Testing Service (ETS) the contract to develop test items that will be part of the new English and mathematics assessments to be administered from the 2014-2015 school year. The assessments will be based on what students need to be ready for college and careers, and will measure and track their progress along the way.
” We continued to produce strong growth in secure online testing, an important market for the future. We
No mention of Pineapplegate:
” The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a consortium of 23 states, awarded Pearson and Educational Testing Service (ETS) the contract to develop test items that will be part of the new English and mathematics assessments to be administered from the 2014-2015 school year. The assessments will be based on what students need to be ready for college and careers, and will measure and track their progress along the way.
” We continued to produce strong growth in secure online testing, an important market for the future. We
Turning Water into Wine: The Florida Faux Miracle
Julian Vasquez Heilig of the University of Texas is one of our greatest debunkers of educational miracles. And what good timing, because Jeb Bush was in town to tout the Florida miracle, where (he say) test scores go up as costs go down. It’s all a matter of more testing, more accountability, vouchers, charters, and lots of new technology (to replace teachers).
Seems kind of strange to come to Texas to sell the virtues of testing, at a time when Texans have grown sick of testing.
Yes, Florida’s fourth grade students got higher test scores, but the longer they stay in school in Florida, the
Seems kind of strange to come to Texas to sell the virtues of testing, at a time when Texans have grown sick of testing.
Yes, Florida’s fourth grade students got higher test scores, but the longer they stay in school in Florida, the
Welfare for the Rich?
Yesterday, the GOP legislature rushed through legislation for tax credits. This is what you need to know about ta credits and who really benefits. StudentsFirst rushed to applaud this program to benefit the few at the expense of the many, proving that Michelle Rhee deserved her title as a (rightwing) Radical.
Valerie Strauss reviews the various tuition tax credit programs, which are spreading as a form of school choice.
Unfortunately, in some of these states, the tax credits go to wealthy corporations and individuals and in some cases, subsidize private school tuition for families that can afford to pay for it without public help.
And more:
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there were 14 tuition tax credit programs in 11
Valerie Strauss reviews the various tuition tax credit programs, which are spreading as a form of school choice.
Unfortunately, in some of these states, the tax credits go to wealthy corporations and individuals and in some cases, subsidize private school tuition for families that can afford to pay for it without public help.
And more:
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, there were 14 tuition tax credit programs in 11
A Great Voice for Public Education in Arizona
If you live in Arizona and you care about your community’s public schools, then you must know Robin Hiller.
Arizona is often known as “the Wild West of charter schools,” where charters are allowed to get public money with nearly no supervision and are allowed to ignore laws about nepotism and conflicts. Remember the Arizona
Arizona is often known as “the Wild West of charter schools,” where charters are allowed to get public money with nearly no supervision and are allowed to ignore laws about nepotism and conflicts. Remember the Arizona
Will Republicans Kill Vouchers in Texas and Wisconsin?
When I was in Texas last week, several people–including state legislators–told me that they believe that rural Republicans will join Democrats in voting down vouchers. The rural Republicans know that vouchers would kill their local public schools, and they don’t believe that would be right.
Something similar may be happening in Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker is eager to expand vouchers to new parts of the state, and Republican Senators are less than enthusiastic. Some say they want any voucher
Something similar may be happening in Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker is eager to expand vouchers to new parts of the state, and Republican Senators are less than enthusiastic. Some say they want any voucher
Diane in the Evening 2-28-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: A Teacher Writes New Book about the Corporate Reform Movement by dianerav One of the readers of this blog, experienced teacher Brian Ford, has written a new book. It seems to encapsulate the major themes of today’s privatization movement. Respect for Teachers and the Rhetoric Gap: How Research on Teaching and Schools is Laying the Ground for New Business Models in Education (A New Economy Story about the State of the Union) Author: Brian Ford Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Summary of Book For the last 30 years we ... more »
