Tuesday, March 11, 2014

3-11-14 Schools Matter All Week

Schools Matter:







Yes, let's drop the SAT essay. While we're at it, let's drop the SAT.
Sent to the NY Times, March 11 Re: "Can writing be assessed?"  March 10.There is no point in testing writing form, i.e. the use of conventional writing style, grammatical accuracy.  Research consistently tells us that writing form comes from reading, not from writing and not from study.Writing itself is a powerful tool for solving problems and making yourself smarter.  This requires ma

Breaking News: Diane Ravitch Has Breaking News about Randi
Acting as Randi Weingarten's unofficial press agent, Diane Ravitch faithfully catalogs Randi's continued bobbing and weaving to preserve her standing with the billionaires who made her, while maintaining her job as President of AFT.  Tough task, especially since the teachers who pay Randi's $400,000 salary are fed up with the corporate union that Weingarten has built and the policies it promotes a
The Charter School Advantage is Built on Discrimination and Inequity
Heilig writing from Express-News:. . .The achievement gap is real, and it must be fixed. But I don't believe charter schools writ large have found the magic elixir. Charters are diverse, with many models. In recent years, so-called corporate charters have swept into San Antonio, dazzling the media with high test scores and college-going rates. These franchises include KIPP, IDEA, Great Hearts, BAS


3-10-14 Schools Matter All Week
Schools Matter: Support Chicago Boycott of ISATSupport Chicago Teachers’ Test Boycott: Call and Sign PetitionChicago teachers, joined by parents and students, are boycotting the Illinois ISAT tests at several schools. The district is threatening teachers with loss of certification, and bullying and intimidating parents and students who have opted out or wish to opt out of the ISAT.They need your s