Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, December 22, 2019

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: The Nights Before Christmas Edition (12/22)

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: The Nights Before Christmas Edition (12/22)




 The Nights Before Christmas Edition (12/22)

Down to the wire (or in some cases, past the wire-- my extended family gathered at my folks yesterday for our holiday celebration). But there's still plenty to read from the last week.

The Science of Writing

"Science is not a hammer." Paul Thomas with some thoughts about the teaching of writing and the science that is (or is not) behind it and science's place in the grander scheme.

Whatever Happened to EdTPA? It's Still Here and Still Messed up

A new study suggests that EdTPA shouldn't be used for, well, much of anything. Fred Klonsky, who's been following EdTPA for a while has some thoughts (and some links) about the study and the program.

How Ending Behavior Rewards Helped One School Focus on Student Motivation and Character 

KQED makes a visit to Jersey to revisit the question of whether or not t's a good idea to reward students for behaving well. Daniel Pink makes an appearance.

Gary Larson Is Back, Sort Of.

Important news from the New York Times-- The Far Side is getting digitized-- and there night even be new panels.

Demand Pennsylvania Reform Its Charter Laws  

Steve Singer reminds Pennsylvanians that there is some legislation just waiting for public comment. A must read for PA residents.

The Lanes That Divide

The Washington Post looks at how the drawing of school district boundaries is still a potent weapon against integration.

American students aren't getting smarter-- and testing is to blame

Testing expert Daniel Koretz is at NBC, explaining that high stakes testing has been a damaging crock. This should inspire you to buy Koretz's book.

Seven Reasons Teachers Trust Each Other More Than...Well, Anyone.

You should be reading Nancy Flanagan regularly, but she is particularly on target this week, talking about how teachers value the judgment of other teachers more than, say, self-professed internet ed experts.

Reporters Faced Resistance At Every Level 

Reporters from the Record and NorthJersey.com have done some good work writing about charter schools, but this article shows how one of that reporting came easily. Another reminder that charter transparency and accountability are not really things.

Why Education Reform Is Not Working

The New York Times runs a few responses to its piece about the Core's tenth birthday. They are not complimentary.

The Myth of Charter School Innovation 

The notion that charters are laboratories of educational innovation just won't die. nancy Bailey explains why it should.


CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: The Nights Before Christmas Edition (12/22)


CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION


OH: Voucher Crisis Looming

When does a voucher program lose support? When it comes for the wealthy white districts. Ohio has quietly been working to become the Florida of North when it comes to education, with an assortment of school choice programs that are like a cancerous growth gnawing away at the health of the public school system. But now, due to a collection of lawmaker choices, the privatized schools of Ohio have dr

DEC 19

Would Medicare-For-All Come With An Education Bonus?

This is the least-read thing I've ever written for Forbes , but I still wonder about the issue. So let me put it out there again. The expansion of Medicare coverage as a path to universal healthcare for the U.S. has unleashed a great deal of debate from think tanks to water coolers. One of the biggest questions remain—how much would it actually cost, and what would the average citizen pay? The ans

DEC 18

Congress To DeVos: "Nope"

The House has passed a budget , and Betsy DeVos's Education Freedom Tax Dodge is not in it. This is not a big surprise, though both Kellyanne Conwa y and Donald Trump stepped up in recent weeks to try to help sell it. EdWeek reports that the deal struck by federal lawmakers has nary a cent for the Education Freedom Scholarships program. The program was "ignored" and there is neither money for admi
Word Pedometers: Another Really Dumb Tech Idea

You only have to get one "story at a glance" point into this article to know that this is going to be a freakin' disaster panda, and I have so many wuestions. New devices can be worn by babies and toddlers to count the number of words they are exposed to each day. It's a word pedometer, a sensor that you strap onto your child's chest that, well, records all the words tat show up in the area. They

DEC 16

What Is A Day Of Learning, Anyway?

The measure crops up frequently in discussions of education policies and, sometimes, products. But what the heck does it even mean? Charter advocates like to point to a CREDO study that shows urban charters giving students an additional 40 days of learning growth in math and 38 in reading (while critics bring up the 2013 CREDO study finding that charter schools provided seven additional days of l

DEC 15

ICYMI: Ed Forum Weekend Edition (12/15)

Yesterday I spent the day in Pittsburgh at the ed forum, then decorating at my in-laws, then banging out a summary. But I still have a few things for you to read from the week. Remember to share! Common Core: The Rest of the Story Blogger and ed historian Adam Laats fills in some gaps in the NYT history of everyone's favorite standards. GRE Fails To Identify Successful PhD Students Shocked. I am s

DEC 14

A Look At The Democratic Education Forum

After live-tweeting the day, I've worked up a summary, which you'll find over at my Forbes spot. Sorry to bait and switch, but that's where you can find my take on the day...

DEC 13



When Betsy DeVos Tells You Who She Is, Listen

Yesterday, Erica Green did a masterful job of covering Betsy DeVos's appearance before the House Education Committee to defend her continued efforts to resist any sort of debt relief for students bilked by for-profit schools. The New York Times article isn't accessible to everybody, and that's too bad, 
CURMUDGUCATION