Los Angeles Teacher: Some Pesky Questions About the iPad Giveaway
This teacher blogger, Rene Dietrich, addresses an open letter to Apple about the iPads for all students in the district. Such questions as whether they are configured to block inappropriate content; whether Apple will offer training and tech support to teachers; whether they can be used without access to the Internet; whether there is any way to disable them if stolen; and many more. These are th
Art Teacher: Just Say “No” to Teaching to the Test
A retired teacher is happy that parents are opting their children out of state testing She writes: “I am a former elementary art teacher and I am thrilled parents are taking matters into their own hands. The testing culture is madness. I had to sit in too many staff meetings, and watch as the administrators devote all professional development time to students passing the standardized tests. It did
Common Sense and Common Core: One of the Best Posts Ever
Red Queen in LA writes a snappy and irreverent blog. This post is her best ever, or at least the best I have read. In it, she decimates the decision by Los Angeles school officials to spend $500 million on iPads–using money from bonds that will be paid off in 25 years–and another $500 million to upgrade the schools for Internet connectivity, plus $38 million for keyboards, plus untold millions for
Amanda Ripley Vs. Joel Klein
In the article in Sunday’s New York Times magazine about the introduction of Joel Klein/Rupert Murdoch’s Amplify tablet, Klein asserts that those who oppose his views on technology are ideological, not evidence-based. Klein asserts that we can’t hope to compete with Korea and other nations with high test scores unless we put kids on his tablets. But here is a contrary view, forwarded to me by Will
Klein’s Amplify Tablets Crack the $17 Billion Market
The New York Times magazine has a long article by Carlo Rotella about the first trial of the Amplify tablet in the schools of Guilford County, North Carolina. Amplify is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and run by Joel Klein, the former chancellor of the NewYork City public schools. Klein is certain that public education in America is a disaster and the only things that can save it are
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Testing Errors Widespread
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter Heather Vogell conducted a two-year investigation of standardized testing and discovered many errors in them. Yet with all these errors, the test scores are being used and misused to make life-changing decisions about students, teachers, principals, and schools. Standardized tests are a weak reed on which to base a decision for firing staff and closing sch
Troubled Charter Chain Plans to Open Three Schools in North Carolina
A charter chain that has run into legal problems in Philadelphia and Chicago plans to open three schools in North Carolina. Lindsay Wagner of the NC Policy Watch writes in the “Progrssive Pulse”: “The NC Department of Public Instruction received 171 letters of intent last week from charter school operators keen on opening up new schools in time for fall of 2015 — the highest ever received since la
Metro Nashville Vote No Confidence in Huffman
Metro Nashville teachers passed a vote of no confidence in State Commissioner Kevin Huffman. The article doesn’t say how many teachers voted or what percent oppose Huffman. Presumably, these figures will emerge. The vote by the teachers comes on the heels of a letter by nearly half the state’s superintendents criticizing Huffman’s top-down style.
Diane in the Evening 9-13-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: KrazyTA on Arne Duncan’s RhetoricOur frequent commenter KrazyTA was not pleased when Arne Duncan told California it could not stop state testing while introducing Common Core testing. This was his observation: This latest statement by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan needs to be viewed in context. If you read his speech to the Ap
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 9-7-13 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGTODAYArt Teacher: Just Say “No” to Teaching to the TestA retired teacher is happy that parents are opting their children out of state testing She writes: “I am a former elementary art teacher and I am thrilled parents are taking matters into their own hands. The testing culture is madness. I had to sit in too many staff m
