This from the Answer Sheet: The superintendent of schools, Jose Banda, ordered administrators to pull students out of classrooms to take the test in the library, but many students refused to take it and turned in letters signed by their parents giving them permission to opt out of the test, teachers reported. This seems to […]
Round up of key stories in education today: #tenure #broad #unions #ALEC
August 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Here’s a piece from the Answer Sheet: Broad is stepping on the gas. In case you were wondering, there’s another organization out there working with our university, info here. Nearly half of teachers denied tenure in NYC: fair enough, is this some kind of success story for someone? Tenure protections there are really about due process and […]
An amazing list from @valeriestrauss on the influence of foundations on #edreform and #edpolicy
July 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
I don’t remember putting these folks on a ballot. But I guess we have their puppets on ballots everywhere. In the Answer Sheet, Strauss has an extensive list of foundations and their grantees who are heavily influencing public education policy. The money these foundations pour into public education has an important effect on the shape […]
A complicated relationship to #charter #schools @dianeravitch
June 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Diane Ravitch discusses a brief vision of charter schools for the Answer Sheet. On their original intentions: Budde saw charters as a way to reorganize public school districts and to provide more freedom for teachers. He envisioned teams of teachers asking for a charter for three to five years, during which time they would operate with […]
Over my dead body: evaluating #teacher #preparation using #VAM
April 23, 2012 By 2 Comments
The Answer Sheet reports on the potential use of test scores and value added models to evaluate college teacher preparation programs. Two things. One, how do you account for folks who attend multiple institutions, transfer, and so forth? Two, what about those TFA folks who go through a five week workshop? Can we evaluate them […]
A new way for me to think about #HST from the Answer Sheet via @valeriestrauss
April 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment
#Occupy the #DOE in DC gets coverage in the Answer Sheet, thanks @valeriestrauss
March 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Reporting on the event less than one week away! The event includes seminars, led by professors, activists and others, as well as marches and speeches that together are designed to express opposition to the education policies of President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, which critics say have, among other things, increased the importance of […]
Privateers release a rehash of a nation at risk, chastises #publicschools
March 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Oh boy. You know, this reminds me of Fiona Apple. Remember her? I don’t, not really. Back when I was in high school (we called her Fiona Crapple) she was who everyone talked about. When music videos were actually expensive and important affairs, I remember seeing that dimly lit shot of her in a bathtub […]
The public as innocent bystanders in the war on #teachers and #public #schools
March 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Arguments over #charters in #edreform: does anyone really win this discussion, @dianeravitch?
February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Diane Ravitch has a pretty thorough takedown of the inimitable faith in charter schools in the Answer Sheet. Transferring control of public dollars to private hands is not reform. It is privatization. This strikes at the very heart of public education. It is a mirage. Alabama needs to do the right thing and support a […]
Schools chief in TX calling test based reforms a perversion, that’ll do it
February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Via The Answer Sheet, Texas schools commissioner Robert Scott calls test based reforms a “perversion” as it ruins our public education system. I sent him a thank you note for his comments, not sure he’ll get it. He’s a Republican and I think that’s important. And you know what? Since Democrats also embrace this kind […]
Have you seen this apology from a high school teacher? #highered
I’m really liking Ken Bernstein’s apology to higher education faculty from a high school teacher. Actually, it’s a warning. A warning, it is. From my experience, I just started recently teaching freshmen who could have been fifth graders I taught years ago at the pre-dawn of NCLB. Unfortunately, I don’t have the kind of perspective […]