An arbitrary number is not going to support student achievement and teacher practice; focus on a best practice is. Instead of focusing on quantity of assessments, let's focus on quality of assessment practices.

Anyone else would be embarrassed about the timing. But not Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Why should he be bothered by the awkward juxtaposition of his Texas ad campaign in Illinois launching just as a damning report on the state of his state is released by the Texas Legislative Study Group (TSG)?

I am all for meaningful change that will benefit our students, but I continue to scratch my head as I watch what is happening in the state I live in (NY) and the one where I work (NJ). I am still trying to figure out how SGP's will work.

Last week, thousands of teachers, parents, students and community leaders showed up in Chicago's downtown loop to protest the closing of 54 schools. Chicago is not alone: from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, public schools are being shuttered in low-income, urban communities of color.

It never ceases to amaze me that, day after day, otherwise rational parents allow their impressionable young children to partake in a ritual so rooted in conformity that it seems inimical to the principles of freedom and individualism that underpin our country.

The Brookings report finds that there are districts at both ends of the spectrum: districts that negatively impact student achievement and districts whose impacts are significantly positive. There is a clear delineation among districts that add and subtract value when it comes to student learning.

For any student, the stigma and shame of a school suspension can be emotionally life-altering; for older students, suspensions become part of their permanent record, adversely affecting their chances of acceptance to college.