Arne Duncan demonstrates a breathtaking lack of awareness about the effects of Race to the Top (RTTT). Far from being chastened by what is going on in schools around the country, the Secretary is doubling down on his test-driven offensive. A look at some of the things he said is eye opening.
This week, we started out with an update from Cathy Marino-Thomas, President of Marriage Equality USA, about the recent win in Rhode Island and debates in Nevada and elsewhere.
Marketing planning has traditionally been rigid in its operational discipline and very sequential in its process. The evolution of always-on capabilities means we need to get more nimble and agile, allowing for a degree of (adjustable) risk in our approach.
So much of this discussion on performance pay for physicians is similar and different than the one for educators. It looks like, according to the proposal, public hospitals specifically and their physicians are in greater trouble.
Continuously requiring children to prep and sit for standardized tests is not the same at teaching them. What's more, the scores derived from all those tests do not give the school board an adequate picture of any child, struggling or exceeding.
Where do your study strategies come from? Maybe a teacher gave you specific instruction on how best to learn material? Simple trial-and-error? All reasonable possibilities. However, here's some food for thought: it's also worth considering what psychological science has to say on the matter.
Since NCLB was first implemented, there has not been a moment of reflection for policy makers to determine if these tests are in any way improving teaching and learning. This sorely needed reflection can start by visiting a classroom.
A mild kerfuffle erupted in the last couple of weeks over who in the education community could claim ownership of some of the selfless heroism displayed by Sandy Hook staff. Notable reform opponent Diane Ravitch happened to mention that they belonged to their professional union.
The subject of parenting could possibly be the most discussed, debated, written about, studied, analyzed and frustrating practice in all of human experience.
Matt Chingos has an idea that will likely roil the scores of parents and teachers who think the U.S. tests its students too much: we might actually sp...
All the testing and data in the world is not going to improve our teachers. Research abounds with documentation on the fact that the TEACHER is the key to student success.
Tests... the mere word conjures memories of long-ago school days, my number two lead pencil cracking under the pressure of my intensity. Fortunately for us, when it comes to testing for hormone levels, no pencil is needed, and you really can't fail!
It's not that teachers don't want to be evaluated or held accountable, but they want evaluations that have some professional integrity and are congruent with the work they do.
The controversy over standardized testing was given new focus by the recent Chicago teachers strike. One of their major objections was to having the Chicago Board of Education use these tests heavily to determine teacher competence.
Political advertising is a medium long associated with dishonesty and cheap shots--not the most persuasive stuff. But today's ad wars are wasting ad dollars. The skyrocketing sums would be better spent on talking policy without mentioning any party or any hot-button political words.
Are you ready to move on to the next course in school? To advance to the next level of piano, karate, dance or swimming lessons? To succeed in college? To begin your career? To earn a professional license or certification? To pass the bar exam?
While the Common Core assessments might well tell us what our kids know, they will likely tell us little or nothing about their ability to use what they know to create things of real quality and value.
The conventional wisdom is that multiple choice tests rely on recognition instead of the more complex cognitive function recall, and therefore the multiple choice test should be "easier."
Texas school districts are protesting high-stakes testing. Florida's Governor thinks perhaps the state's students are tested "too much." A national resolution is circulating to protest high-stakes testing. I hope we are beginning to turn a corner.
More than 1,100 college professors across New York state are rallying against excessive, high-stakes K-12 standardized testing, adding their names to ...
Black people bear the brunt of this epidemic. We are 13% of the population, but about half of the estimated 1.2 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS, nearly half of new HIV cases, and half of annual AIDS-related deaths in this country are Black.
This piece comes to us courtesy of The Hechinger Report. Technical problems erupted as soon as Wyoming switched to online testing in 2010. Students...
This piece comes to us courtesy of The Hechinger Report. In the Appoquinimink school district in central Delaware, students now take three, and som...
As a teacher, I have long advised against using grades as motivation for learning. Well yes, I suppose it works, but I don't like it that it works.
Given what we know about the structure of our society, the demands of the knowledge economy, and the need to pass tests in order to advance in many of the nation's best careers, how can we entertain the idea that testing should be drastically scaled back?
