Standardized testing: just the thought of these assessments strikes terror in the hearts of teachers. If only our students cared as much about how they score on state-mandated tests. Most of the educational literature reflects a negative view of standardized testing, but they serve an important purpose in American education: to indicate teacher effectiveness through […]
educational reform
What if We Eliminated Standardized Testing?
A significant amount of research has pointed towards standardized testing causing a high level of stress in students, and teachers alike. While the merit of standardized testing can, has, and will continue to be argued over for years to come, imagine for a moment a world in which standardized testing is eliminated from K-12 education altogether. I […]
Seven Reforms Needed in Education
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! I love what I do. I love where I work. I love with whom I work. I feel like I am given the space I need to do my job, and I believe my admins are sincere whenever they offer to help […]
Teacher Expertise: You Have the Time & You Have a Say Outside the Classroom
I don’t know how your state is treating educators these days, but in my state, coming from my state legislature, education is constantly under attack. Education is the current hot button and there are bills discussed and passed daily to undermine all I do. Common Core, AP classes, character education, teacher tenure, and teacher due process are […]
An Alien Civilization Will Destroy America If We Do Not Become The Best Education System Within a Decade: What Would We Do?
Let’s pretend an alien civilization sends a message to the people of America. Maybe they interrupt the Super Bowl or insert themselves onto our Twitter or Facebook feeds to ensure our awareness of their message. PEOPLE OF AMERICA: YOU HAVE ONE DECADE FROM TODAY TO BECOME THE BEST EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM ON THE PLANET EARTH. FAILURE […]
Letter From A Teacher On MLK Day
My Dear Fellow Colleagues, Critics, Politicians, and Aspiring Professionals: While I am happily undertaking the responsibilities of influencing the lives of young people, I have come across many comments, news articles, blog entries, and other choice pieces of that my choice of profession are “unwise and untimely.” While all of these pieces are of serious […]
No Child Left Behind: 13 Unlucky, Yucky Years
On January 8th, 2002, President George W. Bush signed a revolutionary law into action – the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It was a pretty easy bill to sign into law: it was introduced in the House by Committee on Education and Labor Chair (and current Speaker) John Boehner, a Republican, and Sen. Ted […]
The Experiential Illiterates
I try very hard–and often unsuccessfully–to avoid hyperbole and straw men in my argumentation on behalf of the American institution of public education. My bias is clear, and there is no preventing it from seeping into my writing and speaking and thinking. There’s no getting around it. I have friends both in real life and […]