This morning as I was embarking on my morning run/walk, I encountered a hill that was in my way to becoming a more confident runner. The sheer enormity of knowing that I would have to run the entire hill was enough to mentally take me out, but something in me kept telling me to “keep […]
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Posted inFeatured, Opinion, Uncategorized
Fordham and Hess Temporarily Acknowledge that Reformers Can't Have it Both Ways
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Voucher advocates are in an absolute tizzy over a recent paper from the pro-education-reform Thomas B. Fordham Institute. It is truly a thing of beauty. Jay P. Greene is not amused. He is […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion, School Improvement, Uncategorized
Disproportionate Evaluative Rigor and The Three Laws of Data
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] I promised in a recent post called The Tyranny of the Datum to write about some guiding standards for appropriate data usage, in the spirit of Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of […]
Posted inBook Review, Uncategorized
Must Reads For The Ed Reform Advocate #1: Test and Punish – A Book Review
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Test and Punish: How The Texas Education Model Gave America Accountability Without Equity Author: John Kuhn Publisher: Park Place Publications, Austin, TX I first encountered John Kuhn’s name about a year […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
The Tough Kid
Sometimes it happens at the beginning of the year. Or one January or May morning, the disembodied voice on the intercom announces you have a new student coming up to join your class. Then, there he is. That child, is usually a boy, stands at the door, assessing the class. You send up a silent […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Teaching: The Card Game
In the spirit of “War” and “Old Maid,” I present a card game called “Teaching.” (Note: there is something inherently icky about symbolizing students with numbers or, in this case, playing cards. I didn’t create this game to imply that students are merely numbers or that some students are “worth more” than others. Rather, I […]
Posted inConfessions of a Teacher, From the Front Lines, Middle School, Uncategorized
Teachers Who Won’t Be Silent Anymore: Ebony Murphy-Root
Bullying is a huge problem in our schools today. When a student is being bullied we, as teachers, encourage students to tell a trusted adult and it will be handled from there. In a perfect world, the responsible party would intervene, an agreement would be reached, and appropriate consequences will be issued. But what if […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Featured, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
The Tyranny of the Datum
Data is a big deal. A great deal of innovation is happening right now in the field of data collection, storage, and management in the field of education. There are some well-documented fears among parents and teachers regarding these trends. Who will control the data? How will the data be used? Will my child’s data […]