achievement gap Archive

  • I have spent a little time today looking at the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) over the past several years. The NAEP is often referred to as the gold standard in testing and provides a longitudinal, consistent database of student achievement. Meanwhile, through the No Child Left Behind Act, the public has been sold on the idea that a regimen of high-stakes tests accompanied with punitive measures directed at teachers and schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress on these tests will produce growth in achievement and will close the so-called achievement gap. We are now more than 10 years into the experiment on our children and the results are coming in. Here is what my investigation of Washington State NAEP trends found. In the period from the mid-90s to 2003, about when NCLB kicked...

    High-Stakes Testing: Learning Improvement Tool or Corporate Boondoggle?

    Posted on April 29, 2012 | No Comments
    I have spent a little time today looking at the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) over the past several years. The NAEP is often referred to as the gold standard in testing and provides a longitudinal, consistent database of student achievement. Meanwhile, through the No Child Left Behind Act, the public has been sold on the idea that a regimen of high-stakes tests accompanied with punitive measures directed at teachers and schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress on these tests will produce growth in achievement and will close the so-called achievement gap. We are now more than 10 years into the experiment on our children and the results are coming in. Here is what my investigation of Washington State NAEP trends found. In the period from the mid-90s to 2003, about when NCLB kicked...

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  • I have been concerned about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) since the idea was announced.  The “State” in State Standards is a ruse.  These are national standards developed by some “blue ribbon” panel of experts (No teachers were included) in some far off, unnamed office.  Pearson, the testing giant, was involved of course.  Then every state was coerced into adopting the standards by withholding Federal funds for non-compliance.  A few states resisted, but Washington was not one of them.   In addition to my mistrust of standards developed by someone far away from my town and grandchildren, the “standards” approach to education has not worked after more than 10 years of trying.  In Washington it is more like 15 years.  National Assessment test scores have remained flat for the entire time and the achievement gap, which was closing during...

    Flabby to the ‘Core’

    Posted on April 1, 2012 | 2 Comments
    I have been concerned about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) since the idea was announced.  The “State” in State Standards is a ruse.  These are national standards developed by some “blue ribbon” panel of experts (No teachers were included) in some far off, unnamed office.  Pearson, the testing giant, was involved of course.  Then every state was coerced into adopting the standards by withholding Federal funds for non-compliance.  A few states resisted, but Washington was not one of them.   In addition to my mistrust of standards developed by someone far away from my town and grandchildren, the “standards” approach to education has not worked after more than 10 years of trying.  In Washington it is more like 15 years.  National Assessment test scores have remained flat for the entire time and the achievement gap, which was closing during...

    Continue Reading...

  • Free market fundamentalism didn’t work for our economy or for workers and our communities; there is little reason to hope that this same corporate approach will produce anything better for our schools and children.

    Corporate Reformers will not Create Excellent Schools

    Posted on May 17, 2011 | 1 Comment
    Free market fundamentalism didn’t work for our economy or for workers and our communities; there is little reason to hope that this same corporate approach will produce anything better for our schools and children.

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  • KSD Citizens favors a return to enriched curriculum which educates the whole child. Curriculum like that in Kennewick schools shortchanges the arts, music, science, PE, social studies, vocational and career classes. Current practice is a disservice to our children and places the entire culture at risk.

    Retired Educator Speaks Out on Reform

    Posted on December 1, 2010 | 4 Comments
    KSD Citizens favors a return to enriched curriculum which educates the whole child. Curriculum like that in Kennewick schools shortchanges the arts, music, science, PE, social studies, vocational and career classes. Current practice is a disservice to our children and places the entire culture at risk.

    Continue Reading...

  • The evidence continues to mount regarding the atrocities that have been foisted on the children of America in the name of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  Researchers at Boston College studied trends in student achievement for ten states during the period 2000-2007, the period following introduction of NCLB and reported their results in “The Black-White Achievement Gap Revisited.”  Our leaders continue to ignore the findings of studies such as this one and push our schools to narrow the curriculum in a mindless race to nowhere. Read the abstract of the study here.

    The Black-White Achievement Gap Revisited

    Posted on September 17, 2010 | 2 Comments
    The evidence continues to mount regarding the atrocities that have been foisted on the children of America in the name of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  Researchers at Boston College studied trends in student achievement for ten states during the period 2000-2007, the period following introduction of NCLB and reported their results in “The Black-White Achievement Gap Revisited.”  Our leaders continue to ignore the findings of studies such as this one and push our schools to narrow the curriculum in a mindless race to nowhere. Read the abstract of the study here.

    Continue Reading...

  • We came across an article in the NY Times that may be of interest to our readers. It is now well documented that the “reform” efforts of the past twenty-plus years have failed to produce the effects they were supposed to: decrease the achievement gap for low income minority children, increase the literacy rate, lower the dropout rate, etc. Now comes news that an insidious side effect, lowering of the college graduation rate and thereby reducing the leadership pool of the nation, has taken hold. Read the Times article here.

    Putting Our Brains on Hold

    Posted on August 8, 2010 | No Comments
    We came across an article in the NY Times that may be of interest to our readers. It is now well documented that the “reform” efforts of the past twenty-plus years have failed to produce the effects they were supposed to: decrease the achievement gap for low income minority children, increase the literacy rate, lower the dropout rate, etc. Now comes news that an insidious side effect, lowering of the college graduation rate and thereby reducing the leadership pool of the nation, has taken hold. Read the Times article here.

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  • Kennewick, along with most cities and towns in the country, has relied on standardized testing as a way to improve achievement for the past twenty years despite the arguments of assessment experts (they designed the tests) who said they were not appropriate for this purpose and instruction experts (they know what needs to be taught), who argued for whole child solutions.  Kennewick School District has claimed vast improvement over the time period although the results don’t show up in higher graduation rates, greater college admissions, or any other measure than the same standardized tests at some grades, but not others. New research reported elsewhere on this blog shows the drill and test strategy has not worked on a nation-wide basis and now a new report adds additional data detailing the failed strategy.  The achievement gap on the NAEP declined from...

    20 Years Downhill

    Posted on August 4, 2010 | 3 Comments
    Kennewick, along with most cities and towns in the country, has relied on standardized testing as a way to improve achievement for the past twenty years despite the arguments of assessment experts (they designed the tests) who said they were not appropriate for this purpose and instruction experts (they know what needs to be taught), who argued for whole child solutions.  Kennewick School District has claimed vast improvement over the time period although the results don’t show up in higher graduation rates, greater college admissions, or any other measure than the same standardized tests at some grades, but not others. New research reported elsewhere on this blog shows the drill and test strategy has not worked on a nation-wide basis and now a new report adds additional data detailing the failed strategy.  The achievement gap on the NAEP declined from...

    Continue Reading...

  • Richard Rothstein has written an essay for Cato Unbound debunking the 1983 Nation at Risk report that has driven the so-called education reform efforts of the last 25-plus years. Rothstein is a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute. From 1999 to 2002 he was the national education columnist of The New York Times. He is the author of Grading Education: Getting Accountability Right (Teachers College Press and EPI, 2008) and Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap (Teachers College Press 2004). With his extensive background in education policy analysis, Rothstein is an important voice in the current debate regarding the re-authorization of NCLB. This article, written two years ago, should be “must reading” for school board members, legislators and school administrators.  It clearly points out the futility of the current reform...

    “A Nation at Risk” Twenty-Five Years Later

    Posted on May 28, 2010 | 2 Comments
    Richard Rothstein has written an essay for Cato Unbound debunking the 1983 Nation at Risk report that has driven the so-called education reform efforts of the last 25-plus years. Rothstein is a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute. From 1999 to 2002 he was the national education columnist of The New York Times. He is the author of Grading Education: Getting Accountability Right (Teachers College Press and EPI, 2008) and Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap (Teachers College Press 2004). With his extensive background in education policy analysis, Rothstein is an important voice in the current debate regarding the re-authorization of NCLB. This article, written two years ago, should be “must reading” for school board members, legislators and school administrators.  It clearly points out the futility of the current reform...

    Continue Reading...