education Archive

  • From the conclusion of Yong Zhao’s article titled Mass Localism for Improving America’s Education: For America’s education to rise to the challenges of globalization, we need to further cultivate creativity and diversity, capitalize on our traditional strengths, and locate ourselves within a global context. America already has built such an infrastructure, which many traditionally centralized systems have been trying to emulate (Zhao 2009), so we need not dismantle it. But we do need to take additional actions in a number of areas: local creativity, global collaboration, and government stimulation. First, federal and state governments must reduce their prescriptive measures imposed on schools, especially in terms of educational outcomes. The most damaging action has been the imposition of test-based quality indicators. Follow this link to the complete article: http://zhaolearning.com/2012/04/24/mass-localism-for-improving-america%e2%80%99s-education/  

    To build a better education system, America must build on what we have—differentiation, uniqueness, and diversity

    Posted on April 25, 2012 | 1 Comment
    From the conclusion of Yong Zhao’s article titled Mass Localism for Improving America’s Education: For America’s education to rise to the challenges of globalization, we need to further cultivate creativity and diversity, capitalize on our traditional strengths, and locate ourselves within a global context. America already has built such an infrastructure, which many traditionally centralized systems have been trying to emulate (Zhao 2009), so we need not dismantle it. But we do need to take additional actions in a number of areas: local creativity, global collaboration, and government stimulation. First, federal and state governments must reduce their prescriptive measures imposed on schools, especially in terms of educational outcomes. The most damaging action has been the imposition of test-based quality indicators. Follow this link to the complete article: http://zhaolearning.com/2012/04/24/mass-localism-for-improving-america%e2%80%99s-education/  

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  • Here is a link to Washington State legislators associated with ALEC. ALEC is working to privatize public education, eliminate local school boards, increase student testing and use it to evaluate teachers, and bring charter schools to Washington. Isn’t it time to “out” these turkeys?  There are a couple close at hand.  http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Politicians#Washington_Legislators_with_ALEC_Ties

    WA Legislators Who Are ALEC Members

    Posted on April 7, 2012 | 1 Comment
    Here is a link to Washington State legislators associated with ALEC. ALEC is working to privatize public education, eliminate local school boards, increase student testing and use it to evaluate teachers, and bring charter schools to Washington. Isn’t it time to “out” these turkeys?  There are a couple close at hand.  http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=ALEC_Politicians#Washington_Legislators_with_ALEC_Ties

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  • Mark Naison When Teachers Become Overseers: Casualties of the School Reform Plantation in the Bronx and Places Like it Mark Naison Fordham University This is a strange time to be involved in education. Either those shaping education policy on the state and federal level- many of whom have never been teachers- are incapable of imagining the consequences of their policies in actual classrooms, or they are cynically trying to destroy public education in the United States. No better example of this is the now widely practiced policy of rating teachers based on student test scores, and using variations in those scores, through the “value added” formula, as the basis for determining teachers’ professional standing. All throughout the nation teachers are being told that if they don’t raise student test scores, they could lose their tenure, lose their jobs, and in some...

    When Teachers Become Overseers: Casualties of the School Reform Plantation in the Bronx and Places Like it

    Posted on March 20, 2012 | 1 Comment
    Mark Naison When Teachers Become Overseers: Casualties of the School Reform Plantation in the Bronx and Places Like it Mark Naison Fordham University This is a strange time to be involved in education. Either those shaping education policy on the state and federal level- many of whom have never been teachers- are incapable of imagining the consequences of their policies in actual classrooms, or they are cynically trying to destroy public education in the United States. No better example of this is the now widely practiced policy of rating teachers based on student test scores, and using variations in those scores, through the “value added” formula, as the basis for determining teachers’ professional standing. All throughout the nation teachers are being told that if they don’t raise student test scores, they could lose their tenure, lose their jobs, and in some...

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  • For readers who may not have seen these Tri-City Herald articles we offer links to some recent news and opinion pieces of interest to educators and families.  Follow the links below to read the associated articles and opinion letters: March 19 - Health care proposal worries Washington educators http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/03/19/1870484/health-care-proposal-worries-washington.html Kennewick, Pasco students learn in English and Spanish http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/03/19/1870743/kennewick-pasco-students-learn.html

    Local Education News and Opinion from the Tri-City Herald

    Posted on March 19, 2012 | No Comments
    For readers who may not have seen these Tri-City Herald articles we offer links to some recent news and opinion pieces of interest to educators and families.  Follow the links below to read the associated articles and opinion letters: March 19 - Health care proposal worries Washington educators http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/03/19/1870484/health-care-proposal-worries-washington.html Kennewick, Pasco students learn in English and Spanish http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/03/19/1870743/kennewick-pasco-students-learn.html

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  • We recently received a poignant article by a Facebook friend from Fordham University.  We are reprinting it here with permission of the author. If You Want to Know the Human Impact of The Current Recession, Ask America’s Teachers Mark Naison Fordham University One of the things I’ve discovered in recent years is that when it comes to education policy, the last people asked for input are America’s teachers. We have a President who holds an” education summit” that includes the nation’s top business leaders and foundation heads, but no teachers; we have billionaires lobbying to privatize education and break teachers unions; we have an organization that purports to work for educational equity that encourages its recruits to leave teaching after two years because they can influence policy more by moving into other, more prestigious careers, rather than spending a lifetime...

    Ask America’s Teachers

    Posted on January 12, 2012 | No Comments
    We recently received a poignant article by a Facebook friend from Fordham University.  We are reprinting it here with permission of the author. If You Want to Know the Human Impact of The Current Recession, Ask America’s Teachers Mark Naison Fordham University One of the things I’ve discovered in recent years is that when it comes to education policy, the last people asked for input are America’s teachers. We have a President who holds an” education summit” that includes the nation’s top business leaders and foundation heads, but no teachers; we have billionaires lobbying to privatize education and break teachers unions; we have an organization that purports to work for educational equity that encourages its recruits to leave teaching after two years because they can influence policy more by moving into other, more prestigious careers, rather than spending a lifetime...

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  • Excerpts from this article: Over the last few years America has invested a great amount of talk into the low quality of education. Most of this talk focuses on teachers. Teacher accountability programs have been mandated by NCLB and created in almost every state. However, as we shall review below, most of the major decisions affecting the quality of education are not made by teachers. …Education is primarily top-down. Politicians and administrators make the decisions about the methods, the curriculum, and the goals. They give teachers mandates. Teachers are frequently not permitted to draw on their training and experience to contribute to the decisions about curriculum, methods, or student needs. …This top-down approach is plagued by fads and constant reform. …NCLB and other reforms place increasing pressure on educators to teach all students the same material – regardless of the...

    Can We Be Confident In Standardized Test Results? – Part 9

    Posted on January 4, 2012 | 1 Comment
    Excerpts from this article: Over the last few years America has invested a great amount of talk into the low quality of education. Most of this talk focuses on teachers. Teacher accountability programs have been mandated by NCLB and created in almost every state. However, as we shall review below, most of the major decisions affecting the quality of education are not made by teachers. …Education is primarily top-down. Politicians and administrators make the decisions about the methods, the curriculum, and the goals. They give teachers mandates. Teachers are frequently not permitted to draw on their training and experience to contribute to the decisions about curriculum, methods, or student needs. …This top-down approach is plagued by fads and constant reform. …NCLB and other reforms place increasing pressure on educators to teach all students the same material – regardless of the...

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  • Excerpts from this article: …Schools pay much lip service to student-centered education lately.  However, actions taken by schools and school administrators frequently run contrary to actually supporting student-centered learning.  So, to raise awareness of student-centered education, we provide the assessments of schools and classrooms below.  …Student-centered learning does have risks, but so do the alternatives.  We do not have enough resources to be fully aware of each student’s individual optimums, or to teach each student according to his individual optimum.  Demanding perfect student-centered approaches from teachers will overwhelm them with more work than they can possibly do. …when schools demand curriculum-centered or test-centered learning, teaching tends to focus on the lowest cognitive levels. Students tend to get treated as tests-scores and academic rank, not as individuals. Students tend to gain knowledge without gaining understanding.

    Can We Be Confident In Standardized Test Results? – Part 8

    Posted on December 19, 2011 | No Comments
    Excerpts from this article: …Schools pay much lip service to student-centered education lately.  However, actions taken by schools and school administrators frequently run contrary to actually supporting student-centered learning.  So, to raise awareness of student-centered education, we provide the assessments of schools and classrooms below.  …Student-centered learning does have risks, but so do the alternatives.  We do not have enough resources to be fully aware of each student’s individual optimums, or to teach each student according to his individual optimum.  Demanding perfect student-centered approaches from teachers will overwhelm them with more work than they can possibly do. …when schools demand curriculum-centered or test-centered learning, teaching tends to focus on the lowest cognitive levels. Students tend to get treated as tests-scores and academic rank, not as individuals. Students tend to gain knowledge without gaining understanding.

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  • Excerpts from this article:  …We have had a full decade of No Child Left Behind, and we now know that the law has been a disaster. …Now we know the results of this absurd law. More than 80% of our schools have been labeled failing schools. By the year 2014, nearly 100% of our schools will be considered failures. Has any other national legislature in history ever passed a law guaranteed to label every single one of its schools a failure? I don’t know of any.  …Let’s be clear about what NCLB has really accomplished: It has convinced the media and major philanthropies and Wall Street hedge fund managers that American public education is a failure and that radical solutions are required.  …We have now had ten years of No Child Left Behind, and we now know that there has...

    Diane Ravitch Knows How to Improve Public Education

    Posted on December 12, 2011 | 1 Comment
    Excerpts from this article:  …We have had a full decade of No Child Left Behind, and we now know that the law has been a disaster. …Now we know the results of this absurd law. More than 80% of our schools have been labeled failing schools. By the year 2014, nearly 100% of our schools will be considered failures. Has any other national legislature in history ever passed a law guaranteed to label every single one of its schools a failure? I don’t know of any.  …Let’s be clear about what NCLB has really accomplished: It has convinced the media and major philanthropies and Wall Street hedge fund managers that American public education is a failure and that radical solutions are required.  …We have now had ten years of No Child Left Behind, and we now know that there has...

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