A post by Diane Ravitch prefaces a NY Times editorial that finally acknowledges that testing has become a “mania.” Writes the Times’ editorial board: “Testing did spur some progress in student performance. But it has become clear to us over time that testing was being overemphasized — and misused — in schools that were […]
Last week, 6,000 educators attending the National Education Association’s 2013 Representative Assembly voted to stand with parents against parent trigger laws. What are parent trigger laws? With a majority of parent support, parents can petition for one of several “turnaround” options to occur: Convert the school into a publicly funded charter school Replace a substantial […]
Educators from the US and beyond have been invited to teaching stories with Mr. Bill Gates. They’ve been asked: “How have the policies of the Gates Foundation influenced your classroom, your students, your teaching, your schools, and your communities?” Here’s the title of one letter: Every single one of my students “failed” the state test […]
Great testimony from a former teacher, now serving on Los Angeles’ school board: “Small class size isn’t about protecting teachers’ jobs or making their work easier — it’s about providing every student with quality attention in the classroom. Steve Zimmer, Board Member of the Los Angeles Unified School District and a former teacher, asks why […]
