May 2013
2 posts
Sunday Dialogue - A Talent for Teaching -... →
A little late to the party, but I’m glad I got here. And I really like the letter by the high school student!
Invitation to a Dialogue - The Art of Teaching -... →
“Often it is the least orthodox teacher who most engages and excites students” How do you measure that?
April 2013
7 posts
Education Week: High School Redesign Gets... →
“The ethos of early college high schools: catch students up, not by relegating...”
– Bard High School Early College, a Second Chance for Disadvantaged Youth in Newark - NYTimes.com
Who Knew That Greenwich, Conn., Was a Model of... →
Economic integration leads to more equitable educational outcomes. Demography may not be destiny, but it sure is a fact.
(JPEG Image, 397 × 480 pixels) →
“And it suggests that the angry, worried debate over how to improve the nation’s...”
– Studies Highlight Benefits of Early Education - NYTimes.com
“Standardized achievement tests are a vital tool, but treating test scores the...”
– Eugene Robinson: The racket with standardized test scores - The Washington Post
New, Inexpensive Tools Help Smart, Low-Income Kids... →
Cool! Especially considering that students from low-income backgrounds tend to reap the most benefits from selective colleges.
March 2013
3 posts
Ex-Atlanta Schools Chief Charged in Cheating... →
A bad egg or another reason not to use standardized tests as the sole or largest measure of student learning?
Does Affirmative Action Do What It Should? -... →
Is what happens in the classroom all that you get out of college? I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without UVA’s amazing network. Why deny poor kids and kids of color entrance to that club?
Better Colleges Failing to Lure Talented Poor -... →
Another problem with the just do something after high school mentality we offer so many students from lower-income households.
February 2013
1 post
Teachers and Policy Makers: Troubling Disconnect -... →
Not exactly man bites dog here, but it’s nice people are starting to notice.
January 2013
7 posts
“In addition to academics, students need to develop a work ethic, communication...”
– Education Week: Internships Help Students Prepare for Workplace
A Child With Down Syndrome Keeps His Place at the... →
Darwin Was Wrong About Dating - NYTimes.com →
Science!
“But teaching should not be primarily a form of giving back, especially when it...”
– Teach for America’s Public Relations Machine - Walt Gardner’s Reality Check - Education Week
McDonnell proposes letter grades for schools -... →
As if the grades we give out in school aren’t already problematic enough …
Education Week Teacher: A Teacher's New Year's... →
This is why I blog (and the poetry raps).
Education Commission Recommends Core Reforms -... →
Yes! (Plus, let’s overhaul our data system, but these are some good steps.)
December 2012
2 posts
Random Acts Of Kindness Can Make Kids More Popular... →
I think I’m going to share this finding in our next community meeting.
Illinois - Chicago Schools Accused of... →
November 2012
1 post
The newest rhetoric on teacher evaluation — and... →
Why do doctors evaluate doctors, lawyers evaluate lawyers, but teachers don’t evaluate teachers?
October 2012
2 posts
Teaching Lessons - NYTimes.com →
This is why we always start our classes with a free write and then a time to share. I wonder if sharing the science behind the practice would help my students continue to focus as we move into our second quarter.
Dear Teacher, Johnny Isn’t Sick. He’s Just... →
September 2012
2 posts
The Chicago Teachers’ Strike, in Perspective -... →
August 2012
7 posts
Starving the Future - NYTimes.com →
And, as we pursue educational reforms, beating up on teachers — who are underpaid, overworked and always blamed — is a distraction from the real problem: We’re being outpaced in producing the employees of the future.
New York Becomes Second State to Recognize... →
This is so cool!
Where's Common Sense in Disciplining Students? -... →
Med Reform | Gary Rubinstein's Blog →
Imagine a day when a group of politicians and philanthropists read in the newspaper that the United States does not have the highest life expectancy in the world. Not only that, we are actually ranked 38th in the world at 78.2, a full four and a half years below the number one country Japan. Outraged, they decide to ‘do something’ about this crisis. Despite knowing little about health and...
“The fact that standards are owned by politicians, administrators, and university...”
– Education Week: Give the Standards Back to Teachers
How to improve teaching: New evidence that poor... →
If we believe every student can learn, why don’t we believe the same about teachers?
Teacher-Retention Tip: Lose the 'Martyr Mentality'... →
Teaching is a job — a great job, but a job nonetheless. Let’s treat it like one and treat teachers like professionals.
July 2012
9 posts
Is Algebra Necessary? - NYTimes.com →
Even as an English teacher, I love math. I do, however, like the ideas of more integrative math classes.
“Now, in studies that threaten to shake the foundation of high-stakes test-based...”
– Texas Studies Suggest Test Design Flaw in TAKS - NYTimes.com
Colson Whitehead’s Rules for Writing - NYTimes.com →
Addressing Poverty in Schools - NYTimes.com →
An awesome program — even if Joe Nocera seems to ignore WHY many public schools are dysfunctional even in a column that discusses how to help children deal with poverty
Jefferson H.S., Fairfax schools shut out blacks... →
Here’s another place where enrichment for all would help.
“We need to pursue the conditions necessary for solid reflective, collaborative...”
– Dialogue With the Gates Foundation: How Do We Build the Teaching Profession? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
Invitation to a Dialogue - An Excess of Testing -... →
So much yes: common standards, sure. More standardized tests and teacher bashing, no thank you.
Education Week: Timed Tests and the Development of... →
Ugh. Does any one else remember those awful timed quizzes in second grade? I always lost a point for my fours looking too much like nines. Can we get rid of them now, please and thank you?
June 2012
9 posts
My View: Six ways to retain great teachers –... →
Reputations (and More) at Risk: Using Value-Added... →
Sister, you speak the truth. If we’re going to value data, let’s make sure we’re valuing useful data in effective ways.
Education Week: Pop Quiz on Testing →
I’m going to learn more about Fair Test (sounds a bit like Fair Tax, doesn’t it?), but pointing out the money private corporations make off of stress-inducing, not particularly useful data strikes a chord.
In Charter Schools, Fewer With Disabilities -... →
As the sister of a K-12 student with special needs, I’m outraged that kids aren’t getting the services they need. As an eduwonk, I’m appalled that we continue to think that schools that refuse to serve kids who run the gamut of needs can help “solve” our education problems.
@shareski's Right: My Students CAN Assess... →
I want to experiment with this in the fall, but I also remember how students often only put in effort for graded activities. Maybe adding in this more meaningful self-evaluation piece will help.
“Poor children living in poor communities do not have access to the same...”
– Invitation to a Dialogue - A School Plan - NYTimes.com 