Monday, June 20, 2011

About the NAEP Civics Report

NPR's Fact Is, Students Have Never Known History is an interesting response to some of the semi-hysterical stories in the press about the scores on the recently released The Nation’s Report Card, Civics 2010. Diane Ravitch commented in the All Things Considered episode, "We have to temper our alarm and realize we're not a very historically minded country."

The story goes on to note that "in 2014, the National Assessment of Educational Progress - the same organization that conducted this year's nationwide history test - will issue a brand new technology and engineering test to students." NPR asked WestEd, a San Francisco-based research and development company preparing the framework for the new test, for an indication of what that test will look like. Sample questions included:

• Describe which parts of a residential wind turbine would require the most maintenance.
• Trace the evolution of features on early cell phones compared to current smart phones.
• Explain two ways in which personal communication devices can work together for a team to achieve its project goal.
• What might the effect be of allowing personal communication devices to be used in school?
• Describe a set of troubleshooting steps that would be appropriate for analyzing a problem with a printer.

Mark Phillips's Civics education report: The sky is falling….again on The Answer Sheet blog adds a bit more commentary on the subject.

The NAEP report certainly isn't good news, but I'm glad some noted educators are taking the long view of this and other test reports.

Now What Do We Do With Him?

Anthony Cody's President Obama, We Were There When You Needed Us looks at what teachers should do in light of our President and Secretary of Education's misguided efforts at education "reform" and obstinacy in not listening to classroom teachers. From some of the comments Cody has included in the column along with many comments added to it by readers, it appears rank and file classroom teachers may not give the President the same support he received from them in 2008 despite endorsements from teachers' unions.

I've certainly not hidden my disillusionment with the President's education policies here on Educators' News:

• They're Not Listening! (3/15/2010)
• A Letter to the President (8/17/2010)
• A Disingenuous President (3/30/2011)
• Now What Do We Do With Him? (5/17/2011)

Odds 'n' Ends

Here are a few other articles I found interesting today:

• Summertime Learning Loss by Walt Gardner
• Cheating? What Cheating? by Jay Mathews
• Learning + fun by Kristine Guerra

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Diane is Marching on July 30

Diane Ravitch tells on her Bridging Differences blog, Why I Am Marching on July 30. The posting is really a good summary of all that is wrong with the current education "reform" movement.

Trouble in Newark with the $100 Million Gift

Nancy Solomon reports that all is not well with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million gift to improve public schools in Newark. In Fight Ensues Over Facebook Money for N.J. Schools, Solomon tells that members of the community say that Mayor Cory Booker's reform plan was presented fully formed, without involving parents. They accuse Booker of shutting them out, favoring new charter schools over improving existing public schools, and attempting to privatize Newark's schools.

Odds 'n' Ends

Here are some other pertinent items you might find interesting:

• eSchool News: Parents of autistic children sue Philly schools
• NPR: In Detroit, Low-Performing Schools Get A Makeover by Larry Abramson
• The Answer Sheet: Time for some straight talk Chancellor Henderson by Valerie Strauss

It's a short posting today, not so much from a lack of news, but I have a bum shoulder and elbow that make typing and "mousing" painful. I think it's the result of too many hours at the computer, not practicing good posture at said computer, and an old body protesting my turning a compost pile over the weekend.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Crescendo Charters to Stay Open

Howard Blume's South L.A. charter schools may get a reprieve after cheating scandal relates that LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy is satisfied that the Crescendo charter school group, involved in widespread test prep irregularities last year, has taken appropriate steps to deal with the problems and "will remain open as a result of the decisions they have made." The LAUSD board must still act on the issue, having previously indicated the schools would close due to the cheating scandal. Bloom writes that teachers from the charters informed authorities that the charter's founding director had ordered principals "to break the seal on state standardized tests and drill students on actual test questions in preparation for the tests in May 2010."

Odds 'n' Ends

• Politics K-12 blog: Idaho Will Defy NCLB, Schools' Chief Luna Tells Duncan by Michele McNeil
• New York Times: Republican Challenges Administration on Plans to Override Education Law by Sam Dillon
• Reality Check blog: Common Errors in Coverage of Education by Walt Gardner

Have a great weekend!

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