Category: Education

Class Warfare, by Steven Brill

By , August 20, 2011

I’m very interested in the school-reform movement, so I’ve been debating whether to buy Steven Brill’s new book, Class Warfare.

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Cheating on High-Stakes NCLB Tests

By , June 16, 2011

Under the federal “No Child Left Behind” law, school districts, schools, and teachers face harsh, punitive consequences for failing to do the impossible (consistently increase test scores for 14 years in a row).

It’s no surprise that some administrators and teachers have turned to cheating on the high-stakes tests required by the federal “No Child Left Behind” law. Read more »

Thoughts On Learning That Reading My Book Review is a Class Assignment

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By , June 11, 2011

I just learned that last January (2010), one of my book reviews was included as assigned reading in an AP English class (taught by Ms. Tsuruda at Mililani HS in Hawaii).

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Is Facebook Transforming Our Language?

By , May 7, 2011

Language is constantly evolving, but sometimes the process is hard to understand. Facebook provides a great example.

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Common Goals and Other People’s Intentions

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By , May 3, 2011

Sometimes when we criticize others, we find a mirror.  Here’s my story, and my plea that we stop talking past each other, and instead focus on our common goals for our children’s education.

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Education Reform: Perverse Incentives

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By , April 22, 2011

Over the past few weeks, I’ve read many dozens of news articles, editorials, and research studies about current “education reform” efforts.

Today, I realized that nearly all the “disputed” ideas involve accusations of perverse incentives.

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Update: LessonIndex.com

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By , April 6, 2011

Over the past few months, I’ve been pleased with the success of my newest web site, LessonIndex.com. Read more »

Wisconsin? Really? (Every Vote Counts)

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By , April 6, 2011

The most expensive judicial election campaign in history. In Wisconsin? Really?

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Boycotting NCLB Testing

By , April 4, 2011

Here’s a list of “talking points” that Tim Slekar identified to explain why he (and many other parents) are “opting their children out” of the high-stakes testing, mandated by “No Child Left Behind,” that doesn’t serve any legitimate educational purpose.

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School Funding and Teachers’ Cars

By , March 29, 2011

Today, I was astonished to read a blog post in which a parent, angry about her local school’s budget battle, wrote of her desire to smash teachers’ “expensive sedans” in a school parking lot on “back to school night.”

Marsia Mason, please note: if I find your car in a parking lot . . . Read more »

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