www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/education/14child.html?pagewanted=2
No Child Left Behind has been revisited, and it doesn't seem like anyone's happy. How can anyone expect to close the achievement gap without investing heavily into the wellbeing of lower-performing students? What is the good of making tests the most important part of the school year? When tests are so important, why would schools even bother with materials not on the tests? I really wish we would stop this testing nonsense and focus on what is better for the students and their futures.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Controversial Issues for Students
www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/science/earth/04climate.html
Some things just can't be proven (not yet, at least). All these things should be taught from a critical thinking perspective. Teach students what is believed and why it's believed instead of asserting the truth of one perspective. On the creation/evolution deal, we can't know certain things. It's still just philosophy, and it shouldn't be treated or taught any differently.
Some things just can't be proven (not yet, at least). All these things should be taught from a critical thinking perspective. Teach students what is believed and why it's believed instead of asserting the truth of one perspective. On the creation/evolution deal, we can't know certain things. It's still just philosophy, and it shouldn't be treated or taught any differently.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Firing the Entire Teaching Staff
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/24/AR2010022402092_3.html?sid=ST2010022403468
My wife told me about this when it first hit the news. I sincerely do agree that firing all teachers can be very effective at saying, "We're serious about educational reform!" Does that mean I support this instance? Certainly not. The chance that EVERY teacher is crap is almost impossible. It sounds like the administrators and superintendent were not doing their jobs in this case. Firing every teacher sounds like they're too sorry to find out who's doing a good job. They're probably too sorry to make sure they hire good teachers and too sorry to properly evaluate those teachers.
I expect low school budget probably relates in some way or another.
My wife told me about this when it first hit the news. I sincerely do agree that firing all teachers can be very effective at saying, "We're serious about educational reform!" Does that mean I support this instance? Certainly not. The chance that EVERY teacher is crap is almost impossible. It sounds like the administrators and superintendent were not doing their jobs in this case. Firing every teacher sounds like they're too sorry to find out who's doing a good job. They're probably too sorry to make sure they hire good teachers and too sorry to properly evaluate those teachers.
I expect low school budget probably relates in some way or another.
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