The first time I learned about Diane Ravitch is a lot like the first time I learned about Ronald Reagan. Let me explain. Continue reading . . .
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The Good, the Bad & The Maybe on Charter Schools
Three recent articles seem to capture the promise and the peril of the charter movement all at once. First, there was my piece exploring the evolving case law that challenges the notion that public charters are indeed, under the law, public schools. Then there was the news from a recent study suggesting that charters are […]
Read More »How Should We Evaluate Our Preschools?
Imagine, for a second, that you are in charge of more than $600 million in taxpayer money. You live in a city that has made deep investments in early education, and that aspires to provide universal preschool by 2014. You have a thriving network of public charter schools, and you want to help parents make […]
Read More »The PCSB Responds
As the deadline for public comment on the PCSB’s proposed accountability framework for early childhood programs nears (August 28) — and as public reactions to the proposal intensify — PCSB’s executive director, Scott Pearson, published a formal reply to the change.org petition that is asking for greater balance in how schools are evaluated. Here’s Scott’s response:
Read More »Is It The Tests or the Stakes?
As DC grapples with whether or not to adopt an accountability framework that would assign between 60-80% of a charter preschool’s overall rank to its students’ reading and math scores, it’s worth asking: What’s at the root of the problem here — the tests, or the stakes attached to those tests?
Read More »High Stakes Tests For 3-Year-Olds?
If you’re a parent of a young charter school student in DC – or just someone who cares about early education – you need to know what’s happening here in the nation’s capital, and fast.
In less than a week, all charter schools that serve young children will start being held accountable to their students’ test scores on reading and math.
Read More »This is what a people experiment would look like
Courtesy of the fabulous Monika Hardy. Great food for thought here. Read. Digest. Discuss.
Read More »What Do You Teach?
Last month, I gave a keynote address at the annual conference of the New Tech Network, and suggested that this seemingly innocuous question is one we might need to think more deeply about, and start to answer differently. The video was just released, so see for yourself:
Read More »What Should We Make of Tony Bennett’s Resignation?
Beats me. But for what it’s worth, here he is arguing with me about modern school reform on FOX News back in 2011. Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com
Read More »(Extra)Ordinary People
There’s an anecdote the Calhoun School’s Steve Nelson likes to share when he speaks to teachers and parents about the purpose of education. “We should think of our children as wildflower seeds in an unmarked package,” he says. “We can’t know what will emerge. All we can do is plant them in fertile soil, give them plenty of water and sunlight, and wait patiently to see the uniqueness of their beauty.”
At a time when too many students are still being planted in highly cultivated gardens – trimmed and pruned to resemble each other closely – it is incumbent upon all of us to stand on the side of the unmarked package. And at a time when we stray further and further from our democratic roots – from Chicago to DC – it is essential we heed the words of Mission Hill founder Deborah Meier, who reminds us that “democracy rests on having respect for the judgment of ordinary people.”
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