How Much Can Schools Affect the Wealth/Poverty Gap?

From the Marshall Memo #433

In this Kappan article, author/consultant Mike Schmoker takes issue with a recent Diane Ravitch quote: “America does not have a general education crisis; we have a poverty crisis.” True, poverty affects student achievement, Schmoker acknowledges. “It is important then to fight for social justice, for programs we…

Evaluate Me, Please

24TuesdayApr 2012

Two weeks ago the children in grades 3, 4 and 5 in our school participated in the New York State English Language Arts Tests. These tests spanned a three day period and lasted somewhere between 90 and 180 minutes each day depending on the individual child and their specific needs. The tests, which have been administered in some way, shape or form for over a decade in NY state (Grade 4 students have been taking these tests since the late '90s), are given to assess how our students are…

Giving Reading and Writing Instruction a French Twist

These days, teachers of elective courses realize that their continued professional existence depends on how well they support the overriding academic goal of building students' reading and writing skills. That is no longer just the…

Sending Out an SOS

News coming in from various districts around the state of New York anecdotally indicates that increased stress levels with the new, longer state assessments have been affecting both students and teachers alike.  Stories of an uptick in the number of students who have actually…

This evening I had the pleasure of participating in the weekly #PTChat facilitated by Joe Mazza (@Joe_Mazza). What does PTChat stand for? Where did this chat take place? How long did the chat last? What was discussed? Well, the answer is simple... everything took place in my own Twitterverse while sitting on my couch! The power of Twitter can best be described in one word - AWESOME! This social media/micro blogging site helps me to connect with like-minded educators to…

Hi Mike!

Today's poll on students' reaction to testing excludes the possibility/probability of students becoming apathetic towards testing, especially given all the pre- and post-tests that will be added to their load, in addition to all the NYS assessments.  I predict that the law of diminishing returns will be in effect and that the more we test, the less meaningful to students these tests will become, and the results will not be indicative of the goal of the tests.

Long tests are even longer for some special education students

by Jessica Campbell, at 4:37 pm

Why school principals need more authority

By Chester E. Finn, Jr. / April 10, 2012

A venerable maxim of successful organizational management declares that an executive's authority should be commensurate with his or her responsibility. In plain English, if you are held to account for producing certain results, you need to be in charge of the essential means of production.…