(Originally posted on Seattle Education.) By the way, the third MAP test which is given in the Fall is solely for the use of NWEA. That’s why it’s “optional”. We’re spending precious resources and time so that NWEA can have more test scores to plug into their database. That’s right people. You will note on the Seattle Public School (SPS) website that the Fall test is optional. It’s not needed by SPS for the purpose of tracking student data. NWEA … →
Parents Across America Webinar The Journey for Justice With New Orleans Parent and Education Advocate Karran Harper-Royal March 3, 2013 1:00 PM PST Free tickets available through Eventbrite. With moderator Dora Taylor. Journey for Justice is an emerging alliance currently comprised of grassroots community-based organizations from 18 cities across the United States representing constituencies of youth, parents, and inter-generational organizations who have been impacted by the closing, turnaround, and charter expansion of schools in communities of color. The goal of … →
The Weekly Update for the news and views you might have missed. It’s been quite a week in our fair city. Many of us here in Seattle have watched the destruction of the teaching profession, schools and communities around the country based on the use of standardized test scores to further an agenda of corporate reform and privatization using the scorched earth approach to education and we do not want to see that happen in Seattle or anywhere else for … →
As you might know by now, teachers at Garfield High School in Seattle held a press conference on Friday and announced that they were not going to give the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) test to their students for a number of reasons. For the details, see the letter that was issued by the teachers of Garfield High School. Within hours, teachers at Ballard High School followed suit. The Garfield High School PTSA issued the following statement today in support … →
The Weekly Update: For the news and views you might have missed First up, more Facebook pages are popping up on the subject of education: Our Village Our Schools Public Education Crusaders Long Island Chapter Save Our Schools March 350 This one is related to the climate crisis and I post it on this blog because it does affect our children. Next up, a petition to be sent to President Obama. Maybe one of these days he’ll start to listen … →
The Weekly Update for the news and views you might have missed. This week has been a slower news week than usual for obvious reasons but the internet is burning up with announcements of new Facebook pages sprouting up started by an array of parents and teachers from around the country standing with their teachers and students and against the privatization of their schools. Just this morning I was invited to like four Facebook pages related to education. They are: … →
The Weekly Update for the news and views you might have missed. “Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.” Frederick Douglass I keep wondering when folks in this country are going to say enough is enough. Until then the Wendy Kopp’s, Michelle Rhee’s, the Waltons and the Gates will continue to plow on and plow us under. Today, we’ll begin … →
The Edu$hyster ring in Michigan Utica Community Schools, as the second largest district in Michigan, has always been a leader in education. Students have always had a high rate of success. In comparison to districts across the nation, Utica has always been financially healthy. Utica has been a wealth of potential for multiple facets of education, art and culture and many of those programs have been decimated to cater to the special interest of profiteers and politicians. Carol Klenow, … →
The Weekly Update for the news and views you might have missed Helen Barkin writes a thorough review of what happened state by state on November 6, 2012 in this article. What Happened to Public Education on Election Night? An excerpt: Barack Obama’s K-12 “reform” policies have brought misery to public schools across the country: more standardized testing, faulty evaluations for teachers based on student test scores, more public schools shut down rather than improved, more privately managed and … →
The Consequences As long as policy and funding are determined by test results, we will be dealing with the consequences. There is the narrowing of focus to math and reading and less focus on history, social studies, the arts, foreign languages, writing, physical education, or developing research and critical thinking skills. The emphasis on test scores precludes looking more carefully at the cause of low test scores which include poverty, health and family issues as well as the effect … →
