testing
Nationalize Standards
As a teacher, I have embraced our fairly well designed state standards. They provide a framework for each subject area that lays out in a logical way what students should have mastered by the end of each grade level. I realize that these standards are the floor, not the ceiling, and I know that I can teach the concepts in the way that I feel is most appropriate and best for my kids. Thank you to NCLB for standards, now, lets further benefit kids by making them standard from state to state - one set of standards, and one really USEFUL assessment tool. We have a very transient population, so our kids education is full of holes - they have had earth science twice, but no life science, etc. Work with the National Associations and the current state standards to make a good uniform set of standards that can stand the test of time.
This post was submitted by Ms. H.
If public schools are not good enough for the Obama kids…
President elect Obama has voted with his feet and is sending his girls to a private school. This should be viewed as an opportunity for public education leadership in DC and all over our country to work with Obama and the new administration to fast track public education reform. How many of our powerful politicians and education policy wonks send their kids to public school? I believe that public school reform must include a community conversation about what folks want from their public schools and that school and district leadership must be enabled to move FAST. Public education is not really public if it is only for some.
As a public school parent and activist I strongly believe that public education should be framed as our children in our schools - not those children in those schools!
We must demand excellence in all our public schools - replicate the many successes that are happening all over the country, shout out about what’s working in public education and educate our leaders on why public education is vital to the future of democracy. Hopfully, the next time a school choice has to be made by the Obama family the public system will be considered as a viable option.
This post was submitted by Sandra Halladey.
NCLB
No child left behind, in theory, is a good pan. However, it does not work. Schools are losing their funding because they cannot fill get all subgroups to the proficient level. States refuse to raise their standards out of fear to lose funding. And most importantly, this act was not created by educators. There are many unreal expectations. Though the general public feels that education needs to reform into a new direction, which I agree to an extent, this is without doubt the wrong direction. Most creativity in the classroom has been watered down in the primary subjects due to the great stresses placed on standardized testing. This plan needs to be re-thought, and educators need to be part of the process.
This post was submitted by D Brandner.
