American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten made a big announcement today by calling for a moratorium on all stakes associated with the Common Core State Standards until students and teachers have been given ample training and time to “master this new approach to teaching and learning.” This is a reasonable statement on its face, but what does it mean in practice?

For someContinue Reading »

Rick Hess’ new book title, Cage-Busting Leadership, invokes images of Hulk crushing bars designed to hold him back. But as Tuesday’s panel shows, school leaders can learn just as much, if not more, from Hulk’s alter-ego, the reserved, bookish and determined Dr. Bruce Banner: The first and perhaps most important action a leader can take is to learn the rules of the game.

For Principal AdrContinue Reading »

Rewriting NCLB. The Bush-era education act has resulted in varied performance among states, but one thing is for certain: The feds “haven’t found the right tools yet,” says Education Sector’s John Chubb. (New York Times)

Higher standards = lower grades, at least for now. Early results from Georgia math assessments tied to the Common Core State Standards illustrate the importance of educaContinue Reading »

Last spring I visited a school in the South Bronx. As I sat in on classes, I began to experience intellectual vertigo; the dizzy, confused and chaotic approach to teaching and learning that the students were exposed to was more Monte Python than John Dewey. One class stands out because failure was not the result of indifference on the part of the teacher; the young teacher was literally trying Continue Reading »

Happy Fourth of July!

Boom! “Madeline Levine, psychologist and New York Times bestselling author of books decrying over-parenting, to moderator Katie Couric [at the Aspen Ideas Festival]: ‘I do a lot of speaking, and it’s usually fairly well-attended. But I gave a talk entitled ‘The Average Child’ in Marin County. [Rippling laughter] Nobody came.’Continue Reading »

Inside the Beltway. A survey of Washington “insiders” this week shows that they don’t think too highly of the Race to the Top competition for districts; they see strong support for the Common Core State Standards; and Congress? Zero percent approved of the way it is handling education. (Education Week)

Dismal milestone. For the first time since the University of Louisville went public inContinue Reading »

“Hurry, please. We have so much time and so little to see. Wait a minute! Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.”

No doubt, many state and local educators know exactly how Mr. Wonka felt. Motivated by NCLB’s impending 100% proficiency deadline, adoption of the Common Core, and federal initiatives like Race to the Top and ESEA waivers, states and school districts are embarking on a multi-proContinue Reading »

“Nearly a third of local schools rank high statewide: Scores based on standardized testing.”

The headlines say it all. Last week, California’s Department of Education released its annual public school rankings based on the 2011 Base Academic Performance Index (API) scores. For over a decade, California’s schools have been evaluated on the API’s 200-1,000 point scale, each strivinContinue Reading »

Preparing for classes of 15,000, including the occasional 9-year-old. Short Q&As with professors of MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses) and their initial thoughts. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

Less pep, please. The problem with the FCAT, Florida’s state tests, is not with the test itself, argues a local columnist, but with the frenzy leading up to it. (Orlando Sentinel)

While the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind is rather unlikely at this point, reforms around academic standards and testing are still alive—and arguably more so than a decade ago. My colleagues, Susan Headden and Bill Tucker, contribute to a special report from Washington Monthly, out today, that explores new Common Core State Standards, the assessments associated with them, and how testiContinue Reading »