A rather large loophole. New Pennsylvania standards require that all students pass state standardized tests in order to get a diploma. Except when they don’t; then they just take a “validated local assessment,” or a test issued by the school district. (h/t Joy Resmovits, Morning Call) 

What? A college dean, speaking on the challenges of teacher recruitment, tells The New York Times that Continue Reading »

“My manicurist requires a license to do my nails, but our nation isn’t sure we should license teachers.” Camilla Benbow in an excerpt from John Chubb’s new book, The Best Teachers in the World. (Defining Ideas)*

More Chicago woes. District leaders are working to identify as many as 100 schools eligible for closure. (The Atlantic)

Preparing high-schoolers for life. At least 4Continue Reading »

Computerized state tests. Will the digital divide show through in test score results, once standardized tests go online? (HechingerEd)

“Real change will come teacher by teacher.” Maddie Fennell explains why teachers should lead reform efforts to change the profession. (Straight Up/Education Week)

New Community College. A profile of a new, two-year college in New York that will go Continue Reading »

Plummeting scores? Only on the surface, and only in the short term. Wisconsin officials are dealing with the same PR confusion as Florida: New, higher K-12 standards have meant drastically lower scores in the first year of implementation. (Marshfield News Herald)

Community college excellence. A lucky 120 community colleges have been invited to apply for the Aspen Prize based on the gainsContinue Reading »

“The case for putting $20 bills on the desk of every standardized test taker.” A new study finds that Chicago students worked harder and did better on standardized tests when they were offered immediate monetary incentives. (The Atlantic)

Having an MBA vs playing in the NBA. This infographic pits players from the NBA finals against top MBAs on factors like salary and net worth. (USA TodaContinue Reading »

Ignorance is bliss. After changes in a state formula, significantly more Fla. students failed this year’s writing test (in fourth-grade, they saw the passing percentage drop from 81 to 27 percent). So the state board of education re-adjusted the formula so the numbers don’t look so bad. (Orlando Sentinel)

He cost someone $1 million. Sara Mead profiles Ben Miller, a former Education SectoContinue Reading »

Education, an election issue? Sixty-seven percent of swing-state voters rank education as “extremely important,” behind jobs and the economy, according to a report out today. (h/t Huffington Post) (College Board)

If they can’t go, bring it to them. Google Art Project brings the world’s art museums to classrooms via Google Earth and virtual tours. About 150 collections from 40 countries aContinue Reading »

Corruption is one of the basic enemies of good governance. And nobody denies that corruption is a bigger problem in some places than in others. Transparency International ranks 180 countries on a corruption index that ranges from “Very Clean” (New Zealand) to “Highly Corrupt” (Somalia). The World Bank gauges control of corruption using a detailed list of measures and souContinue Reading »

Gannett has an in-depth piece today comparing each state’s scores on NAEP versus their own tests. They also let you try to solve some sample NAEP fourth and eighth grade math problems, separated by level. Problem is, they got one wrong. Go to the “proficient” question on 8th grade math.  Gannett says the correct answer is D, but the actual answer is (-3, -2). Even ignoring theContinue Reading »