Marla Kilfoyle and Melissa Tomlinson: Not giving teachers results of students tests is like not allowing doctors to see results of tests they’ve run on their patients.
Is the US system of public education in crisis? Many say the answer to that question is no. But almost all agree that we have two systems of public education in the United States - one based principally, though not entirely, in the suburbs and another that is based principally in poorer urban and rural areas. One is, unarguably in crisis. The other is not. These articles discuss the root causes and possible solutions.
Bonnie C. Margolin: In our dog eat dog society, it may seem necessary to maintain this value system throughout school, but the opposite is true.
Rudy Acuña: We were too young, naive or preoccupied with the Vietnam War, campus turmoil and the excitement of times to recognize the significance of the changes.
Bonnie Margolin: Much like the children in the bestseller, students in today’s schools must compete against each other to survive, taking test, after test, after test
Bonnie Margolin: Based upon the recent blockbuster, The Hunger Games, I have taken to making comparisons between the battlefield in the movie and the school environment that we have established for our students. The similarities are uncanny.
Steve Singer: Forget that all the evidence shows standardized tests don’t actually measure student learning. They show parental income. Rich kids generally score high and poor kids score low.
Mark Naison: The U.S. Department of Education and its short-sighted cheerleaders among civil rights groups are actually hastening the development of more of a two-tier education system than we already have.
Walter Brasch: Publishers in America, trying to reap the widest possible financial benefit by not offending anyone, especially school boards, often force authors to overlook significant historical and social trends.
Leonard Isenberg: All the money in the world will not improve our junior colleges, colleges, and universities, if students continue to be socially promoted through K-12 education without the fundamental skills necessary to do college work.
Marla Kilfoyle and Melissa Tomlinson: Teachers will demand the respect their profession deserves and will fight for the autonomy to run their classroom based on the needs of the children in the room, NOT on the corporate created Common Core.
Steve Singer: And what a plan it is! Let’s try these few targeted reforms, tighten our belts and if that doesn’t work, give the entire district over to a charter school operator.
Mark Naison: Police union leader joins charter maven Eva Moskowitz in trying to reverse result of last NYC mayoralty election.
Marla Kilfoyle and Melissa Tomlinson: It is important to recognize the power of student actions and to create a platform in which we can support and raise up their voices.