Section » K12

Detroit Free Press: MEAP may be replaced by national online test

Posted on July 26, 2010

Following the Common Core Standards Blitzkrieg, spurred on by ARRA funds used to bribe states into compliance with the monopoly agenda of Gates et al, national testing is here. “Michigan’s MEAP test could undergo a radical change...

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Alan Singer: Charter Schools Don’t Do Miracles

Posted on July 2, 2010

Of course, I don’t believe in mircales, and so, this story is not a surprise. But what is bubbling underneath the rhetoric of the Obama/Duncan education reform agenda is more and more evidence of the dark side of so-called innovation. This “dark side” has grave implications for an education that serve the public good. And it is clear...

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More Than Half of Students Tested Have Poisoning History

Posted on May 28, 2010

More than half of the students tested in Detroit Public Schools have a history of lead poisoning, which affects brain function for life, according to data compiled by city health and education officials. The data also show, for the first time in Detroit, a link between higher lead levels and poor academic performance. About 60% of DPS students who performed...

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Charter Schools/Market Violence/Disruptive Innovation: Student Beating, Paying the Rich, and the Irrelevance of Facts

Posted on May 14, 2010

From Jim Horn. “Are you, like the President, a fan of the “No Excuses” charter schools for the children of the poor, the ones with no oversight except for what student camera phones can provide? Then you may enjoy Jamie’s...

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Maryland First State to Bar Schools Releasing Tests to Military

Posted on May 14, 2010

Note, it is interesting that this does not mention, or appear to address, provisions of NCLB requiring schools to pass on student information to military recruiters unless parents explicitly notify the school otherwise. — MG * * * by Kathleen Miller http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/05/13-8 ANNAPOLIS,...

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Race to the Top Assessment Program: Part II – The Political Significance of Assessment Governance

Posted on May 11, 2010

RTTT is the "Carrot That Feels Like a Stick," says Mike Petrilli (of all people). He "can’t help but feel remorse for the death of federalism." As I prepare for a talk at DePaul University tomorrow, I’m...

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Race to the Top Assessment Program: Part 1 – Danger, Will Robinson, Irrational Discourse Ahead!

Posted on May 10, 2010

Anyone who has read my book or heard me speak about testing might think that I would be happy with the change in language evident in Obama’s Department of Education Executive Summary of the Race to the Top Assessment Program. Not only do...

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Broad Foundation: Facts on the Wrecking of Public Education

Posted on March 12, 2010

The Perimeter Primate has posted two pieces on what it deems “the Broad Effect” — what is more aptly described as the wrecking of public education. The first installment begins: The Broad Effect” is behind the recent events in Rhode Island...

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March 4 Actions to Defend Public Education & Ravitch Opposition to Testing and Choice

Posted on March 6, 2010

Democracy Now! offers a summary of actions during the National Day of Action to Defend Public Education. “Students and teachers held hundreds of demonstrations on Thursday as part of the National Day of Action to Defend Public Education. Hundreds of thousands took part in what was the largest day of coordinated student protest in years. We get a

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Hess on Federal Jargon & the Jargon of Venture Capitalism and Wall Street Dictate

Posted on March 5, 2010

Much is now being made of the finalists for the first round of Race to the Top funds. To his credit, AEI’s Fred Hess has apparently started to review the substance of the applications. But his posting does not portend a substantive...

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