Here is an unscientific sampling of education blog highlights from the past several days:
- Charter schools and low-SES kids: Damned if they do, damned if they don’t? Matthew Yglesias
- Seven obvious things in education that are ignored. Washington Post Answer Sheet blog
- Eight reformer state education chiefs endorse NCTQ review of teacher prep programs. Teacher Beat blog
- Diane Ravitch is right to pop myth balloons about miracle schools (including Bruce Randolph) Flypaper
- Data-driven policymaking? In your dreams. Larry Cuban’s blog
- Big flaws in NYT piece on Gates Foundation influence. Rick Hess Straight Up
Popularity: 13% [?]
Anthony Cody’s suggestions should be read by those “reformers” who believe that teacher quality is a greater factor in a child’s life than poverty. As Cody explains, and numerous studies validate, stress in a child’s life can deter, or prevent, learning from occurring at all. The most impoverished children are frequently the most stressed. Blaming teachers or linking their salaries, promotion or retention is, therefore, unjust and irrational. The reality is that the educational infrastructure of this nation and my community, Denver, has been in decline and in need of immediate care since I began teaching in 1968. Recognizing that reality, analyzing the problem and finding solutions together is the scientific method that will yield positive results. Continued scapegoating and stereotyping will yield negative results as has been the case.