Here's some reading for the week. Don't forget to share!
College Board Set to Frack Philadelphia Students
Wrench in the Gears with a reminder that the SATs (and other tests) are all about getting students to give up a ton of personal data for free.
School Segregation Makes a Comeback
Yet another look at how many communities are rolling the clock back to pre-integration days
The Nation's Report Card Says It Assesses Critical THinking but the NAEP Actually Gets an F on That Score
Even a little bit of, well, critical thinking would lead to the conclusion that a standardized test can never measure critical thinking. Valerie Strauss passes on some actual concrete study data to back that up.
What David Osborne Should Learn about Philadelphia
Osborne is kind of a jerk, but right now he's out there pushing hard for replacing public schools with charters. In fact, he's pushing so hard that he's busy making stuff up.
Skipping Classes I Don't Need
Jose Vilson with some thoughts about standardization, among other things.
Audacious Hack
This story has been making the rounds. It's a reminder to be specific with your instructions. Well played, indeed.
Should Fifth Graders Be Studying the KKK?
Nancy Flanagan with a thoughtful response to the South Carolina KKK flap.
I Taught at the XQ Super School
Laurene Jobs' infomercialtainmentganda special sank without a ripple, so I'd be happy to move on, except for this cool piece. Gary Rubinstein has been a prolific debunker of miracle schools, but this time it turns out he actually worked there.
Your Bar Graphs Don't Impress (or Inspire) Me
Bill Ferriter with a great little reminder about the proper place of data in examining our work.
Call for Stories
Finally, believe it or not, there's a person out there working on a musical about teaching in high-stakes testing environments, and she wants some real-life stories about it. Vamboozled has more information.
I'm still somewhat puzzled over the huge flap on the KKK assignment. It's probably too mature of a question for students that young, but I think people should investigate why people join hate groups or believe in white supremacy. Understanding is not the same as condoning.
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