Ready to just sit and spend some quiet time? Here's some worthwhile reading from the week. If it speaks to you, remember to share it, tweet it, or otherwise help push it out into the world. That's how voices get amplified.
Reading Too Soon
Need one more article explaining the science behind not teaching reading to littles? Here you go.
It's Time To End The Testing Culture In America's Schools
Robert Pondiscio ran this piece in the 74, so you might have missed it, but it's a pretty clear argument for chopping the Big Standardized Tests off at the knees.
DeVos Will Face House Dems on Five Ed Fronts
Politico tries to figure out which parts of the Democratic House will be making which kinds of attacks on which of the DeVosian policies.
Communications in a Modern World
Dad Gone Wild takes a look at how modern media have changed the rules for discussion, disagreement and debate.
The Teacher Life: Grading Papers Over Holiday Break
Mercedes Schneider on one of those benefits that those damn only-work-part-of-a-year teachers enjoy.
Dear Lawmakers: Please Hire Real Teachers As Education Aides, Not TFA Alum
Part of the purpose of Teach For America was always to create Reformsters who could claim teaching cred as a way to grease their passage into the halls of power (where they could advocate for reformster policies). It's working too well.
Rescuing Schools From Corporate Goliaths
John Thompson reflects on some of the lessons of the last Network for Public Education conference.
Personalized Online Learning Fails
Okay, I shortened the headline, but Nancy Bailey's piece ticks off the list of ways in which online learning does not serve students well and what they lose when they lose traditional classroom work.
Batch Processing Students On An Assembly Line
Nancy Flanagan is wondering why we're back to complaining about factory model schooling again...
Charter Choice Closer Look
A huge compendium of charter-choice related articles and items. Just in case this list didn't give you enough reading to do.
Navigating the Trivial in Writing Instruction
Some big thoughts about the little things in writing instruction, from P. L. Thomas.
Toxic Philanthropy Part II
Wrench in the Gears connects some more of the dots in the big-money fauxlanthropy game.
<<< it's a pretty clear argument for chopping the Big Standardized Tests off at the knees.
ReplyDeleteIt was intended to be a pretty clear argument for chopping Big Test-Driven Accountability off at the knees. I have no problem with tests; the data is critical. It's testing *culture* that has to go. That's entirely a function of using tests in a role for which they are ill-suited.