tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post2297599535074046753..comments2024-03-27T08:53:29.267-04:00Comments on CURMUDGUCATION: NYT Spots the ProblemPeter Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511193640285760299noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-977808894645768722016-01-02T09:04:10.043-05:002016-01-02T09:04:10.043-05:00And I think the NYTimes editorial writers aren'...And I think the NYTimes editorial writers aren't reading what the NYTimes reporters are writing. The editors complain that SC isn't prodicu graduates who are reading to work at Boeing, BMW, etc. The NYTimes reporter who wrote about this very issue just last week wrote "some business leaders worry that not enough students have the abilities they need for higher-skilled jobs at Boeing, Volvo and BMW, which have built plants here in recent years. What is more, they say, students need to be able to collaborate and communicate effectively, skills they say high schools do not always teach." These skills of communication and collaboration are exactly the skills that are pushed aside becaus of Common Core and high stakes testing! http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/27/us/as-graduation-rates-rise-experts-fear-standards-have-fallen.html?_r=0Lisa Eggerthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10891011262280888167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-13500660720113129792016-01-01T18:48:46.301-05:002016-01-01T18:48:46.301-05:00Eric,
One issue with NAEP tests is that they do n...Eric,<br /><br />One issue with NAEP tests is that they do not make any attempt to look at how school districts are performing outside of a few very large urban districts. If you think districts have different policies and district policy matters, NAEP is not at all helpful.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-92090122110426697842016-01-01T15:55:33.847-05:002016-01-01T15:55:33.847-05:00The second sentence of the editorial is an outrigh...The second sentence of the editorial is an outright lie. It reads:<br /><br />"In reality, getting rid of the testing requirement in the early grades would make it impossible for the country to know what if anything children were learning from year to year."<br /><br />The testing requirement is the requirement to test every student every year in the early grades. But, as Diane Ravitch constantly reminds us, with the NAEP tests, the nation already has more than sufficient data about what students are learning in terms of reading and math. And the NAEP tests are not given to every student every year. It's as if the editorial board members have no knowledge of statistics. Or they are simply lying. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07228908566250306699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-65819587290924207252015-12-31T22:12:42.566-05:002015-12-31T22:12:42.566-05:00Exactly, well said.Exactly, well said.Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-72682822992587520382015-12-31T17:44:00.975-05:002015-12-31T17:44:00.975-05:00We have to be careful not to confuse journalists w...We have to be careful not to confuse journalists with columnists and editorial writers. There are a lot of excellent journalists out there, including many at the NY Times. They just don't cover education. The editorial staff has its own agenda.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12356851130823669050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-40356054854785374922015-12-31T17:32:14.604-05:002015-12-31T17:32:14.604-05:00[I just posted this comment, albeit with slight ed...[I just posted this comment, albeit with slight editorial differences, on Diane's blog.]<br /><br />Although I agree with most of your analysis, I think you got the point about the military disqualification standard at least partly wrong. From the standpoint of statistics it’s actually much worse than what you wrote. I went to the Education Trust to find out what the study actually measured. Although it is hard to tell from how they presented the data I think they are only including in the test takers those who were not otherwise disqualified, i.e. that other 75%. Whether they were or not, this is what really matters about the qualifying scores: It is by design that only so many applicants will "pass".<br /><br />That 20% of ASVAB test takers who don’t qualify are disqualified BECAUSE THEY SCORED IN THE BOTTOM 20% OF ALL WHO TOOK THE TEST. Period. It is not based on how many answers they got correct. It is the same logic behind the taking over of all schools in the bottom 5%. Every school – or every military recruit – could have scores above 80, or even 90! Since somebody still has to be at the bottom of the group a score of 82 could theoretically still be disqualified.<br /><br />That Education (dis)Trust would produce and disseminate such a piece of propaganda is a clear testament that the ed reform movement’s agenda is not about improving education but about taking over education for their own for purposes. The New York Times has no excuse. A newspaper that often goes to great lengths and cost to do long, meticulously researched investigative pieces has very low standards for editorial accuracy about topics they (think they) already have all the answers to.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12356851130823669050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-74121114674866619772015-12-31T15:20:51.056-05:002015-12-31T15:20:51.056-05:00When referring to the last 15 years of failed educ...When referring to the last 15 years of failed educational policy and methodologies, please consider calling that the status quo.<br /><br />That makes us, who want to change things the reformers, not them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-47240254357371668192015-12-31T14:29:26.568-05:002015-12-31T14:29:26.568-05:00The core of the editorial concerned the very rapid...The core of the editorial concerned the very rapid increase in high school graduation rates at Berea High School. Do posters here think that the faculty and staff at that high school have found a "secret sauce" that enabled them to increase the four year graduation rate from below 65% to above 80% in four years?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-2653292760700217222015-12-31T14:13:50.909-05:002015-12-31T14:13:50.909-05:00Hi, Peter. I hope the holidays are treating you a...Hi, Peter. I hope the holidays are treating you and your family well.<br /><br />It looks like you're missing some word(s) in the first sentence of a paragraph about 2/3rds of the way down, so I'll hazard a couple of guesses as to what you meant:<br /><br />"There are other big chunks of wrong, well-worn and repeatedly gnawed on by commenters, like the old baloney that the teacher unions (MISSING WORD(s))Common Core ... "<br /><br />Perhaps you meant: <br /><br />"There are other big chunks of wrong, well-worn and repeatedly gnawed on by commenters, like the old baloney that the teacher unions OPPOSE Common Core ... "<br /><br />or maybe you meant ...<br /><br />"There are other big chunks of wrong, well-worn and repeatedly gnawed on by commenters, like the old baloney that the teacher unions OPPOSE TEACHERS ENGAGING IN TRANSVESTITE CROSS DRESSING WHILE TEACHING Common Core ... "<br /><br />I'm guessing it's the first one. ;-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911854468188214107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-88514266155231174912015-12-31T14:05:43.500-05:002015-12-31T14:05:43.500-05:00Emily Talmadge of SaveMaineSchools thinks the NYT ...Emily Talmadge of SaveMaineSchools thinks the NYT is being used as a mouthpiece for the Digital Learning Now Council to continue to prepare the ground for CBE.<br />http://emilytalmage.com/2015/12/31/sorry-nytimes-were-onto-you/ Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-11592090120129860942015-12-31T12:50:30.640-05:002015-12-31T12:50:30.640-05:00The NYT has been in the right-wing/neoliberal tank...The NYT has been in the right-wing/neoliberal tank since it dropped Richard Rothstein from educational coverage in the early days of the GWB administration. When I challenged them on that horrid move, the reply I received made clear in its absurdity that we would be getting PLENTY of coverage of education – just not worth reading. I stopped caring about their official positions and reportage on education at that point; little that has transpired since has suggested I was wrong to do so.Michael Paul Goldenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04939966966192318775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-57587596748456969702015-12-31T11:59:14.229-05:002015-12-31T11:59:14.229-05:00*drops mic*
Bring on 2016, Reformsters!*drops mic*<br />Bring on 2016, Reformsters!gadfly1974https://www.blogger.com/profile/12479688770743555911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-73691068104415406312015-12-31T11:49:01.792-05:002015-12-31T11:49:01.792-05:00Another excellent analysis.Another excellent analysis.Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-30760649390972650512015-12-31T11:18:20.451-05:002015-12-31T11:18:20.451-05:00The fundamental problem with the NYT’s support for...The fundamental problem with the NYT’s support for continued, yearly testing in grades 3 to 8 is that it blatantly ignores the fact that this policy now has a 15 year record of FAILURE! Failure to budge the “student outcomes/achievement” needle, using their very own metric and methodology. Failure to concede the truth: public educators never needed yearly testing to know "what if anything" children were learning (No other developed country does so). Failure to produce the resources needed by the struggling (and usually impoverished) schools that the tests have identified. Failure to expand the curriculum with multiple pathways for student success. Failure to understand the public education system is not about turning out competent workers for any corporation that funded the Common Core. Failure to understand the importance of cognitive learning theory, brain development, and just how compromised some children are by their disabilities. Failure to take into account the debilitating effects of generational poverty, family dysfunction, and the unrelenting stress that places a stranglehold on learning. Failure to listen to the one group that knows best, the professional educators that have devoted their careers to helping children to grow and develop, and helping to open the doors of opportunity so that young people can achieve their full potential.NY Teacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06584135103498426410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-15812886752581872892015-12-31T11:05:16.000-05:002015-12-31T11:05:16.000-05:00I'm not sure we can talk about "journalis...I'm not sure we can talk about "journalists" or "journalism" without using quotes anymore. With a few exceptions of actual remaining journalists (David Sirota, for instance), the closest we get to actual journalists are those dreaded bloggers.Diennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04570040547158789834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-35625349902587441642015-12-31T10:43:45.514-05:002015-12-31T10:43:45.514-05:00The NY Times has created a straw man when it claim...The NY Times has created a straw man when it claims that opponents of excessive standardized testing believe that reducing such testing will solve all problems in public K-12 education.<br /><br />Of course, nobody really believes this, but I do believe that getting rid of much of this testing along with much of the preparation for this testing would give both teachers and students a great deal of instructional time to do more important things like: write, read (maybe even an entire book?), do non-multiple-choice math problems, do science experiments with actual science equipment, draw or paint, put on a school play, take more electives like art, journalism, etc. in middle school, go on more field trips to museums, learn to play a musical instrument, etc. <br /><br />Basically, my children's K-12 education is impoverished compared to mine because so many of the above activities were greatly reduced or completely cut out in order to spend weeks and weeks prepping for and taking standardized tests that taught my children nothing and told me nothing about their educational progress that I didn't already know.<br /><br />I participated in three plays, with speaking roles, in elementary school. My children participated in none! I took many electives in middle school. My children wasted time in periods called "enrichment" and "mastery" learning tricks and strategies for standardized tests! This is absurd.<br /><br />My anger and opposition to standardized testing is motivated by the fact that such testing, including the preparation, is wasting precious time that my children could be using to learn. Period. <br /><br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07228908566250306699noreply@blogger.com