The Olympics are over and it’s a blizzardy Monday morning. In other words, it’s a perfect time to peruse the preliminary program for the upcoming NCME annual meeting. Of course, every action has consequences. In this case, the consequence is a blog post about consequences. I’ll admit that I have no idea who John Ruskin is, but as I read through the program, I couldn’t help but think of these words of his, “What we think or what we know or what we believe is in the end of little consequence. The only thing of consequence is what we do.”
Monthly Archives: February 2026
Frankenstein’s Graduate
In releasing the interim report outlining its new graduation Framework, Massachusetts boasts, “no other state will have implemented such a comprehensive approach to setting such high standards in education…”
My response, as the kids say, Sick brag, bro.
I’m not exactly sure where having “such high standards” compared to other states fits in the validity argument. I would be much more impressed by claims and evidence of having carefully identified the right graduation standards for the future and having a solid implementation plan for achieving those standards.
Regression To The Mean
Growth seemed to be a hot topic this month, so I set out to write a blog post about student growth and how it should be (and shouldn’t be) used in school accountability systems. Then I read the Senate HELP committee’s RFI. When my blood pressure returned close to normal, my topic had changed. I had expected and can even accept the “school choice” vibes that ran through the RFI. What I cannot stomach, however, is the return to misplaced blame and outright meanness that helped derail the last 25 years of Education Reform.
Embrace the Absurd 