Education Reform – Embrace the Absurd

The Most Important Question

In states across the country, lots of questions are being generated as state policymakers and local educators pore over results from the Spring 2022 state tests in English language arts, mathematics, and science. More often than not, however, the single most important question of all is not asked directly. At the district and school level:Continue reading “The Most Important Question”

The Clock is Running

The Clock is Running – what a terrible title and miserable metaphor for a post about the first day of school. But the fact is that as soon as the bell rings, the first roll call is taken, the pledge of allegiance recited, and a brief period of silent meditation completed, the clock is running.Continue reading “The Clock is Running”

MCAS 2001 – Hindsight is 220

Last week, with relatively little fanfare, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to “raise MCAS graduation requirements” beginning with the Class of 2026 (i.e., students beginning high school this fall). Although the approved requirements do have the effect of “raising” the test-based graduation requirements as reported, what they actually do is alignContinue reading “MCAS 2001 – Hindsight is 220”

Public Schools – In Need of Serious Change

Back To School season is here! It’s one of the few special times of the year that marketers cannot overextend, although they have tried. We accept Halloween candy appearing in the aisles as soon as Christmas in July ends and non-stop Christmas movies and music beginning the week before Halloween, but nobody wants to seeContinue reading “Public Schools – In Need of Serious Change”

Bye-bye Miss American Pie

And the three men I admire most The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost They caught the last train for the coast The day the music died Will historians and songwriters look back on July 14, 2022 as the day that standards-based Education Reform died? And is this how it ends, not with the bangContinue reading “Bye-bye Miss American Pie”

10,000 Hours

The so-called “Ten-Thousand Hour Rule” became popularized after the 2008 publication of Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success. By popularized, of course, I mean that the discussion of the relationship between success and 10,000 hours of preparation presented by Gladwell was simplified and bastardized so that it could be deliberately misapplied when presented toContinue reading “10,000 Hours”

250,000 Tubas!

Not since 76 trombones led the big parade have a bunch of brass instruments caused this much buzz – or perhaps it would be more fitting to say caused this much oom-pah. For you see, at the core of the Biden-Harris Administration National Effort to Support Student Success is a call to action to provideContinue reading “250,000 Tubas!”

We Swallowed a Fly

State Testing Edition I know of a state that started to test I don’t why they started to test Soon followed by the rest. First, the state tested at 4, 8, and 10 Kids filled in the bubbles and picked up a pen Their essays proved direct writing was best But I don’t why theContinue reading “We Swallowed a Fly”

Are You My Accountability System?

The new commissioner glided confidently across the room and took her spot, perched at the head of the table. Looking up at her were the young, eager faces of her newly assembled cabinet. All so very excited to be there. Each one ready to do their part to improve student learning – no, to improveContinue reading “Are You My Accountability System?”

In The Interim

All signs indicate that we are entering a time of transition for large-scale state testing. Consensus on the need to reform state testing may be surpassed only by widespread agreement on the need to reinvent and reimagine public education in the United States. I hesitate to add the modifier K-12 or P-14 to state testingContinue reading “In The Interim”