There is no easy answer when it comes to what should happen with our schools — on the contrary, it is one of the most complex, multi-layered and now grotesquely politicized crises we have faced in a very long time. Within the educational context, it is likely the greatest challenge in modern times. We have… Continue reading Teacher’s Unions Hold School Districts —and Families—Hostage Over School Reopening
By Lane Wright Every state uses standardized tests to find out how students in public schools are doing. Federal law requires it. But why? And how do standardized tests actually help students? The short answer: Standardized tests are a spotlight that helps education leaders see what effect schools are having on students. With that information they can make changes to address students’ needs.… Continue reading Does Standardized Testing Help Students?
Opting out of testing is like opting out of our personal and collective responsibility as parents. As a mother, I want to know how my own kids are doing but, arguably more importantly, we all need to know how all kids are doing. We would not even be aware of the seismic gaps between white… Continue reading Why I Would Never Opt My Kids Out of Tests
It turns out that one of Amazon’s considerations in deciding where to build it’s second headquarters—or HQ2— is the average SAT (or ACT) score of students in the cities on their list of potential options. Not only does it figure into their calculation of what the local talent pool will look like in the coming… Continue reading Hey Alexa, Do Test Scores Matter? Duh, Of Course They Do
When kids don’t graduate, it has lifelong consequences. Those are the recent words of Rhode Island Education Commissioner Ken Wagner and there is no doubt that he is right. A high school diploma is widely accepted as the absolute bare minimum when it comes to educating students in 2016 and while most would… Continue reading The Other 97 Percent, an Ugly Rhode Island Secret
Arne Duncan made a lot of people mad with his comments about white suburban mothers back in 2013. Well, I’m a white suburban mother and I was most definitely not angry. On the contrary, I agreed with him wholeheartedly and remain grateful that he said what he said. Though perhaps a bit clumsy in his… Continue reading It’s not about Mistrust, It’s about Diagnosis
