Mark on March 17th, 2010

Homeschooling is distinct from a ‘parent-partner program’ described in, Vashon’s alternative education program offers families support. The difference is hard to tell from the article, except on this point:

Data on Vashon’s homeschooling population is hard to come by, in part because some homeschooling families who aren’t a part of FamilyLink aren’t documented and because parents [...]

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Mark on March 15th, 2010

At the risk of more chiding because I find encouraging words from a teacher – who may belong to a union – I am suggesting you read Lacking Accountability, Doing Just Fine, A Teacher’s First Classroom–50 Years Ago, by Sidney Trubowitz.

[The] persistent soundings about accountability and test results have caused me to look back to [...]

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Mark on March 14th, 2010

Education Week blogger Rick Hess writes about the latest round of education reform and where the players are in their thinking – now:
Why Diane and Duncan Are Making the Same Mistake.
Diane [Ravitch] is now making the same mistake, in reverse, that she and so many school choice and accountability enthusiasts made in the 1990s (and [...]

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Mark on February 26th, 2010

Education Week’s site has another piece on the future of education, this one on assessements:

Led by Stanford University professor Linda Darling-Hammond, a panel of experts outlined a comprehensive system that includes summative and formative tests of higher-order thinking skills, reflecting a marketplace that they say places increasing value on such skills.
They urged a move away [...]

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As educational reform moves forward we see more reality based actions in the states:

A high school exit exam is keeping hundreds of Alaska students from earning diplomas and jobs for which they’re otherwise qualified, proponents of repealing the test told a state Senate committee Friday.
Educators and parents from around the state testifying in support of [...]

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