Quotable Education Quotes: 11/25/2013
** "There is an obsession with bad teachers. It is destroying the teaching profession." ~ Diane Ravitch, education historian ** "Right now we have a misalignment. Testing now has replaced instruction, and that's a bad place for us to be." Randi Weingarten, AFT...
Food Allergy Alert: Even a Trace Can Kill
It happens—and probably more often than you might think. Indeed, every three minutes someone with a food allergy reaction ends up in an emergency room. That makes for more than 200,000 such visits every year. And that’s both a very big deal and a growing problem,...
Americans’ Collective Civics/Government Ignorance Taking a Costly Toll
Okay, so maybe most of us don’t know that, when, in 1935 and ’36, the Supreme Court found against certain parts of Roosevelt’s New Deal, he responded by threatening to appoint additional Supreme Court justices who shared his views. Surely, though, we all know how many...
Anti-Bullying: Programs, Unintended Consequences, and the Golden Rule
Sticks and stones my break my bones, but words will never hurt me. So says the children’s rhyme that harkens all the way back to the 1800’s. Oh, if only it were so. Meanness abounds still, and in today’s toxic, Internet-happy society, it’s sometimes taken to new...
Worthwhile Education Websites: 11/20/2013
*** www.nps.gov/teachers ~ This National Park Service site offers "distance learning, field trips, and curricular materials," plus professional development opportunities for teachers" and says, "The parks are America's greatest classroom. ..." ***...
It’s an Education Fact: 11/20/2013
1) America invests some $600 billion every year in education. 2) American taxpayers will soon spend $1 billion a year to help families pay private school tuition, but there is little evidence that the program yields academic gains. 3) A SmartBrief on EdTech poll found...
Quotable Education Quotes: 11/18/2013
** "In an American society that values originality and creativity, it makes no sense to subject millions of students to 'one-size-fits-all' testing that inspires uniform skills and conformity." ~ Katrin Park, former United Nations staff member ** "Out of context, test...
Education-Related Sites to Visit: 11/13/2013
*** www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnfall12/Fall2012.pdf ~ This site features the FDIC's primer, "For Young Adults and Teens: Quick Tips for Managing Your Money." *** www.usmint.gov/kids ~ Here, kids learn all about the mint via games, toons, and more. ***...
It’s an Education Fact: 11/12/2013
1) A Thomas B. Fordham Institute estimates that the total cost of implementing the Common Core standards will be between $3 billion and $12 billion depending on which approaches states use. 2) A Scholastic poll of more than 2,000 teachers finds that 75% of them think...
Quotable Quotes: 11/11/2013
** "For years now, federal education policy has largely ignored the issue of poverty, with too many school reformers arguing that citing the effects of living in poverty as a big obstacle to achievement in schools is 'an excuse.' Schools, they say, can overcome...
Quotable Education Quotes:
** "What's so atrocious is that Eric Holder, the Obama Department of Justice, [is] using the same rules intended to protect low-income children, intended to allow them to go to better schools, now wants to use those same rules to force these kids to go back to failing...
Education News Update: 10/31/2013
1Teacher prep programs hoping for approval must now show that candidates in districts are satisfied with the quality of their training and document that their grads then boost student achievement. Plus, entering candidates must carry a 3.0 GPA with college admission...
Education-Related Websites to Visit: 10/30/2013
*** http://powermylearning.org ~ Here you'll "find and use thousands of free games, videos, and interactives in all major K-12 subjects and aligned to the Common Core"--all designed with educators, parents, and students in mind. *** https://nationalzoo.si.edu/kids ~...
It’s an Education Fact: 10/29/2013
1) Teachers in traditional public schools average almost 14 years of experience. 2) The number of teachers with 5 or fewer years of experience role to 28% in 2007-08 from 17% in 1987-88. 3) A SmaartBrief on Ed Tech poll finds that 86.67% of respondents are excited...
Quotable Education-Related Quotes: 10/28/2013
** "... These days, any school with low test scores is called a 'failing school' without any inquiry into the circumstances of the school. Instead of closing the school or privatizing it, the responsible officials should act to improve the school. ... Firing the staff...
Making Education News: 10/24/2013
1. California's move to suspend most of its accountability testing for one year as it transitions from its own state assessments to field testing the Common Core tests caused Education Secretary to threaten withholding funding if the state proceeds. 2. The...
Education-Related Websites to Visit: 10/23/2013
*** www.googlelittrips.com ~ These are "free downloadable files that mark the journeys of characters from famous literature on the surface of Google Earth." *** https://edshelf.com ~ This is "a directory of websites, mobile apps, and desktop programs that are rated...
Making Education News: 10/17/2013
1. The final application for the second Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge is now available. Up for grabs: $280 million, of which Pennsylvania is for hoping for $52.2 million. 2. The Gates Foundation has already pumped more than $160 million into developing and...
Education Websites to Visit: 10/16/2013
*** www.ReadyCommonCore.com ~ Saying, "We make harder easier," this site offers instructional materials, full-length practice tests, a teacher resource book, and an online Teacher Toolbox. *** http://creativecommons.org ~ This site, "helps you share your knowledge and...
Education Facts: 10/15/2013
1) The U.S. ranked 30th in math literacy, 20th in science, and 14th in reading on the international PISA test. 2) Says the U.S. Department of Education, only 25% of our 52 million K-12 students are performing on par with those in the highest-performing countries. 3)...
