Jul 14, 2011 | Uncategorized
We have talked on these pages about the push for so-called “common-core standards.” This is basically an attempt to establish universal standards for English and math so that, from state to state, school systems would be in agreement about what students should be...
Jul 8, 2011 | Uncategorized
The United States has moved towards an even greater emphasis on standardized testing in our school systems during the last decade. This has been controversial and caused an outcry from parents, students, and teachers who think too much testing can be a bad thing. Now...
Jan 7, 2011 | Uncategorized
Standardized testing: Children fear it. Adults wonder about it. Officials support it. But is it effective? According to Todd Farley’s recent article on The Huffington Post, that answer is “no way.” Farley is the author of Making the Grades: My Misadventures in the...
Nov 8, 2010 | Uncategorized
It’s not a novel idea – paying teachers for how well they teach – but it has taken a long time to catch on in the public school system. Prince William County is the latest to adopt the move. Prince William Public Schools got a grant of $11.1 million from the...