Suspend Testing after the Hurricane: An Open Letter from Denny Taylor

The Importance of Education: An Economics View

Ed Week

It's not headline news that educational attainment is highly correlated with income: College graduates typically earn more than less-educated Americans. What is…

7 Kinds of Thinking Keeping Your School or District from Transformation

Our hearts go out to all who are living though the loss and devastation associated with Hurricane Sandy.  The impact is both hard to imagine, and even harder to fully calculate.  In some cases children and their families will be forever changed as a result of the events that took place this week.  This is a stark reminder of how fragile life is, but also how we come together in times of great need.  Suddenly our priorities shift, and we realize what’s really…

Rethinking Principal Evaluation

Ed Week

In an era of high-stakes testing, more-rigorous federal and state accountability programs, and intense interest among taxpayers and government…

Let a new teacher-union debate begin

By Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Michael J. Petrilli / November 1, 2012

Everyone knows that teacher unions matter in education politics and policies, a reality that is never more evident than at election time. In recent weeks, for example, state affiliates have been pushing forhigher taxes on businesses to boost education spending in…

New Teacher-Evaluation Procedures in Colorado

In this New York Times article, Motoko Rich reports on the reaction of some Colorado educators as the state rolls out a new teacher-evaluation process. Half of teachers’ ratings will be based on test scores, the other half on classroom observations. The centerpiece of the new observation protocol is a 24-page rubric designed to give teachers detailed information on the quality of their lessons. U.S.…

Push-Back on Using Test Scores to Evaluate Teachers

In this forceful New York Times op-ed piece, Deborah Kenny crystallizes the current debate about teacher evaluation by telling why one of her Harlem charter schools didn’t renew the contract of a teacher despite the fact that his students were doing exceptionally well on state tests. “We kept hearing directly from students and parents that he was mean and derided the children who needed the most…

During the weekend, I attended my fourth #EdcampNYC. I have attended or participated in about a dozen Edcamps nationwide. I think that puts me in a solid position to make a few considered observations on the subject. In the interest of full disclosure, SmartBrief and SmartBlog on Education have supported the Edcamp Foundation during the past year.

The Edcamp movement has been around for a few years. It is a widely known professional-development format that was spawned from social…

Visit my Literacy Connections blog for a yummy, but ghoulish recipe to make this Halloween!  MWHAHAHAHAHA!

Happy Halloween reading,

Christine

One of the many things that I love about my job is my freedom to attend national education conferences for the purpose of meeting with educators and commenting on trends and changes in the education system many of which are introduced, and explored at these conferences. I wish I could say that I could objectively report on the influences these conferences have on education, but my personal bias as a long, long time public educator prevents that from happening. I will always view these…

Visit my Literacy Connections blog to read a New York Times piece on Developmental Designs, written by a sixth-grade English teacher.  Enjoy!

Happy reading,

Christine

These tips are for all the teachers in the path of Hurricane Sandy.  Click here for the  most productive ways to wait out the storm.  Stay safe!

Happy hurricane reading,

Christine

Which is better for students, teachers, and readers of all ages, an ebook or a traditional book?  To see the latest round in the heavywight championship, Nook vs. Book, visit my Literacy Connections blog,

Happy reading,

Christine