Change?
I'm curious about perspectives on the President-elect's work on Education, including his nominee for Secretary. Will education policy be overlooked as the gov't tries to deal with economic conditions? Is this Chicago fella a reformer, and if so what sort of "reform" will he support? (See Deborah Meier's comments in a Democracy Now interview.) How will Duncan and his team change our experience in the trenches?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dan Mindich on -
At first, I thought Duncan seemed like a rational, good solutions kind of guy, but then I started reading more pieces that made him seem less inspiring. Deborah Meier put it well in the article you linked to your post. I think a lot of these type-A leaders come in and get teachers pushing these tests, and yes, test scores go up but has learning really improved? Meier seems to say, "No," and based on my anecdotal information, I agree. This guy Russo who writes This Week in Education says some interesting things about Duncan, but I am having trouble getting onto the site right now to give the exact link. It's all so crazy because the testing is so hard to ignore. It seems so concrete and probably does give some good information but it can be so misleading as well.
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Permalink Reply by Lyn Hawks on -
Hey, Brian and Dan,
Meier's key point (that to me still makes her at the vanguard of ed reform and beyond labels) is her challenge for schools to get kids to "play with ideas." I'm a huge fan of Wiggins, McTighe, and Tomlinson, all who say, essential questions and understandings are the framework, and core competencies get acted out within those parameters. Otherwise, it's all drill and kill, which is a close cousin of the cooked-books of test scores.
I think a good standardized test never hurt nobody, but when they're the only game in town for assessment?
Which brings back memories...anybody remember the CLAS test in CA, circa 1992? A teacher-designed writing test that stretched over three days, where kids did prewriting (including visual-spatial brainstorming and interpersonal groupwork), then drafting, then writing solo. I thought it was fabulous. My recollection was that politics under Governor Wilson killed it -- something about an Alice Walker, pro-vegetarianism story (how those who hated the test saw it) -- and therefore the baby was tossed. If only they'd chosen a Dickens excerpt....
Anybody heard anything about Duncan's first acts since taking office? I assume he's approved...I've been distracted by the other appointments who have cooked their own tax books.
Lyn
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Permalink Reply by Raul C. Rodriguez on -
Brian, Dan, Lyn, somebody... please help us undestand this stuff. We, slower learners, need things in clear, simple to understand sentences. The new sec. of ed. lead a district that was far from effective(high drop-out rate) in the teaching of it's students. That is not good. He was not the best candidate. There were candidates more qualified, maybe not as smooth and political but more qualified. There was that Dean of that school of ed. in that cool university in Palo Alto; why was she not selected? Obama chose the new sec. based on what qualifications? Yes, they played pick-up basketball together and watched march madness on Obama's big screen but one would have to imagine our new Pres. shoul have had his selection based less on politics and more on qualifications. What does this all mean? By the way, what is the job description of the sec. of ed? Yes, he visits every school in America except low performing, rural schools in sleepy, small town, immigrant communities like mine. By the way, Nick Meier, Debbie's son is a friend of mine. We did a summer workshop together here in the Salinas Valley. Let me know if you want Debbie at your school site . . . I will have to send Nick a FacShackl alert so he could join us.
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