Tuesday, March 8, 2011
NBC's "Education Nation" series takes a look at the film "Race to Nowhere"
To watch a clip of the film and read a brief summary of the screening at St. Gregory College Preparatory School in Tucson, Arizona, click here. To watch the panel discussion that followed the screening, click here.
For more information about the film or to learn more about hosting a screening in your community, visit http://www.racetonowhere.com/.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Great Critique of Bill Gates' Ideas About Class
Check out this open letter to Bill Gates that ran in the Washington Post, written by an inner city science teacher, Anthony Cody, who now coaches novice teachers in Oakland, CA. Cody responds to the call made by Gates in a speech to the National Governors Association to increase class size for the "best" teachers in order to do more with less resources for public schools. Read an opinion piece by Gates, published in the Washington Post, which echoes his comments to the NGA.
Cody's open letter ends with an examination of the savings Gates proposes in his plan:
Cody's open letter ends with an examination of the savings Gates proposes in his plan:
Let's take a school staffed by 40 teachers. You identify 25% as the "best," and give these ten teachers four students more each. That means you have served an extra 40 students, allowing you to reduce your staff by ONE teacher. That saves you approximately $75,000 a year, in salary and benefits. But according to this proposal we need to pay these teachers more, so if we pay them say $5,000 each, we have an expense of $50,000. So our net savings is $25,000. This is a drop in the proverbial bucket compared to the cuts our schools are facing. Please check your math, Mr. Gates.Read Anthony Cody's entire letter in the Washington Post by clicking here.
Friday, March 4, 2011
St. Gregory Hosts Community Screening of "Race to Nowhere"
On Thursday, March 3, St. Gregory College Preparatory School in Tucson, Arizona hosted a community screening of the film Race to Nowhere. The two-hour documentary the New York Times calls a "must see....alter ego to the better-known Waiting for Superman, examines how today's educational system is primarily driven by testing results, rather than by the quest for a quality, well-rounded educational experience for our students.
The idea for the film was born when its director, Vicki Abeles, found herself in endless battles with her children over homework. As she became increasingly concerned about how overwhelmed they were from the pressure to perform and live up to testing demands, Ms. Abeles began conversations with parents and students in her immediate community. Later, she traveled across the country to hear from parents, students, and medical/mental health experts who were having similar experiences in their own communities.
The result of these cross-country conversations is a compelling film that prompts its viewers to examine the current norm in our educational culture, the pressure it is placing on our students to produce, and how the social and emotional well being of our children is profoundly impacted.
A panel of Tucson area education experts and advocates led a community discussion following the film. Panel members included:
Discussion between audience and panel members highlighted small points of disagreement with the film's portrayal of the educational environment. However, all were concerned that the current culture of testing is corrosive, not only to the educational experiences parents want for their children but to our country's access to critical and imaginative thinkers, inventors, and leaders in a global economy.
To learn more about this film or to inquire about hosting a screening in your community, visit here.
"Race to Nowhere:" It's no "Waiting for Superman" but it's Honest ~ John Merrow, Huffington Post October 2010
Parents Embrace "Race to Nowhere," on Pressures of School ~ New York Times, December 2010
The idea for the film was born when its director, Vicki Abeles, found herself in endless battles with her children over homework. As she became increasingly concerned about how overwhelmed they were from the pressure to perform and live up to testing demands, Ms. Abeles began conversations with parents and students in her immediate community. Later, she traveled across the country to hear from parents, students, and medical/mental health experts who were having similar experiences in their own communities.
The result of these cross-country conversations is a compelling film that prompts its viewers to examine the current norm in our educational culture, the pressure it is placing on our students to produce, and how the social and emotional well being of our children is profoundly impacted.
A panel of Tucson area education experts and advocates led a community discussion following the film. Panel members included:
- Malika Johnson, Director of College Counseling at St. Gregory
- Michelle Berr, History Department Chair at St. Gregory
- George Davis, former University of Arizona provost and former University of Vermont president
- Ann-Eve Pedersen, Board President, Arizona Education Network
- Eve Rifkin, Principal, City High School
- Barry Bedrick, head of St. Michael's Parish Day School
Discussion between audience and panel members highlighted small points of disagreement with the film's portrayal of the educational environment. However, all were concerned that the current culture of testing is corrosive, not only to the educational experiences parents want for their children but to our country's access to critical and imaginative thinkers, inventors, and leaders in a global economy.
To learn more about this film or to inquire about hosting a screening in your community, visit here.
"Race to Nowhere:" It's no "Waiting for Superman" but it's Honest ~ John Merrow, Huffington Post October 2010
Parents Embrace "Race to Nowhere," on Pressures of School ~ New York Times, December 2010
The Daily Show Highlights: Teachers Vs. Wall Street pay, and a conversation with Diane Ravitch
While most agree that the issues facing education and our country's teachers are hardly laughing matters, sometimes comedy shines a more pure light on how wildly the wheels are coming off of the bus.
Thursday, March 3, the Daily Show's Jon Stewart concluded his week's theme on educators and education. The show began with Stewart, delivering in his signature sharp style, a satirical examination of a major cable news channel's coverage of the teacher pay versus Wall Street pay "debate" and ended with a thoughtful conversation with Diane Ravitch, author of "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education."
Watch highlights from the Thursday's show here:
Thursday, March 3, the Daily Show's Jon Stewart concluded his week's theme on educators and education. The show began with Stewart, delivering in his signature sharp style, a satirical examination of a major cable news channel's coverage of the teacher pay versus Wall Street pay "debate" and ended with a thoughtful conversation with Diane Ravitch, author of "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education."
Watch highlights from the Thursday's show here:
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Is all "reform" good?
Reform is the new "it" word in education, but is all reform good? It is important to stay up to date about the different reform ideas and how they may actually affect your child's education. The following articles talk about some of the problems/issues with different reform ideas. Check them out.
How Finland emerged from recession with the best education system in Europe, The Irish Times, March 1, 2011
One of the big ideas in reform is to emulate Finland. However, Dr. Pasi Sahlberg, a senior education consultant to the Finnish Government, points out that, "Finland has not employed any of the market-based educational reform ideas in the ways that they have been accepted within education policies of many other nations, United States and England among them. By contrast, a typical feature of teaching and learning in Finland is high confidence in teachers and principals as respected professionals."
Read More>>
There Are No Silver-Bullets in Education Reform, Forbes, February 28, 2011
E.D. Kain discusses the reform efforts led by Michelle Rhee in Washington, D.C., the impact of the Gates and Broad foundations and teacher assessments. Kain concludes that, "[t]he accountability movement has shifted the focus away from American ingenuity and creativity in favor of strict testing regimes in an attempt to compete with Japan and Finland."
Read More>>
Finally there are two pieces by Diane Ravitch,
Why America's teachers are enraged, CNN, February 20, 2011 and
Ravitch:'A moment of national insanity', The Washington Post, March 1, 2011
In the articles Ravitch discusses the "corporate" reform movement and its untested ideas. She also laments the organized attacks against teachers in the name of reform.
Read more CNN>>
Read more Washington Post>>
How Finland emerged from recession with the best education system in Europe, The Irish Times, March 1, 2011
One of the big ideas in reform is to emulate Finland. However, Dr. Pasi Sahlberg, a senior education consultant to the Finnish Government, points out that, "Finland has not employed any of the market-based educational reform ideas in the ways that they have been accepted within education policies of many other nations, United States and England among them. By contrast, a typical feature of teaching and learning in Finland is high confidence in teachers and principals as respected professionals."
Read More>>
There Are No Silver-Bullets in Education Reform, Forbes, February 28, 2011
E.D. Kain discusses the reform efforts led by Michelle Rhee in Washington, D.C., the impact of the Gates and Broad foundations and teacher assessments. Kain concludes that, "[t]he accountability movement has shifted the focus away from American ingenuity and creativity in favor of strict testing regimes in an attempt to compete with Japan and Finland."
Read More>>
Finally there are two pieces by Diane Ravitch,
Why America's teachers are enraged, CNN, February 20, 2011 and
Ravitch:'A moment of national insanity', The Washington Post, March 1, 2011
In the articles Ravitch discusses the "corporate" reform movement and its untested ideas. She also laments the organized attacks against teachers in the name of reform.
Read more CNN>>
Read more Washington Post>>
Monday, February 21, 2011
Brewer Discusses $500 Million Tax Cut Deal on Sunday Square Off
Governor Jan Brewer appeared on Phoenix Channel 12's "Sunday Square Off" to discuss the tax cuts for businesses she signed into law last week.
Governor Brewer called the legislature into special session to vote on and pass a $500 million tax cut package. It isn't clear how soon, if ever, businesses and jobs will return to Arizona as a result, nor how education and vital state programs will be sustained after punching such a substantial hole into the state's already depleted revenue collections.
When asked by commentator Brahm Resnik if it was fair for businesses to get this large tax cut package when universities and patients on AHCCCS are left to face further cuts in funding, Governor Brewer replied, "Absolutely. Absolutely."
Why?
According to Governor Brewer, "It's the business that drives the economy." Not education. Not patients.
Watch below:
Governor Brewer called the legislature into special session to vote on and pass a $500 million tax cut package. It isn't clear how soon, if ever, businesses and jobs will return to Arizona as a result, nor how education and vital state programs will be sustained after punching such a substantial hole into the state's already depleted revenue collections.
When asked by commentator Brahm Resnik if it was fair for businesses to get this large tax cut package when universities and patients on AHCCCS are left to face further cuts in funding, Governor Brewer replied, "Absolutely. Absolutely."
Why?
According to Governor Brewer, "It's the business that drives the economy." Not education. Not patients.
Watch below:
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