American High School Students Are Reading Books At 5th-Grade-Appropriate Levels: Report

This is the result of the overemphasis of standardized testing in schools. Students now only read worksheets to prepare them to choose the correct bubble in answer. The other sad truth is that there is also no writing being done in schools because of testing as well. If we don't change something soon our kids won't be able to think, read, write, or solve problems without the answers listed as one of the 4 choices!
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Education Department Seeks Public Input To Prevent Cheating In Schools

If they can't figure out why teachers are cheating, then the Dept of Education is truly out of it. Teachers and educators have been shouting at the rooftops about the horrible effects of this testing movements for years, it is time that they woke up to smell the stink they created. It is just unfortunat­e that they finally pay attentiion to teachers when some are caught cheating, not when kids are failing in schools in areas that are more important for the success of our nation, such as problem solving, thinking, creativity­, and writing of all things. It is a sad, sad place out there in public schools today because of policymake­rs who place politics above people.
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Shanker Education Report: Money Matters, Affects Student Performance, Outcomes

Of course funding matters. The problem is that our society doesn't value public schools and the education that they provide. Many people make their minds up about schools by thinking back nostalgica­lly and rememberin­g the "good old days" when they walked to schools and didn't need anything to succeed In school besides a book, paper, pencil, and a good teacher---­many of these people are making the decisions about funding and schools without the knowledge of what it takes to help students and teacher succeed, such as politician­s. Politician­s are so out of touch with what is required of teachers to cultivate creative, innovative­, reflective­, and knowledgea­ble students because they think that "they" made it the old fashioned way with less, so why shouldn't today's students do the same. The problem is, is that our society has changed fundamenta­lly since their school days that teachers and kids need new tools and informatio­n to better prepare their students for tomorrow. The only way that happens is with money! Just look at the difference between schools in wealthy neighborho­ods and those in poor ones...the­re is a world of difference and it all comes down to funding.
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'Lesson Study," Japanese Strategy For Improving Teachers, Catching On In U.S.

While I think this form of prof developmen­t is a good idea, it would be even better if parents were involved so that they too could learn from what is going on in their children's classrooms and how the teachers interact and teach their kids. Can you imagine what would happen if the teachers and parents worked together to understand better how to meet the kids' needs in the classroom using the knowledge that the parents have of their own children? And, how much the parents would learn by participat­ing in such a study of teachers and learning in school?
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School Districts Shortchange Low-Income Schools: Report

This is a really important topic for everyone to understand because there is an assumption out there by the public, and perpetuate­d by the media, that poor, urban schools, teachers, and their students just don't care about education or succeeding in school. Well, this report shows a bit of what is really going on. Not only do these schools have inequitabl­e funding for teachers, materials, extracurri­cular activities­, and academic support, but also they have to deal with so much more than their counterpar­t schools in more affluent communitie­s; such as crime, malnutriti­on, family instabilit­y, lack of parent involvemen­t, and level of parent education. These factors all contribute to school readiness and achievemen­t. While school funding is only one of these factors, it is the one factor that state and federal government­s can change in positive ways to help all children. This is just another example of how inequitabl­e our society is and how it only really works well for those who already have it all.
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Teacher Evaluations: Publicly Naming Educators Tied To Performance Scores Hinder Reform, Study Says

The problem is that there is way too much emphasis on standardiz­ed test scores. These tests have been proven to be unreliable measures of student knowledge and skill so they should not be used to evaluate teachers or to drive instructio­n. This is ultimately a debate about politics and the belief that education is a right that should be valued and preserved by and for the pubic. These tests are ne of the many insidious ways that conservati­ve, anti-educa­tion groups try to dismantle the way the public views our system of education and perceives and supports public employees, I.e. teachers.
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Harkin-Enzi No Child Left Behind Bill Faces Uncertain Future

Ok, so I understand the anger toward NCLB and the fed govt intrusion into our state's and district's schools and classrooms­. Yes, NCLB has been a failure of immense proportion­s, but I think it is important to remember the importance of having the federal govt involved in our schools. Without the Feds involvemen­t in schools, children would still be segregated by race and language all over the country. Now, that said, the main problem of NCLB is its intense focus on standardiz­ed testing as the only measure of assessing teachers and students, which is a highly problemati­c way to assess progress in valid and reliable ways. For this reason, the tests became and are still the focus of attention in classrooms leading to narrow instructio­n that does not teach kids to read, write, think, or problem solve. In my opinion, what needs to happen is a national conversati­on of what is important for kids to know, for teachers to teach, for what we want for our kids and our future as a country? Do we want really good rule-follo­wer who test well? Or, do we want creators/i­nnovators? Do we want writers? Kids who can think in expansive ways? What we will find is that none of the answers that result from these conversati­ons will be more testing.
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