Jonathan Kozol’s speech this morning at the CEA Summer Leadership Conference hit a nerve with teachers when he said, “Using test scores to judge teachers is an absolute atrocity, even as one element of a teacher’s evaluation, it’s unfair to schools, teachers, and young children.” Ashley Porter, an animal science teacher in Region 1, said…
DetailsFormer Yale educator Se-Woong Koo has a great deal to say about public education in South Korea in today’s New York Times. While students in that nation top the rankings on international tests, they do so at a great cost. Se-Woong Koo says the students pay a stiff price in health and happiness, so much…
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Move over Cat in the Hat, there are four new books from Dr. Seuss about to hit store shelves. We’re all familiar with beloved children’s author Theodor (Dr. Seuss) Geisel’s classic stories The Cat and the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, and The Lorax, but have you heard of Horton and the…
DetailsThe Common Core always seems to be making headlines. But the all-important issue of teacher training in connection with the core too often gets lost. So, it was heartening to see this issue on the cover of the Sunday New York Times magazine. The magazine article is about professional development for educators teaching the new…
DetailsTwo recent stories, including Gina Barreca’s column, “We’re Teaching to the Test—Not Students’ Futures,” in The Hartford Courant and Philip Kovacs blog post, “An Open Letter to My Son’s Kindergarten Teacher,” clearly convey what teachers and parents have been saying about the effects of high-stakes testing on children. The articles raise questions about the problems…
DetailsWant to spend less at the pump? How you drive, where you buy gas, and how you pay can help you fuel up on savings. If you’re one of the millions of Americans who will be taking a road trip this summer, you’ll likely feel a big pinch at the pump, as prices have climbed…
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Champions for students in need It was a hot and humid day, and the meteorologists called for heavy rain and thunderstorms in the early afternoon. But thankfully, the bad weather held off just long enough for 200 golfers to finish their rounds at the 20th annual Connecticut Education Foundation’s (CEF) Hands Across the Green Golf…
DetailsWhat if you got a chance to sit down with President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan over lunch. What would you tell them about what’s happening in your classrooms and what they should be doing about education policy in the U.S? Would you tell them about the overuse of standardized testing?…
DetailsA bold measure passed by the NEA RA probably has the testing industry as well as high-level national policymakers buzzing with concern today. Connecticut’s 129 teacher delegates joined nearly 9,000 of their colleagues from around the country to address a significant resolution, one that will go down in the history books as the anti-toxic testing…
DetailsEmotions like excitement, passion, and enthusiasm along with ideas like teacher professionalism, student-centered leadership, and association organizing are on full display at the National Education Association’s Representative Assembly (NEA RA ) attended by 9,000 delegates, including 129 from Connecticut. Educators are the “decisive element” in the lives of millions of students who face daunting challenges…
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