schoolreform Feature Archive of Articles
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Beware Critical Thinking
What Exactly is ALEC?
Third Grade Reading Law
Parent Trigger Laws
Poor Reading Instruction Perpetuates Poverty
Common Core Mission Statement
Special Education vs General Education
Cut Scores and Priorities
Shallow Goals of Common Core Standards
Professional Educational Jargon Masks Meaning
Archive by Date | Archive by Article Title
Beware Critical Thinking
Everyone agrees that children should learn to think critically, but not everyone agrees how they are supposed to do this. Critical thinking is not a subject that can be taught separately from a body of knowledge. To think critically, you have to have something to think about.
What Exactly is ALEC?
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) seems to be dedicated to the goal of diverting public money to private pockets. When it comes to education, parents must question the motives of reformers.
Third Grade Reading Law
Thirteen states have passed Third Grade retention laws. Children who fail to learn to read well enough to do fourth grade work will repeat the third grade.
Parent Trigger Laws
The existence of parent trigger laws are seen by many as a positive alternative for parents who feel that promised school reform takes too long. A closer look makes one wonder just whom these laws are intended to benefit.
Poor Reading Instruction Perpetuates Poverty
It’s no accident that the greatest percentage of illiteracy is to be found in the poorest segments of our population. The cause is related to a method of beginning reading instruction that penalizes the children of the poor.
Common Core Mission Statement
Subjecting the Common Core mission statement to the kind of close reading recommended by the Standards reveals a goal that is lacking in the human element. Job skills are not enough to get a person through the disappointments, tragedies and humiliations of 60-80 years of living.
Special Education vs General Education
As the number of school children diagnosed with special needs soars, many schools face bankruptcy in their attempts to meet federal mandates to serve this demographic. Like other areas of public education, special education is in serious need of reform.
Cut Scores and Priorities
Cut scores are selected points on the scoring scale of a test. Like the tests they are created for, cut scores are arbitrary. As the new Common Core Standards bring a new set of federal priorities to American education, it's more important than ever for parents to take charge.
Shallow Goals of Common Core Standards
The new Common Core Standards promise much, but as long as teacher training and school structure remain the same, they’re simply new wine in old bottles.
Professional Educational Jargon Masks Meaning
The new Common Core Standards are--like all the reforms since the 1920s-- riddled with Edu-speak. Parents need to insist that their questions about their children’s school progress are answered in plain English.
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