Education
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute has studied various State-level U.S. History Standards and come up with a report (PDF). For the most part, they didn’t like what they found with a “majority of states’ standards are mediocre-to-awful.” And, surprise, of all the states, Rhode Island was the only state to receive an N/A (Incomplete). Why?…
By way of applying emphasis to Marc’s post about Julia Steiny’s Sunday column concerning the March 1 deadline for teacher layoffs, I’d renew a suggestion that I’ve made before related to this paragraph from the latter link: But in practice, it means that school communities suffer almost four full months of stress over who does…
Julia Steiny points to an annual March right–the sending out of layoff notices to teachers who might get the ax–as a flawed practice on many levels. In theory, the law is supposed to give teachers time to look for a new job. But in practice, it means that school communities suffer almost four full months…
Warwick schools were pretty happy with the latest NECAP results, which showed improvement nearly across the board. From the Beacon As for the improvements at the high school level where students were told for a first time that they would need to be proficient to graduate, [Warwick School Board Chair Bethany] Furtado concludes, “Students are…
Progress. That’s what the latest NECAP results show, though Education Commissioner Gist still correctly points out there is work to be done, particularly in closing the “achievement gaps”. What are these gaps? As 7to7 reported: Achievement gaps among minority and low-income students and students with learning disabilities and students with limited English proficiency persist. The…
FYI, the 2010 NECAP Results will be up shortly. They may also show up here, but right now the 2010 results listed are from May of last year, not October. UPDATE: Here’s the overall report (PDF).
The news is that Twin River is lobbying to be a full-fledged casino again (which really just means making the virtual table games real). But what caught my attention is who is helping to lead the charge: George Caruolo, Governor Chafee’s nominee to be the Chair of the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary…
This really isn’t a surprise, is it? The U.S. is focusing too much attention on helping students pursue four-year college degrees, when two-year and occupational programs may better prepare them for the job market, a Harvard University report said. The “college for all” movement has produced only incremental gains as other nations leapfrog the United…
Juslia Steiny deployed an interesting simile, a couple of columns ago, that serves the opposite point than that which she makes: However, standardized-test scores in isolation, alongside no other measures, are a hurtful, immoral misuse of good information. Parents value many features of a school as much, if not more than, achievement. Along with their…
I covered initial reactions to Governor Chafee’s new Board of Regents appointments yesterday, so I won’t repeat myself. The ProJo has more info and reaction, including the info that Central Falls School Board of Trustees Chair Anna Cano-Morales, lawyer Amy Beretta and school reform advocate Angus Davis were the Regents NOT re-appointed by Chafee. The…