Published Online: March 4, 2014
Published in Print: March 5, 2014
U.S. Outlines Data-Privacy Guidelines
By
Benjamin Herold
Washington
Seeking to help schools protect students' privacy without
inhibiting the use of digital technologies in the classroom, the U.S.
Department of Education released new guidance
last week on the proper use, storage, and security of the massive
amounts of data being generated by new, online educational resources.
"This can't be a choice between privacy and progress," Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan told a gathering of privacy advocates and
ed-tech leaders who gathered for a "summit" on the hot-button issue....
The intense political rhetoric of the rightwing is effecting the education environment of the student. Those most qualified to speak to our educational system are often ignored and/or oppressed from recognition of their credentials and expertise.
When Education Is But a Test Score (click here)
By
Michael V. McGill
Published Online: March 4, 2014
Published in Print: March 5, 2014
...But reality is more complicated than the stereotype. People are people,
and Scarsdale residents display an encouraging range of views on almost
every subject you can imagine. One thing they do agree on is the
importance of education. The school district was a model of progressive
practice in the early 1900s, and it's always cut somewhat against the
grain....
...Because colleagues in other districts tell me that there, as here, too
many teachers are worrying about their new state-imposed, essentially
meaningless, evaluation scores. Everywhere, there's more talk about
prepping for tests. (One Scarsdale teacher just spent $200 of her own
money on test-prep materials. And that's where the school board says,
"Give children a deep, rich education, and let the numbers take care of
themselves.") This distorted emphasis is diverting time and energy from
the good work we're all supposed to be doing....
..."It's hard to argue with your results," they say, "so you can be
vocal. If we speak up, our state education departments and the
newspapers will say we're just making excuses, and they'll crucify us."
Meanwhile, the reforms grind relentlessly onward.
How did we get here? It's been nearly 31 years since "A Nation at Risk" (click here) ushered in the modern school reform movement. Apocalyptic language
notwithstanding, the report was a relatively moderate call for change
along largely traditional lines: higher standards, better curricula,
more time in school, and stronger teaching.
We are still plagued with the Bush Years of corporate takeover of public education. While New York State recently passed legislation that charter schools must be non-profit, that hasn't eliminated the basic business model being imposed on our public educations and ultimate our students. The children should all be computers, ya know? It would be better for business in the long run if they can simply perform to standards that work for Wall Street.
Business leaders and government officials have chosen to pursue a more
radical agenda instead. Inaccurately characterizing public education as a
mass failure, they've embarked on a sweeping crusade to transform the
system by applying business-management methods to schools. The three
pillars of what's been called "corporate reform"—accountability, the use
of "metrics," and competition—have produced charter schools,
high-stakes testing, teacher rankings, and an obsession with numbers....
...While that's the theory, the model all too often produces absurd
results—state tests longer than the bar exam, for instance—and
unsettling human stories, such as special-needs children being forced to
take tests they'll never pass....
In 1976 there were 3.6 million students with disabilities, today there is double that. Those students will never have a chance to prove they are as capable in achieving as other students. I have a son that not only finished high school on schedule, but, with a good GPA. He achieved that on his own in school with proper supportive structure I had to advocate for all his young life. He now owns his own business and is raising a family. He is happy and productive and very much has political opinions as well.
If I never advocated for my son and demanded his support within his 'main stream' education, he would have dropped out of school at the first opportunity.
He was successful because the professional teaching infrastructure was successful. His achievement was their achievement and they never let him down. The support for my young son spanned more than one school district and more than one state as my work occasionally moved. Never once did I find any one professional more qualified or more dedicated than any other any time they longed for his success. Their qualifications and dedication was incredibly standard and committed. That reality is an amazing testament to the educational infrastructure of this country. He graduated from high school not quite two decades ago.
Oh, one other thing. His growing pains were normal as his friends were that of main stream classes. He was not isolated into a 'special classroom.'
...Recently, there's been pushback. In Texas last spring, more than 800 school boards signed a petition to cut back on testing that was taking 45 of the 180 days in the school year. In Connecticut, New Mexico, New York state, Washington state, and elsewhere, growing numbers of parents have had their children opt out of state exams. New York City's new mayor and schools chancellor plan to reduce the emphasis on high-stakes standardized tests....
The truth is testing is a corporate practice for profit.
November 29, 2012
By: Matthew M. Chingos
...This new report by Matthew Chingos (click here) fills this void by providing the most
current, comprehensive evidence on state-level costs of assessment
systems, based on new data from state contracts with testing vendors
assembled by the Brown Center on Education Policy. These data cover a
combined $669 million in annual spending on assessments in 45 states....
For all the crying and carrying on by the Republicans in the 2012 debates, the Republican congress under Bush increased the spending for the DOE and incorporated their corporate friends in 'the take.'
When Congress increased this year's budget for the Department of Education by$11 billion, (click here) it set aside $400 million to help states develop and administer
the tests that the No Child Left Behind Act mandated for children in
grades 3 through 8. Among the likely benefactors of the extra funds were the
four companies that dominate the testing market -- three test publishers and one
scoring firm.
Those four companies are Harcourt Educational Measurement, CTB McGraw-Hill,
Riverside Publishing (a Houghton Mifflin company), and NCS Pearson. According
to an October 2001 report in the industry newsletter Educational
Marketer, Harcourt, CTB McGraw-Hill, and Riverside Publishing write 96
percent of the exams administered at the state level. NCS Pearson, meanwhile,
is the leading scorer of standardized tests.
Even if the entire country demands charter schools to be non-profit that will never impact the testing industry. Teacher Unions are simply scapegoats to divert attention from robbing the American taxpayer once again. While testing may have been receiving some attention, it would never have achieved it's profits it enjoys today if "No Child Left Behind" was never passed.
May 04, 2007
Pearson, (click here) the international
education and information company, today announces that it has agreed to
acquire Harcourt Assessment and Harcourt Education International from
Reed Elsevier for $950m in cash.
The acquisition extends Pearson's position as the world's leading
education company by adding international reach, complementary products
and new capabilities. The transaction does not include Harcourt's US
School basal and supplementary publishing businesses.
In testing, Harcourt Assessment has an extensive catalogue of high
quality research-based education and clinical assessment products for
children and adults....
