A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - June 2013

Here are some pictures, graphic images and cartoons from around the net -- plus my own 2 cents worth of comments. Click on any image to see the full sized version.

One Size Fits Few

The problem with relying on standardized tests for evaluating children, teachers, administrators and schools is that there are no standardized children. Every child is different...and half, by definition, will be below average on any given norm-referenced test.

Each child needs to grow at their own pace. Teachers and schools should foster student development, but you can't force someone to learn when they're not ready.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” -- Albert Einstein

Early Learning Day of Action

Today was the Early Learning Day of Action

Think Progress listed Five Surprising Facts About Early Childhood Education.

1. Preschool can help combat crime, teen pregnancy, and high school dropout rates.
2. Early childhood education has a better return on investment than the stock market.
3. The U.S. lags behind almost every other country when it comes to preschool, including Mexico, Chile, and Russia.
4. Early childhood education is a bipartisan issue.
5. Preschool can save families thousands of dollars in child care costs each year.

Would You Let Your Plumber Fix Your Car?

Would you ask a computer tech for legal advice...would you ask an attorney to fix your damaged hard drive...would you call your plumber when your car needed to be repaired? Probably not. Yet day after day people with little or no experience in education make decisions which have an impact on teachers, students and schools.

Arne Duncan, a professional basketball player and sociology major is the US Secretary of Education and regularly promotes education policy.

Bill Gates, a computer guru turned entrepreneur turned billionaire turned philanthropist, keeps throwing money at education "reform."

Legislators in Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and across the country make laws which damage public education and public school educators.

In what other field are the experts ignored so completely? Check the backgrounds of "Reformers..."

Money Talks

Children who live in poverty need more services than children of the wealthy, though in actual practice the opposite is what is usually the case. One of the main points of the Chicago Teachers Union strike in 2012 was the lack of wraparound services.

Part 3 of the report, The Schools Chicago's Students Deserve, called for appropriate support services (see pp. 9) including school nurses, social workers, counselors, psychologists and adequate transportation. They also called for a "well rounded curriculum," including the arts, early childhood education, bilingual education, and quality school facilities.

"Reformers" are fond of denying that money improves education until it comes to either their own education (Duncan, Rhee, and Gates all attended expensive private schools). If money works to improve the education of the children of the wealthy, then the same resources need to be available to the children of the poor. They need more services...not less.

Friends

I've been saving this photo for a long time.

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Stop the Testing Insanity!

Sign the National Resolution on High Stakes Testing!

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