This history of testing in New York State is both funny and terrifying. . . and it could just as well be Michigan.
10 Years of Assessing Students With Scientific Exactitude by Michael Winerip (New York Times article)
PS The comments are good too.
Information, news, and ideas about Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, and Michigan schools; thoughts about education; and occasionally other stuff too.
Showing posts with label Washington DC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Washington DC. Show all posts
Monday, December 19, 2011
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Why Word Choice Matters
Apparently, at the last minute, Thomas Jefferson changed a word in the Declaration of Independence. Today, we call ourselves citizens, not subjects.
According to this article in the Washington Post, the Library of Congress used spectral analysis to figure out that Jefferson made this change in word choice while the ink on the paper was not yet dry.
Here is a description of the process they used. And here is the Library of Congress press release.
Citizens, not subjects--that has made all the difference. Happy Independence Day!
According to this article in the Washington Post, the Library of Congress used spectral analysis to figure out that Jefferson made this change in word choice while the ink on the paper was not yet dry.
Here is a description of the process they used. And here is the Library of Congress press release.
Citizens, not subjects--that has made all the difference. Happy Independence Day!
Friday, January 22, 2010
News Roundup
Ypsilanti, Lincoln schools are cutting into the muscle. Willow Run, I believe, has reached the bone.
Ypsilanti is considering closing more schools.
Here is the district presentation: http://ypsd.org/newsandevents/budgetworkshops.html
Seriously, does anyone like the idea of K-6 schools? I think it would accelerate flow out of the district. I could see the attraction of K-8 schools. So if YPSD is going to cut a school, maybe they should consider turning two elementary schools into K-8 schools, and closing one of the middle schools.
Lincoln Schools are making major cuts, and thinking about closing Bessie Hoffman. This might drive some kids away from the district, but on the other hand, it would reduce transportation costs enough that it might be worth it.
Also note this quote from the Ypsilanti Courier article linked above:
Willow Run has started laying off teachers.
Meanwhile, Saline teachers and administrators begin to negotiate.
And (in what is good news from my point of view), the Dexter school board shows some spine and declines to join the Race to the Top.
And I believe that not a single local teachers union has joined the Michigan Memorandum of Understanding for the Race to the Top either.
An article in the New York Times highlights the issues that states around the country are having with the Race to the Top. Some are declining to join the application process.
Ypsilanti is considering closing more schools.
Here is the district presentation: http://ypsd.org/newsandevents/budgetworkshops.html
Seriously, does anyone like the idea of K-6 schools? I think it would accelerate flow out of the district. I could see the attraction of K-8 schools. So if YPSD is going to cut a school, maybe they should consider turning two elementary schools into K-8 schools, and closing one of the middle schools.
Lincoln Schools are making major cuts, and thinking about closing Bessie Hoffman. This might drive some kids away from the district, but on the other hand, it would reduce transportation costs enough that it might be worth it.
Also note this quote from the Ypsilanti Courier article linked above:
The [Lincoln] district is currently reimbursed for 84 percent of its more than $9 million special education budget through the state and a Washtenaw Intermediate School District millage. The millage is up for renewal in the fall, but, even if it passes, the district will only be reimbursed for 55 percent of their special ed expenditures because of falling property values. If the millage doesn't pass, the district will only be reimbursed for 32 percent of its expenditures, forcing them to make $1.9 million in reductions.The exact numbers might differ, but that special education renewal millage will be important for all of the school districts.
Willow Run has started laying off teachers.
Meanwhile, Saline teachers and administrators begin to negotiate.
And (in what is good news from my point of view), the Dexter school board shows some spine and declines to join the Race to the Top.
And I believe that not a single local teachers union has joined the Michigan Memorandum of Understanding for the Race to the Top either.
An article in the New York Times highlights the issues that states around the country are having with the Race to the Top. Some are declining to join the application process.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Early Childhood Education Advocacy
There is a lot of evidence that when we provide significant early childhood education, that the benefits down the road are huge. That is the rationale behind Head Start, Early On, and lots of other early childhood education programs. In fact, some of the important early research was done in Ypsilanti, at the HighScope Educational Research Foundation.
To put it very bluntly: pay now for early childhood interventions, or pay later for for corrections, special education, and employment interventions.
Here are a couple of alerts, put out by the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children.
State Level:
Dramatic cuts to critical early childhood programs are under final discussion in the state legislature. All state funded preschool and parent education programs have been eliminated in a bill recently passed by the state Senate in Lansing.If the Michigan House concurs with the Senate and the Governor signs it into law, the future of young children and all of us involved in early childhood programs are at risk. We must act now to make sure that these proven, cost effective programs continue. Over 2,500 concerned citizens who believed that early childhood programs need continued funding signed a petition from MiAEYC to reject the Senate version of the school aid bill for FY 2010 (HB 4447). Each legislator was sent the petition. If you did not sign the MiAEYC petition, please contact your legislators directly to let them know you want to support the early childhood programs in your community.
Federal Level:
On July 21 the House Education and Labor Committee will mark up the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221). Title IV of this Act authorizes the Early Learning Challenge Fund, a new federal funding stream to promote State early care and education systems for children birth to five.
Please encourage your representatives to support this legislation. Committee members from Michigan include Dale Kildee <http://www.house.gov/kildee/contact.shtml> , Vernon Ehlers <http://www.house.gov/ehlers/contact_vern.shtml> , and Peter Hoekstra <http://hoekstra.house.gov/Contact/> . If you live in their districts, please take action.
Representative George Miller (D-7th CA), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, introduced <http://edlabor.house.gov/newsroom/2009/07/chairman-miller-introduces-leg.shtml> the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221). President Obama called for a new Zero-to-Five Plan on the campaign trail as well as in his Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request. This new legislation builds on that proposal by providing $1 billion a year for 10 years in mandatory funding for the Early Learning Challenge Fund, using savings obtained through streamlining the federal student loan program.
To view a summary of the legislation, click here <http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/SAFRA-FactSheet.pdf> .
For more details on investments in early education, click here. <http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/SAFRA-EarlyLearning.pdf>
For more details, go to http://edlabor.house.gov/
Several national organizations are supporting this bill -- they have information about the bill and connections to the Congressional delegation on their websites.
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees: http://afscme.org/
Center for Law and Social Policy: http://www.childcareandearlyed.clasp.org/ <http://www.childcareandearlyed.clasp.org/%20>
Early Care and Education Consortium: http://www.ececonsortium.org/federal_ece_legislation.php
First Five Years Fund: http://ffyf.org/
National Association for the Education of Young Children: http://www.naeyc.org/policy/federal/updates <http://www.naeyc.org/policy/federal/07_17_09>
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies: http://www.naccrra.org/policy/early-learning-challenge-grants
National Association for Family Child Care: http://nafcc.org <http://nafcc.org/>
National Head Start Association: http://www.nhsa.org/
National Women's Law Center: http://nwlc.org/display.cfm?section=childcare
ZERO TO THREE: http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/ELCF_Overview.pdf?docID=9161 <http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/ELCF_Overview.pdf?docID=9161%20>
To put it very bluntly: pay now for early childhood interventions, or pay later for for corrections, special education, and employment interventions.
Here are a couple of alerts, put out by the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children.
State Level:
Dramatic cuts to critical early childhood programs are under final discussion in the state legislature. All state funded preschool and parent education programs have been eliminated in a bill recently passed by the state Senate in Lansing.If the Michigan House concurs with the Senate and the Governor signs it into law, the future of young children and all of us involved in early childhood programs are at risk. We must act now to make sure that these proven, cost effective programs continue. Over 2,500 concerned citizens who believed that early childhood programs need continued funding signed a petition from MiAEYC to reject the Senate version of the school aid bill for FY 2010 (HB 4447). Each legislator was sent the petition. If you did not sign the MiAEYC petition, please contact your legislators directly to let them know you want to support the early childhood programs in your community.
Federal Level:
On July 21 the House Education and Labor Committee will mark up the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221). Title IV of this Act authorizes the Early Learning Challenge Fund, a new federal funding stream to promote State early care and education systems for children birth to five.
Please encourage your representatives to support this legislation. Committee members from Michigan include Dale Kildee <http://www.house.gov/kildee/contact.shtml> , Vernon Ehlers <http://www.house.gov/ehlers/contact_vern.shtml> , and Peter Hoekstra <http://hoekstra.house.gov/Contact/> . If you live in their districts, please take action.
Representative George Miller (D-7th CA), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, introduced <http://edlabor.house.gov/newsroom/2009/07/chairman-miller-introduces-leg.shtml> the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221). President Obama called for a new Zero-to-Five Plan on the campaign trail as well as in his Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request. This new legislation builds on that proposal by providing $1 billion a year for 10 years in mandatory funding for the Early Learning Challenge Fund, using savings obtained through streamlining the federal student loan program.
To view a summary of the legislation, click here <http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/SAFRA-FactSheet.pdf> .
For more details on investments in early education, click here. <http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/111/pdf/publications/SAFRA-EarlyLearning.pdf>
For more details, go to http://edlabor.house.gov/
Several national organizations are supporting this bill -- they have information about the bill and connections to the Congressional delegation on their websites.
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees: http://afscme.org/
Center for Law and Social Policy: http://www.childcareandearlyed.clasp.org/ <http://www.childcareandearlyed.clasp.org/%20>
Early Care and Education Consortium: http://www.ececonsortium.org/federal_ece_legislation.php
First Five Years Fund: http://ffyf.org/
National Association for the Education of Young Children: http://www.naeyc.org/policy/federal/updates <http://www.naeyc.org/policy/federal/07_17_09>
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies: http://www.naccrra.org/policy/early-learning-challenge-grants
National Association for Family Child Care: http://nafcc.org <http://nafcc.org/>
National Head Start Association: http://www.nhsa.org/
National Women's Law Center: http://nwlc.org/display.cfm?section=childcare
ZERO TO THREE: http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/ELCF_Overview.pdf?docID=9161 <http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/ELCF_Overview.pdf?docID=9161%20>
Friday, March 20, 2009
Look Out the Window: School Gardens
Three cheers for Michelle Obama, who is starting a Kitchen Garden at the White House, and involving the students at Bancroft Elementary in Washington D.C. I don't know anything about Bancroft Elementary, but I did like their Vision and Mission statement.
And--I found this very sweet, albeit outdated, web page on the AAPS web site. School gardens! Yes, many of the schools that are featured here still have them. And there may be more now. Take some pictures of the school gardens you know about, and send them to the AAPS webmaster so the site can be updated.
What can I say? Gardening is a great activity, and a lot of kids don't get outside very much, or know where their food comes from. Kudos to those schools with gardens. Keep up the good work, gardeners!
And--I found this very sweet, albeit outdated, web page on the AAPS web site. School gardens! Yes, many of the schools that are featured here still have them. And there may be more now. Take some pictures of the school gardens you know about, and send them to the AAPS webmaster so the site can be updated.
What can I say? Gardening is a great activity, and a lot of kids don't get outside very much, or know where their food comes from. Kudos to those schools with gardens. Keep up the good work, gardeners!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)