Monthly Archives: October 2011

With Out Science Inquiry Activities, Science Test Scores Are Better

October 16, 2011

In an article in the The Palm Beach News, science teachers discovered that when they threw out the recommended science inquiry and hands on activities, their students improved their scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).

I am not writing this as a protest against these science teachers. They know their students better than you and I, but I want to use this case as a way to talk about the Collateral Damage (as described by Sharon Nichols & David Berliner in their book) caused by high-stakes testing.… Read more

Teachers of English Oppose Common Core Standards and National Tests

By Jack Hassard

October 13, 2011

I read on the Schools Matter weblog site that the National Council of Teachers of English will consider a resolution to oppose the use of the Common Core State Standards, and national testing. What about science teachers? What about the National Science Teachers Association?

In their resolution, they directly show that the claims that the common core movement and national testing uses included:

The American educational system is broken.

Why in a liberal democracy are we centralizing education reform?

By Theo Charles

October 11, 2011

Why is the United States moving toward a centralized reform of education in a society that is based on democratic principles, and at a time when other countries are moving in the opposite direction? In his book, Catching Up or Leading the Way, Yong Zhao, Presidential Chair and Associate Dean for Global Education, the University of Oregon, compares and contrasts the changes that are taking place in the United States and China.… Read more

When It Comes to Science Education Reform, Are We Stuck in the Muck?

By Jack Hassard

October 9, 2011

Education reform in general, and science education specifically is based on a standards-based reform (SBR) model that has its roots in outcome-based education (OBE). The intent of OBE in science education was largely student-centered, in that education was focused on measurable student performances, that are called outcomes. In fact, many of the progressive models that have been discussed on this blog have been incorporated by outcome-based educators.… Read more

Corporate Science Education Standards—Far From the Classroom

By Jack Hassard

October 8, 2011

I got a Tweet from Christopher Emdin, Professor at Columbia University Teachers College linking me to his recent article on the Huffington Post entitled 5 Reasons Why Public School Teachers are Occupying Wall Street. His reasons, which I will list below, resonated with me with regard to the way in which corporate boards, through organizations such as Achieve are taking over public education by creating a single curriculum that will be defined by the Common Core State Standards.… Read more

Review of the NRC’s Framework for K-12 Science Education

By Jack Hassard

October 5, 2011

The Carnegie Corporation of New York, which funded the National Research Council’s project A Framework for K-12 Science Education, also provided the financial support for the Fordham Foundation’s review of NRC Framework. Although not a conflict of interest for the Fordham Foundation, it does raise questions about the Carnegie Foundation’s desire to fund an evaluation of its own funded project.… Read more

The Next Generation of Science Standards: Covering Science with Factoids

By Jack Hassard

October 4, 2011

The Next Generation of Science Standards are under development by Achieve, Inc. and will be published next year. Achieve will identify content and science and engineering practices that all students should learn from K – 12, regardless of where they live. The science standards will cover the physical sciences, the life sciences, the earth and space sciences, and engineering, technology and applications of science, but in so doing will create a landscape of factoids to be learned by students, and used to develop assessments to measure student achievement.… Read more