Reform

Are the Common Standards & Assessments the Antithesis of Progressive Values?

May 6, 2012
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Are the Common Standards & Assessments the Antithesis of Progressive Values?

We think that Common Standards and Assessments are the antithesis of the progressive  values upon which this nation was founded. The idea of having a single set of standards and associated assessments appears to remove individuality, creativity and innovation from American classrooms. Authoritarian & Undemocratic Common standards and assessments were conceived and developed in an undemocratic and authoritarian manner, and have minimized our freedom to have an education system that empowers its citizens to...

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The Common Core is here, Now what do we do?

May 4, 2012
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The Common Core is here, Now what do we do?

The Common Core State Standards are here, now what do we do?  Some would suggest we should work to make them go away, or to ban high-stakes assessment.  The adoption of the Common Core and the requirements set forth by NCLB Act that all students be tested from grade 3 – 12, has resulted in an authoritarian system of education, which doesn’t make sense in the American democracy. Only Texas, Nebraska, Virginia, Minnesota, and...

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3 Grassroots Education Organizations in Georgia

May 1, 2012
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3 Grassroots Education Organizations in Georgia

Educational reform desperately needs reform.  Reform in education today is in the hands of Federal programs including the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and the Race to the Top Fund of 2009.  Although states can submit “flexibility requests” to receive waivers on some aspects of the NCLB, the reforms that have been affecting American schools have based everything on testing students to “measure” their achievement in math and reading, as well as...

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5 Reasons Why the Common Core Standards are not Good for Teaching and Learning

May 1, 2012
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5 Reasons Why the Common Core Standards are not Good for Teaching and Learning

Standards as a flag to lead us forth contrasts for me with standards as a way of standardizing our minds” Deborah Meier The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 47 states, and school districts around the country are gearing up by spending millions of dollars on meager staff development training to indoctrinate teachers in the use of the Common Core Standards. Standards represent the dogmatism of a particular group that actually writes and...

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The Common Core Arrives in Georgia: Reasons for Caution

April 30, 2012
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The Common Core Arrives in Georgia: Reasons for Caution

The march to standardize and uniform the curriculum is a dangerous movement in a democratic society, and especially in one that is so diverse in cultures, languages, and geography as America.  How can we really think that one set of statements of science objectives written by non-practitioners can be truly be valid for all learners, all schools, and all teachers? In today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wayne Washington and Nancy Badertscher report that “Sweeping Changes to...

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Guest Post by Anthony Cody: Cui Bono? The Question Rarely Asked, Let Alone Investigated

April 27, 2012
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This was written by Anthony Cody, who spent 24 years working in Oakland schools, 18 of them as a science teacher at a high needs middle school. He is National Board certified, and now leads workshops with teachers focused on Project Based Learning. With education at a crossroads, he invites you to join him in a dialogue on education reform and teaching for change and deep learning. For additional information on Cody’s work, visit...

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A Letter from 2053 about High-Stakes Testing: 5′s Walk on Thursday

April 21, 2012
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A Letter from 2053 about High-Stakes Testing: 5′s Walk on Thursday

Note: This is a letter written by a teen living in Atlanta in the year 2053.  It is published here for the first time.  Although a work of fiction, it is presented here as a reminder of the consequences of making decisions based on faulty reasoning and ignorance. Dear Friends: I learned that in America, in the year 2001, the Federal Government enacted the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law that required each state...

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