Archive for the ‘ Elementary Education ’ Category

Blue Schools and Time Machines

image credit: jesse newman for TIME Here’s another entry for my List of Reasons Why I’m Justifiably Pissed About the Lack Of Time Machines: the Blue Man Group started an elementary school. And if you know anything about elementary school, then you’ll be up on the pertinent info regarding age restrictions for enrolled students. I [ READ MORE ]

Play Doh-Smeared Credentials

While I understand the need every parent has—on a weird, biological level—to do as much for their child as is feasible in order that said kid’s life path can be as smooth and highly elevated as is everly possible, I have never been able to be anywhere near fine with the insane pressure and bizarre [ READ MORE ]

Accountability

Diane Ravitch at Education Week has written one of the most eloquent and succinct arguments I’ve read against the use of standardized testing as the only meter for accountability in schools. By making test scores the sole gauge of progress, one can expect to see cheating and test prepping, and other quasi-legitimate and outright illegitimate [ READ MORE ]

Obama Girls To Attend Private School

I hate to say it, but Obama has already made a blunder. He is a politician, which means he’s supposed to piss off at least half the people most of the time, so I suppose I shouldn’t be so shocked. I really, really like him, but when it comes to fearless leaders, we can’t let [ READ MORE ]

Obama’s Possible Choices For Secretary of Education

There’s a huge pile of work awaiting the next Secretary of Education. There’s the No Child Left Behind act to be dealt with, charter school issues, under-performing teacher improvement, accountability, a universal pre-K system, etc. It would be great if higher education were a priority on that to-do list, but historically, nearly all of the [ READ MORE ]

Find Your Happy Place

I’m curious as to whether it’s the kids or the parents who need to be convinced to have elementary school students enroll at the “no-stress,” alternative Christa McAuliffe School in Cupertino, CA. The nearby Faria Elementary, a more traditional, all-standardized-tests-included school, has people lined up to enroll. But the no-pressure “research magnet school” where the [ READ MORE ]