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NY TIMES v PERSONALIZED LEARNING.It’s no secret that many parents are getting a little uneasy about the role of technology in teaching and learning. Teachers, too, are largely unaware in many places about the way technology can most effectively be a tool, not a substitute, for great teaching. Most of the reason anyone gets uneasy about anything is because it’s unfamiliar. But that should cause one to look more deeply into what is happening with transformative education programs, like Summit’s personalized learning, which ensures every student not just gets ‘taught’ but actually ‘learns!’ It’s called competency, and for every student to achieve that they need to be able to learn individually alongside other students, not have to pace themselves according to the pack. But the point of personalized learning was lost on a NY Times’ Reporter, who not only made egregious, factual mistakes in the article (like saying a student with epilepsy got worse symptoms from the program when she wasn’t even in the program), but also misinformation about how personalized learning works. Let’s get the story straight, Ms Gray Lady. SNAP. Gosh, when we were in school our teachers pushed us hard to prove our facts, and demonstrate that what we said and wrote was indeed the whole truth and nothing but the truth (so help us, God). As a reminder of what it takes to ensure accuracy in journalism, The Grade’s Alexander Russo offers 11 things reporters should remember when writing complex stories. IRONICALLY JUST DAYS AFTER THE TIMES SNAFU… The results of the National 2018 Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) assessment are out, and they remain disappointing at best. The test of more than 15,000 8th grade students in almost 600 schools across the country shows that fewer than 50% are proficient in the kinds of skills necessary for lifelong learning and substantial jobs. The test not only measures technology and engineering literacy but also assesses problem-solving and communications skills, which directly correlate with hard STEM skills. HIGHER EDUCATION IS FOR EVERYONE. So says Purdue University president and former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, a smart, savvy and innovative college president who makes the case for expanded pathways for students, rigorous learning and education transformation in this week’s Reality Check with Jeanne Allen.  OPERATION VARSITY BLUES. Speaking of higher education, the lessons learned from the recent scandal where the rich and famous bribed their way into schools are numerous. Read Jeanne’s piece in this week’s Forbes for more.  WE TOLD YOU SO. We’ve maintained that school districts cravenly caved to over-the-top union demands to settle recent strikes. The first sentence of this tell-it-like-it-is piece says it all: “Amid the teacher strikes and activism that roiled the nation last fall, school districts in California, Colorado, and Washington signed labor contracts they now say they cannot afford.” This should surprise no one. FOLLOW THE MONEY. Wonder why the unions are so frantic that “Janus” gave their members freedom? They have fifty million reasons in California alone. A RED FLAG FOR ALL CHARTERS. Fresh off actions that bankrupted school districts, the same unions have set their sights on crippling charter schools from within. Jeanne Allen lays out the dangers ahead in the Washington Examiner. L.A. TIMES BEGINS TO SEE THE LIGHT. Nowhere is the unions’ jihad against charter schools more obvious and vicious than in California. The anti-charter forces were called out by the Los Angeles Times for such irrational activity.  As always, your comm |
Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.