"Teacher of the Year" quits over Common Core tests

[Anonymous]

Complaints about poor standards imply that standards are the problem. They are not going to fix anything--and the money spent is a waste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It solves the problem of states having a variety of different standards of varying quality.

That's a straw man. It really has no bearing--lack of standards is not the problem.

Yes,, I keep reading that on DCUM. So what is the problem, and what solution for that problem do you propose?

[Anonymous]

So what is the problem, and what solution for that problem do you propose?

Many problems:
achievement gap
too much testing
overcrowded schools
and too many to mention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So what is the problem, and what solution for that problem do you propose?

Many problems:
achievement gap
too much testing
overcrowded schools
and too many to mention.

OK, so there are lots of problems, not including heterogeneous standards among the states, and the solutions for those problems are...?

[Anonymous]

OK, so there are lots of problems, not including heterogeneous standards among the states, and the solutions for those problems are...?

Don't have solutions to all of them. I would start by eliminating the testing portion of NCLB. That would allow teachers to teach rather than train young children.

[Anonymous]

Achievement gap: start by educating parents of poor children on how to raise those kids. Talking with them, reading to them, playing with them, etc. That might help.

[Anonymous]

It's not an excuse. It's a description of reality. That is the reality. I agree that it's not how the world should be, but it is how the world is.

Also, if it doesn't bother you that your allies are Bobby Jindal and Ted Cruz, then it certainly doesn't bother me.

Do you always give up on your ideals so easily? Do you like to pigeon hole people? This is a big problem with the high stakes standardized tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Achievement gap: start by educating parents of poor children on how to raise those kids. Talking with them, reading to them, playing with them, etc. That might help.

How exactly would you do this? An advertising campaign? Voluntary classes? Mandatory classes? What is the evidence for this approach? Also, how would you overcome the resistance on the part of poor people to non-poor people coming in and telling them that they are raising their children wrong? Also, do you think that poor people might be more involved parents if they didn't have to spend so much time dealing with poverty (for example, working multiple jobs with irregular hours and long commutes, or housing insecurity, or food insecurity)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It's not an excuse. It's a description of reality. That is the reality. I agree that it's not how the world should be, but it is how the world is.

Also, if it doesn't bother you that your allies are Bobby Jindal and Ted Cruz, then it certainly doesn't bother me.

Do you always give up on your ideals so easily? Do you like to pigeon hole people? This is a big problem with the high stakes standardized tests.

The high-stakes standardized tests are a result of the No Child Left Behind Act and have nothing to do with the Common Core standards. If the Common Core standards went away tomorrow, there would still be high-stakes standardized tests.

As for me personally, my ideals don't preclude recognizing reality as reality. In fact, I can't work effectively for change unless I have an accurate understanding of how things are now.

[Anonymous]

Explain how having the same standards across states is going to really make a difference on the ground if the other problems are not solved. What kind of a difference are you expecting? Or are they only going to be used to fire teachers through the testing/evaluation mandate and that is what you are hoping will make the difference? Will states who have lots of "failures" be raising the salaries of teachers in order to attract better ones (even though they are probably the states that lack money)? Will the feds be pumping money into those states in bigger amounts? What is the long view here?

Please answer if possible. The lower SES kids are going to be helped the least by this method (if this is the though process).

[Anonymous]

How exactly would you do this? An advertising campaign? Voluntary classes? Mandatory classes? What is the evidence for this approach? Also, how would you overcome the resistance on the part of poor people to non-poor people coming in and telling them that they are raising their children wrong? Also, do you think that poor people might be more involved parents if they didn't have to spend so much time dealing with poverty (for example, working multiple jobs with irregular hours and long commutes, or housing insecurity, or food insecurity)?

No data--just an idea based on experience teaching very poor kids in the primary grades.

[Anonymous]

An advertising campaign? Voluntary classes?

This and a social worker who visits the mom for a few months--to years, perhaps. Or, classes somewhere nearby. All people love their kids--they just don't know how to raise them.

[Anonymous]

Also, do you think that poor people might be more involved parents if they didn't have to spend so much time dealing with poverty (for example, working multiple jobs with irregular hours and long commutes, or housing insecurity, or food insecurity)?

Just my experience--but the kids least prepared for school are the children of the non-working. And, sadly, the parents are frequently trading food stamps for other things.

[Anonymous]

Also, how would you overcome the resistance on the part of poor people to non-poor people coming in and telling them that they are raising their children wrong?

Now you understand how hard the resistance is on the part of teachers to non-teachers coming in and telling them that they are teaching wrong. I think you know what you should have done and that's exactly how you deal with the "poor people". You bring them into the process from the very beginning. You start at the grass roots. Many times they know how to raise their children, but don't have time or resources to do it right (same as the teachers who are overburdened by all kinds of bureaucratic stuff). It's not a whole lot different. The teachers need time and resources. Give them the testing moratorium.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

An advertising campaign? Voluntary classes?

This and a social worker who visits the mom for a few months--to years, perhaps. Or, classes somewhere nearby. All people love their kids--they just don't know how to raise them.

From what I have read, the Social Workers that we do have are overworked. They have way too many case loads of actual abused kids, so much so, that some of these abused kids are falling through the cracks and ending up dead. Are you suggesting that we now make the Workers go visit every low-income house to educate the parents on the importance of education? Wow. Or, are you suggesting we hire more social workers? Ha! Try to convince that to the gov't, especially a Republican controlled city/state.

And classes? Please, most low-income people are either working multiple jobs, or too damn tired from the long commute (walking, taking public transit) to go to a class. Couple that with language barriers for low income immigrants, and you think offering classes is the answer?