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[quote=Anonymous]Ward 3 State School Board: A Vote for Ruth Wattenberg is a Vote for Decisions Based on Evidence and Knowledge of Educational Research
by Erich Martel, Ward 3 resident ehmartel@starpower.net
Retired DCPS history teacher (1969-2011: Cardozo HS, Wilson HS, Phelps HS)

As a longtime DC Public Schools teacher and parent of a DCPS graduate, I discovered how school superintendents and chancellors routinely adopt instructional and management policies that haven't been tested in classroom conditions with real teachers and students or that actually have a record of failure. It is frustrating to then see elected representatives defer to school officials without doing the due diligence that we expect of them. Ruth Wattenberg will ask questions and will know if the answers make sense!

The State Board will be facing major policy changes, particularly in the area of subject standards, graduation requirements and standardized tests. A member who can distinguish well-grounded research from claims based on a few classroom anecdotes or political influence will make a great difference.

As editor of the American Educator, the professional journal of the American Federation of Teachers, Ruth Wattenberg established and maintained high standards in selecting research-based articles on teaching and learning for publication. As a result one can find articles ranging from research on how to teach reading and why it's important for children to be exposed to of art, music, history, literature and physical activity from the earliest grades. Links to some of these articles are on Ruth's website (http://ruth4schools.com; check the "what I'm for" tab).

In 2002, Ruth inaugurated what may be the most reliable and informed column in any education journal, "Ask the Cognitive Scientist" by University of Virginia cognitive psychologist Dan Willingham. Each column examines specific educational issues that parents and teachers often find perplexing, such as ADHD, how the brain retains knowledge, the achievement gap, reading deficiencies and more. He explains what the research says - or doesn't say, thereby helping teachers and parents distinguish educational fads and unreliable anecdotal accounts from practices that have a well founded history of success. After having read a few of his articles, you may wish you had known of them earlier: http://www.aft.org/search/site/willingham .

In 2002, I reported that teachers' grades at Wilson High School had been changed and that students were being certified for graduation despite having failed or never taken mandatory courses. Four years later, it happened again; half of Wilson High School's seniors listed on the 2006 graduation program had not completed all requirements (203 out of 420). Ruth asked me to I describe these experiences and the subsequent audits, which I wrote up as "Protecting Academic Standards" (http://www.aft.org/periodical/american-educator/wi.../protecting-academic-standards ).

Ruth understands what we all know to be true: Changed grades and unearned diplomas are like counterfeit money: They undermine teachers' authority, poison a school's atmosphere and cheat the students who receive them.

The State Board needs to be guided by integrity and knowledge of educational research, good reasons for Ward 3 residents to Vote Ruth Wattenberg for State Board of Education! [/quote]

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