By Gerson Borrero
City & State
“As the unresolved battle surrounding the New York State assessment of students’ academic achievement rages, City & State Editor-at-Large Gerson Borrero discusses the issue with Derrell Bradford, Executive Director of the New York Campaign for Achievement Now and a member of High Achievement New York.”
By Erika Sanzi
Education Post
““For most of the 150-year-history of public education in the U.S., public schools have done a pretty good job. There is no crisis in public education.”
—Salvatore Babones in Salon, May 9, 2015 (emphasis added)
If I were to base my opinion of the American public school system solely on my experience in an overwhelmingly white community of highly educated and affluent families, I could accept Babones’ assertion that “There is no crisis in public education.” But I can’t do that.”
By Erika Sanzi
Education Post
“My kids’ teachers rock.
When your children are not only learning content that impresses you daily, but are also loved by so many other grown-ups, there is only one thing to feel: gratitude. There is only one thing to say: thank you.”
By Jake Miller
CBS News
“The “nation’s report card” arrived this week, and someone’s getting grounded.
Only 18 percent of 8th-graders were rated “proficient” or “advanced” in their understanding of U.S. history, according to the results of the 2014 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Only 27 percent demonstrated a strong grasp of geography. And only 24 percent scored highly on the civics exam.”
By Derrell Bradford
Hechinger Report
“Fire is a gift from the gods, but it’s still hard to watch your neighborhood burn.
There was no CVS on the corner of Pennsylvania and North Avenues in West Baltimore — or Penn North as folks from the area call it — but I know the corner like the back of my hand.”
By Richard Green
TNTP Blog
“This week, other Baltimoreans and I stood aghast, first at the confused and horrifying accounts of the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, then at the images of young adults looting stores, setting businesses afire and attacking police officers, in contrast to the peaceful protests over the weekend. Today, schools are closed and our city is attempting to comprehend how and why this week’s events unfolded as they did.”
By Carl Campanile
New York Post
“Two-thirds of New Yorkers say student results on Common Core exams should be used to rate teachers, according to a poll released Monday.
Of the 67 percent of voters who support linking test results to teacher evaluations, 39 percent said the results should count for 25 percent of an educator’s score, 19 percent it should cover half the grade and 9 percent said it should count more than 50 percent, the Sienna College Poll found.”
By Ben Chapman
New York Daily News
“State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch wants to give school districts, including the city’s, another year to implement the state-mandated teacher evaluation system.
The evaluation plan was written into law by Gov. Cuomo with the passage of the state budget on March 30.”
New York Post Editorial Board
“New York’s teacher-evaluation farce hit a new low this week: Merryl Tisch, head of the state Board of Regents, on Wednesday kicked the can another year down the road.
The new state budget directs Tisch and the State Education Department to set up a new evaluation system by the end of June. But she insists it can’t be done — or that local districts might fail to implement the plan by November, and so lose some state aid.”