A continuing focus of my work is helping others understand the complexities of evaluating student learning by testing and assessment and determining the impact or outcome of teaching on learning. When we talk about what makes a good test, the … Continued
Well this is an imposing title! I decided to use it to emphasize that we need new types of educational systems that not only prepare every student for success, but also allow every student to access the curriculum and thrive … Continued
The First School in Boston The Boston Latin School, established in 1635 is the first public school in Boston as well as the United States. But today I wanted to write about the first public high school called Boston English. When … Continued
Performance assessment is making a comeback! To be clear, testing and assessment are not the same, although the melding of this two terms is so far gone that distinguishing between them sounds like an academic exercise. Confused Definitions The difference … Continued
What do students think their own grades should be? Do students always think their grades should be higher? Do teachers grade students lower in order to motivate student efforts? What is the role of student expectations in future educational settings? … Continued
Different Neighbors The words “Equity” and “Access” and “Quality” are used to indicate the goals we have for the US K-12 educational system. These goals center around providing everyone an equal chance to access a quality curriculum in schools. But … Continued
I want to give a big shout out to the US Department of Education (USDOE) for sponsoring rotating art exhibits inside their headquarters in Washington DC. I was lucky enough to be part of arts advocacy day on March 5, … Continued
I am down here in Washington to attend several policy gatherings. One was last Thursday at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where the promise of school integration for all children was discussed. The other policy event is the National … Continued
Professionalism All of the work to date to improve teaching has resulted in a general level of professionalism that can be seen in most classrooms. This general level of professionalism includes the ability to start classes with a review of … Continued
When we talk about changing schools, everyone has a different reaction. Some view this as a futile attempt to change for no reason and some view it as the natural progression of the life of schools. When schools do change, … Continued