Why Attend Blogging Concentrated?

What’s in it for me? How does my blog grow if I attend? How will it make me better? Someday we’ll all be old. And we’ll be smiling. While others worked with little reward, we changed the world. We influenced people. We helped millions reach their goals, follow their dreams, laugh, smile, cry. We were…

Montclair, New Jersey: 42.6% of Students Opt Out of PARCC Testing

The final figures for opt outs were released in Montclair, New Jersey. 42.6% of students did not take the PARCC test.   That is quite a protest against Common Core and high-stakes testing, against the Bush-Obama agenda.   The opt-out totals were most pronounced at Montclair High School, where 68 percent of students refused to […]

New York Budget Eliminates Sales Tax on Yachts Over $230,000

Here is an example of the priorities in New York state’s budget: There is no increase in the minimum wage, but purchasers of yachts that cost more than $230,000 are exempt from the sales tax. This may be a wonderful boon for the boat-building industry, as well as the yachting community. There is no point […]

Friday Favorites- 4/3

Happy Friday! There is lots going on around these parts. If you’d like to join the Virginia Bloggers Facebook Group then leave a comment and let us know! We’ll get you added. It’s a great way to share posts and get connected with other local bloggers. Now let’s jump into some posts from last week: […]

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Gary Rubinstein Writes a Letter to Arne Duncan

Gary Rubinstein–math teacher, blogger, author, ex-TFA turned TFA critic–has been writing a series of letters to reformers, asking friendly but pointed questions. The first letters went to reformers he knows, the second to reformers he does not know. This letter to Arne Duncan is in the second group. It is one of Gary’s best. He […]

Houston: No Choice for Opt Outs

Very few parents are expected to opt out in Houston. The culture of testing is so deeply ingrained that few question why their children are subjected to weeks of preparation for bubble tests and for a school year dominated by the tests. Parents and children are afraid of hurting their teacher if they don’t take […]

New York’s Outrageous New Teacher Evaluation Law

Governor Cuomo insisted on a teacher evaluation law that relies heavily on test scores. And he got it as part of budget negotiations. A teacher who is rated “ineffective” on the test scores cannot receive an effective rating no matter what his/her scores on observations and other measures. Test scores trump all. Here is a […]