Take Your Child To Work Day, set for April 26, falls during this year’s state testing dates. (Crain’s NY)
A teacher frets about a beloved student whose skin color and attire might cause alarm. (NYC Educator)
A student’s removal from his home by ACS induces a reflection on the transience of teaching. (Prelife)
An anonymous parent and student decry their experience at a KIPP charter school. (NYC P.S. Parents)
City schools were “notable” applicants for a federal Green Schools prize but didn’t win. (NYSED.gov)
An education reformer extols the pricey but empowering American Girl dolls. (School of Thought)
A progressive elementary school that lost its chance to open this year is on the path again. (SchoolBook)
Parsing Ed Sec Arne Duncan’s praise for progress with School Improvement Grants. (Gary Rubinstein)
A city teacher engages extensively with the question of how to improve teaching. (No Sleep Til Summer)
transtartaround
I thought today was supposed to be the day the D.O.ER. and U.F.T. were supposed to sit down with the P.E.R.B. mediator. If so, any news to report?
http://twitter.com/BNiche B
In light of the first article, I was inspired to ask this question:
Is there any kind of good reasoning why the ELA state exams for grades 3 through 8 (starting with 8-year-olds) are starting just one day AFTER a 10 day Spring/Easter Break?
In my classroom, a mix of students receiving and not receiving special education services, the first two days after break are usually the strangest and, at times, the hardest because my students’ sense of routine is completely off and needs to be reminded. Students who normally go to sleep around 9/10 go to sleep around 11/12. Video games sub in for homework during the extra days. To be more clear, my students usually are a little off coming off from vacation. Being off on the day of the actual test that’ll determine if they’ll be with their friends or not next year… oh boy.
To shake up my students immediately out of the vacation lull right into testing mode within a day is going to be chaotic at best. I’m sure I’m not speaking only for myself in this regard.
Michael M. (parent still)
Eureka!
Change April 26, currently Take Your Child to Work Day, into Make Your Parents Take the Dang Test Day!
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