Archive for May, 2008

Eduwonkette: A Nation At Risk

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

 Eduwonkette is the pseudonym for an as-yet unidentified education blogger who “takes a serious, if sometimes irreverent look at some of the most contentious education policy debates”. Eduwonkette posts on her eponymous blog at Education Week.

 

Over the past month, the education world has wrangled over the legacy of A Nation at Risk.  Some love it. Others hate it. But all have argued that the report itself changed the face of American education.  Writing in USA Today, Greg Toppo bestowed the report with human agency, “Twenty-five years ago this week, Americans awoke to a forceful little report that, depending on your point of view, either ruined public education or saved it.”

 

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Leo Casey: A Nation At Risk

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Leo Casey is Vice President of Academic High Schools in United Federation of Teachers in New York City. He is a frequent contributor to Edwize, the UFT Blog. 

 

Criticizing A Nation At Risk is akin to spearing fish in a barrel. A document filled with extravagant hyperbole and vast unsupported generalizations, it is a target rich environment. There is little question that it has not aged well in the twenty-five years since it was published.

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Education On Governor Strickland’s Agenda

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

When you ask Ohio Governor Ted Strickland who has left an indelible mark on who he is today, he’s quick to answer.

“The most important influences in my life have been teachers.”

“Teachers have incredible power and monumental influence. What’s most important…is that (teachers) need to be respected by the government.”

Governor Strickland has begun to speak publicly about his 6 point plan to improve the educational system in the state of Ohio. Officially unreleased at this point, his plan leaves no student—or teacher—behind. Strickland recently spoke exclusively to The CEA Voice about his 6 point plan.

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Posted in Middle Schools, Charter Schools, High Schools, Elementary Schools, Privatization, Labor, Vouchers, Ohio Education Association, Professional Development, Faculty Representatives, Columbus City Schools, NCLB, CEA | 2 Comments »

Ed Muir: A Nation At Risk

Monday, May 5th, 2008

Ed Muir is Assistant Director of Research for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and a frequent contributor to Let’s Get It Right, the AFT’s blog.

 

Fewer Talking Points, Less Accountability Run Amok, but Fewer Standards Too

What if a nation at Risk hadn’t happened?  My first thought is that there would be hundreds fewer education reports and analyses and that the quality of much of the remaining writing would increase dramatically. That’s simply because A Nation at Risk, with its sweeping critique, has served as a crutch to education writers everywhere who need a good launch-point for their argument about schools, whatever that argument may be.  And, sadly, in recent years, that’s what the report has become: simply a talking point rather than a call to meaningful or sustained action. 

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