10/31/16 The current election cycle scares me in ways that I have never felt before. It is not so much the hatred and lies that Donald Trump spews regularly, but the potential for sanctioned violence and irrationality from my fellow citizens. History and morality demand vigorous challenge. My realm is science […]
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What the Future of Science Education Should Look Like
While we remain the world’s leading generator of science and engineering innovation, far too many Americans lack sufficient understanding of the foundational principles of the scientific investigations and engineering designs that have improved our lives…We are not now on a pathway to success, but we could be. Published in the Washington Post, April 20, 2015. […]
Next Steps for the Next Generation Science Standards
The National Research Council’s K-12 Framework for Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards are designed to drive dramatic rethinking and improvement of science education for all students in the United States. Now decisions at the district, state, and federal levels will determine whether the new standards will promote substantive improvement…..Five other state actions will enable […]
Escape From Poverty for a Few More Students Is Not a Worthy National Goal
The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision provided a catalyst to advance but not fully achieve racial and economic justice. Sixty years later, Republicans and Democrats alike continue to talk about race, poverty and education. However, there is a chasm in current education policies between proclamations of intent and real effects. The […]
What If We Approached Testing This Way?
Frequent high-stakes testing and its misuse for teacher evaluation are poisoning the assessment waters. Assessment should not be the goal of learning. The word “assessment” should not make students, teachers, administrators and parents cringe. It does not have to be this way. For students and their teachers the most effective use of assessment is to guide […]
The Standard Debate: The Past Gets in Our Eyes
The Common Core State Standards for Reading and Mathematics appear to be simultaneously unstoppable trains and under siege, making strange bedfellows of both supporters and opponents. Two issues cloud the debate about their validity, value and efficacy: (1) The idea of standards has been conflated with standardization; (2) Standards have become inextricably linked to high-stakes […]
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