December 16, 2011

A Must-Read Report

Steven Waldman and the Working Group on Information Needs of Communities recently wrote this excellent report on THE INFORMATION NEEDS OF COMMUNITIES - The changing media landscape in a broadband age.

Please CLICK HERE TO READ THE REPORT.

December 11, 2011

The Adult Who Took the Test

Recently, fellow blogger Joshua sent me the following article from The Washington Post.

When an adult took standardized tests forced on kids

A longtime friend on the school board of one of the largest school systems in America did something that few public servants are willing to do. He took versions of his state’s high-stakes standardized math and reading tests for 10th graders, and said he’d make his scores public.

By any reasonable measure, my friend is a success. His now-grown kids are well-educated. He has a big house in a good part of town. Paid-for condo in the Caribbean. Influential friends. Lots of frequent flyer miles. Enough time of his own to give serious attention to his school board responsibilities. The margins of his electoral wins and his good relationships with administrators and teachers testify to his openness to dialogue and willingness to listen.

He called me the morning he took the test to say he was sure he hadn’t done well, but had to wait for the results. A couple of days ago, realizing that local school board members don’t seem to be playing much of a role in the current “reform” brouhaha, I asked him what he now thought about the tests he’d taken.

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE ENTRY.


*Thanks to Joshua who sent me the link.