Testing

Commonwealth Magazine: “What Schools Should—and Shouldn't—Learn From Markets”

jruss — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:49:41 -0500

In this article from the Commonwealth Club of California's publication, Al Shanker discusses the need for schools to develop incentive systems that work to motivate both students and teachers. He sees lessons in corporate capitalism and in foreign education systems. He argues that gaining entrance into college should be more difficult and that employers should consider high school performance in hiring decisions. This would encourage students to work harder. read more »

Massachusetts Association of School Committees and School Superintendents

jruss — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:07:00 -0500

Al Shanker notes that public schools are losing political power because the electorate is aging and a smaller percentage of it has children in schools. Additionally, the economy is slowing. Finally, public confidence in public schools is low. Shanker acknowledges there is little they can do about the economy, and only a little more they can do to increase political power. The true place for improvement, he argues, is in restoring the public''s confidence in the school system. read more »

NPR Options in Education, “The Great Debate III”

jruss — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:31:03 -0400

John Merrow interviews Al Shanker and NEA Executive Director Terry Herndon. They begin by discussing discipline in schools and corporal punishment. Then, Merrow asks the union leaders about standardized tests for students and about evaluative examinations for teachers. The debate then turns to tenure. Herndon and Shanker both advocate strongly for tenure while Merrow questions its purpose. Next the leaders discuss affirmative action and quotas, especially focusing on a court case, Bakke v. read more »

Remarks at the Math/Science Education Action Conference

jruss — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:07:00 -0500

Al Shanker discusses America's low educational standards as compared to other nations. While he emphasizes students' lack of achievement in math and science, he states that students are performing poorly in all subjects. read more »

Testimony before the Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary and Vocational Education

jruss — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:54:14 -0500

Al Shanker testifies before this sub-committee of the Committee on Education and Labor of the U.S. House of Representative. He warns against adoption of two house bills, H.R. 3564 and H.R. 4949 which deal with regulation of standardized tests. Similar legislation had recently been passed in New York, and Shanker had witnessed firsthand the negative consequences of the law. One proviso in one of the bills required the graded tests to be sent to students so they could see where they had erred. read more »