Nick Anderson of the Washington Post reports on September 25, 2009 that Teacher Unions are not happy with what they are seeing from the Obama administration as they approach the reauthorization of NCLB.
“It looks like the only strategies they have are charter schools and measurement,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “That’s Bush III.”
Standardized testing, school accountability, performance pay, charter schools — all are integral to President Obama’s $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” grant competition to spur innovation. None is a typical Democratic crowd-pleaser.
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A recent article in the NY Times by Gretchen Reynolds discusses how aerobic exercise that causes the heart to work hard can promote the growth of new brain cells. The dramatic change in blood flow that occurs when you run, cycle, or swim can promote new connections and help create new neurons.
Click here to go to the article in the New York Times from 9/16/2009.

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An article in the Sept. 14, 2009 New York Time points out that it seems to take fewer correct answers every year to pass state math tests. While the state argues that tests are not getting easier, it does give one pause to wonder if apparent gains in your school’s scores are real. This may be especially true for your lowest functioning students who take odd-year tests that feature only multiple choice items. Here is a quote from the article that should make you wonder.

A side effect of the adjustments in scoring is that on 5 of the 12 math and English tests this year, a student had a better-than-even chance of earning a Level 2 mark— a failing grade that reflects “partially meeting learning standards” — simply by guessing. On the sixth-grade English test, for instance, a student had an 89 percent chance of reaching Level 2 this year by randomly guessing, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

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