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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

4-9-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:








How ‘colorblind’ education reform policies actually ignore racial inequality
A new critique of what are ostensibly “colorblind” education reform policies reveals that these initiatives are not, in fact, “colorblind,” and have the effect of perpetuating or replicating longtime patterns of race-based inequality. And it makes recommendations for policymakers that include promoting more diverse schools and encouraging inter-district transfers of students to promote diversity.


An 8-year-old talks about test prep
Here is an online conversation that a Florida mom had with her 8-year-old daughter about school, standardized testing and test prep. The mother is Sandy Stenoff, a public school advocate in central Florida who has opposed the standardized test-based education reforms imposed in the state for years. This appeared on the Web site of Opt […]

Live online education chat today
I’ll be doing a live education chat on washingtonpost.com at 1 p.m. today, so if you have any questions or comments about anything in education (or even marginally related), tune in here: http://live.washingtonpost.com/the-answer-sheet-20140409.html#submit-question Here’s a transcript of last week’s chat.

Colbert’s hilarious ‘Common Core Confusion’
Stephen Colbert took on the Common Core State Standards on his “Colbert Report”  on Tuesday night, and it was hilarious. Here’s the video and below a partial transcript: The Colbert Report Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Colbert Report on Facebook   Here’s a partial transcript: It is no secret that President Barack […]


It just keeps getting worse
Just when you think this story can’t get any more awful, it does. Andrea Rediske’s effort to help families of children with severe disabilities has taken yet another frustrating turn. I’ve written several posts about Rediske’s long struggle with the Florida Department of Education over a requirement that her blind and severely brain-damaged son, Ethan, take […]
4-8-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Principals slam 2014 NY Common Core tests as badly designedStudents in New York have been taking state-mandated Common Core-aligned standard tests in English Language Arts in recent days and, for the second year in a row, educators are saying the tests — designed by the giant education company Pearson — were badly designed for the second straight year. Last year, the tests sparke