Opinion
Education Opinion

Curmudgucation Digest (November 9)

By Peter Greene — November 09, 2014 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Bad research from Brookings and election fallout this week at Curmudgucation.

Is Ed Reform Addicted to “New”?

Andy Smarick continues his examination of conservatism and ed reform, and I continue my exploration of his exploration.

Can TFA Be Reinvented?

Jack Schneider asked if TFA could be perhaps reinvented in a more productive manner. I explain why I think pigs will fly over a frozen hellscape before that happens.

Speak Friction

Every blogger needs a good Get Out the Vote piece. Here’s mine.

Brookings: “Poor Kids Suck”

Brookings released a new “paper” in which they tried to argue-- well, it’s not clear. Poor kids lack character? And it included this observation: “It is hard to learn kindness, but somewhat easier to learn self-control.” It’s possible that the guys at Brookings need a hug.

So, About That Election

Every blogger has to do post-mortems, too.

Churning Those $125K Teachers

Mathematica took a look at one of those chains that pays teachers $125K as a base rate. Also, how to make Test Prep Turnovers.

TN Core Apologist

In Tennessee, one more teacher tries to make a case for the Common Core, and fails.

Dear Randi

Randi Weingarten sent out a Rally The Troops, Lessons Learned letter after the elections. I offer a reply and some suggestions.

Gilt By Association

How is it that people sell us a country where all the children are well-educated and successful, but we end up buying bad multiple choice items on a crappy standardized test? I try to explain that chain of decaying expectations.

Gardens, Grit and Responsibility

Watching the First Lady plug her community gardens idea reminds me how much I dislike the misplacement of responsibility for solutions to society’s problems.

Strong Words from Minneapolis

If you didn’t read this response to the hatchet job on Minneapolis teachers, you should. Greta Callahan absolutely nails it.

Product People and Bean Counters

Folks were passing around old internet footage this week of Steve Jobs “predicting” the death of Apple. I think he was also offering an insight into public education as well.

Who Puts the “Merit” in “Meritocracy”?

Are we really claiming we want schools to operate on and prepare students for a meritocracy? Because if we are, I’m thinking we might be full of it.

CCSS & Charters: The End of the Love Story

As reformsters distance themselve from the Core as they double down on charters, the battle over public education becomes a bit more complex.

The opinions expressed in View From the Cheap Seats are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.