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And here are today’s picks for your reading pleasure!

  • Some information about Colorado HB 12-1049, State Representative Judy Solano’s bill to forbid any sanctions to kids or families if they choose to opt out of CSAP/TCAP.
  • Education policy expert, Susan Ohanian, discusses reasons why parents should reconsider subjecting their kids to standardized tests like Colorado’s CSAP/TCAP.
  • Strong speech from Dr. Diane Ravitch (download the pdf), author and activist.  Peppered with gems like, “In the free market, there are a few winners and a lot of losers. Some corporate reformers today advocate that schools should be run like a stock portfolio: Keep the winners and sell the losers. Close schools where the students have low scores and open new ones. But this doesn’t help the students who are struggling. No student learns better because his school was closed; closing schools does not reduce the achievement gap. Poor kids get bounced from school to school. No one wants the ones with low scores because they threaten the reputation and survival of the school.”  ‘Nuff said.
  • The New York Times on the bureaucratic juggernaut that is Race to the Top, and how it’s leading to school districts figuring out how to statistically evaluate band teachers.  Shaking my head…