Steps you can take

posted in: General Information |

Options for Parent and Citizen Action A school’s scores reflect your child’s risk of success or failure. At some schools, 90% or more of students have mastered reading by grade 3 and only 10% have not.  The national average, however, is around 33%.  Schools with a low percentage of proficient third grade readers will have a low percentage of proficient students in other grades and subjects. 1.  If it appears that your child is among those who are … Read More

States Compared to International Standards

posted in: General Information, Home Carousel, News & Announcements |

Phillips and AIR correctly argue that weak state standards serve to create a false sense of security about state educational outcomes.  In most states, school outcomes are distressingly weak compared to national and international standards.  In the past, the U. S. led international rankings. In recent decades, however, other countries have moved ahead despite American school reforms. Whether these facts argue for the nationwide adoption of the Common Core, however, is another issue.   The National Assessment of Educational … Read More

21st-Century Teacher Education

posted in: General Information |

Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education By almost any standard, many if not most of the nation’s 1,450 schools, colleges, and departments of education are doing a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the realities of the 21st-century classroom,” and “America’s university-based teacher preparation programs need revolutionary change, not evolutionary thinking. http://educationnext.org/21st-century-teacher-education/

Dr. J.E. Stone at ECF’s Prepared to Learn Event

posted in: General Information |

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 – 8:30am to 11:30am Nashville Hilton Downtown Dr. John Stone, founding president of the Education Consumers Foundation, spoke on effective early childhood education at Prepared to Learn, an April 21, 2009 event hosted by the foundation in partnership with the Tennessee School Boards Association. Visitors can view his presentation through the clips below. Note that this video is provided in MPEG-4 format, which is best viewed with Apple’s QuickTime media player. This application is … Read More

Correcting TCAP Grade Inflation: What to Expect in 2010

posted in: General Information |

It has long been acknowledged that reported scores on the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) are among the most inflated in the country. In fact, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently gave Tennessee an ‘F’ when ranking states’ truth in advertising for reporting K-12 outcomes. Recognizing that more reliable reporting was needed, the Tennessee State Board of Education has adopted the scoring model of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a more rigorous national assessment (also known as “America’s … Read More

A Legacy of Blind Compassion

posted in: Briefings & Reports |

A-Legacy-of-Blind-Compassion.pdf An Occasional Paper by J. E. Stone October 15, 2004 Briefing Government mandated measures such as the No Child Left Behind Act and New York City’s program to retain failing third graders would be unnecessary if the grades contained in student report cards were accurate indicators of student progress. In practice, however, objective tests and remedial programs are needed because many teachers worry more about discouraging their pupils than providing an accurate report. They are motivated by … Read More

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