Education Consumers Foundation

“Since 2005” Reports on Educationfrom a Consumer Perspective • Was this school a good choice? • Why is my child behind? • Should my child be reading? • Is the problem my child or the school? Let Us Show You What to Look for & WhyWe show parents, taxpayers and officialshow to identify good schools &get the best from the rest. Go to slide 1 Go to slide 2 Go to slide 3 Go to slide 4 Go … Read More

Consumer Empowerment

American Decline can be Reversed through Grassroots Action Public education has been decaying on the inside for decades. Educators blame poverty, poor parenting, changing demographics, the growth of hedonistic popular culture, insufficient funding, and myriad other factors. Seldom mentioned, however, is education’s failure to adapt and overcome these conditions. In the view of most educators, schools are doing all they can–an explanation that is contradicted by the measurable differences in effectiveness among teachers within the same school and … Read More

2011 VAAA – Bethpage Elementary School

Third Place, Middle Division, Elementary Schools Bill Johnson, Principal 420 Old Highway 31 E Bethpage, TN 37022 Sumner County Schools Visit website Recipe For Success: Bethpage Elementary School has been honored by being selected as one of the 254 public schools is America to receive the 2010 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award by the United States Department of Education. The recipe used to create Bethpage Elementary School is a combination of precious ingredients, each unique and … Read More

National Board Certification: Is it worth the time and expense?

Studies pertaining to the effectiveness of NBPTS-certified teachers are ongoing. Here is a partial list. Advanced Teacher Certification http://www.education-consumers.com/Cunningham-Stone.pdf Evidence that there is any educationally meaningful advantage to certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is still lacking.  [Cunningham, G. K. & Stone, J. E. (2005). Value-added assessment of teacher quality as an alternative to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: What recent studies say.  In Robert Lissitz (Ed.). Value added models in education: Theory and applications. Maple … Read More

A Legacy of Blind Compassion

posted in: Briefings & Reports

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 a … Read More

Parents have their doubts about the state of public schooling but they believe their local schools are fine

posted in: General Information

Poll, USA Today (2011) Americans today like their kids’ public schools than at any time in the past 36 years ­ even though they believe U.S. education in general has taken a bit of a dive. Most of what parents and local communities know about their local schools comes from the schools themselves.  Not surprisingly, they have a positive image no matter what the data. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-08-16-public-schools-poll-parents_n.htm

Charter School Research & Advocacy

posted in: General Information

Center for Education Reform (2014) “Charter schools do not inevitably succeed but they do incentivize better teaching and learning, and they do push competing public schools to improve.  Charters played a key role in Newark and the The Center for Education Reform can provide numerous other examples of success.” https://www.edreform.com/issues/choice-charter-schools/

Zuckerberg’s Folly? Not Really

The popular view is that the Newark reforms failed.  The New Jersey Department of Education data says otherwise.  Charter schools excelled and the projected reduction in dropouts and unprepared graduates district-wide will benefit taxpayers for years to come. June 17, 2014 – Print School districts and their boards often face seemingly insurmountable opposition to changes that would beneficial to students. Changes that would be upsetting to the established bureaucratic and institutional order are especially challenging, yet there are examples … Read More

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