by David Safier Here's a comment from Phillip D, spotlighting a recent article on education in Finland — high scorer on international tests yet virtually standardized-testing free. And recess! And art and music! And high paid teachers! (If you read the article, look at the very telling comparison between Finland and Norway.) I am encouraged … Read more
by David Safier For-profit colleges too often sucker students with promises of future jobs, get them to take big government-insured loans, then take the money and run. Often the training programs aren't what they're cracked up to be, or the students lack the background to succeed in the programs. The 3-year default rate on student … Read more
by David Safier Here on his home turf, Goldwater Institute's Matthew Ladner is treated by the media as a reliable source, a paragon of intellectual virtue. Even when he earns a Bunkum Award from the National Education Policy Center and I give the media all the information it needs, no one seems to think it's … Read more
by David Safier When test scores are make-or-break for teachers and administrators, it causes some people to bend the rules to save their bacon and/or boost their standing. Stories have emerged of outright cheating, like teachers and/or administrators erasing students' wrong answers and bubbling in the right ones. Less blatant ways to "help" students before … Read more
by David Safier If you listen to the Goldwater Institute’s Matthew Ladner, the only test score that matters in the educational universe is the 4th grade reading score on the national NAEP exam. The reason is, that’s where Florida shines compared to other states. The fact that Florida holds back lots of its lowest performing … Read more