by David Safier You've probably heard the distressing statistic that says boosts in children's achievement due to excellent preschool and kindergarten experiences fade over the next few years. From what I know, that's true when you measure achievement by test scores. But here's a much more encouraging statistic. Regardless of that well-known "fade-out effect," children … Read more
by David Safier Call this a red letter day. I'm going to quote something written by one of the high paid folks at the Goldwater Institute as a source, rather than ripping it to shreds. Byron Schlomach, director of G.I.'s Center for Economic Prosperity (Don't you love the straight-out-of-"1984" name of the Center?), says we're … Read more
by David Safier Standardized tests are fine, so long as the results are kept in perspective. But when they're made the gold standard for assessing student achievement, things get weird, and measurements of achievement become badly skewed. Here's one of the many problems with high stakes tests. If motivated test takers do better than an … Read more
by David Safier My wanderings, with erratic and occasional postings, are over for awhile. I promise to return to seriousness soon — maybe even today. But first I need to unburden myself of a few amusing tidbits. Here's the first: The best — as in most enjoyable — headline I've seen recently: Boys Trail Girls … Read more
by David Safier For decades, conservatives have condemned schools for teaching Moral Relativism. It's also called Values Clarification. A Values Clarification question might be something like, "How should you punish someone who steals food to feed his hungry family?" That's terrible! scream conservatives. Right is right. Wrong is wrong. The law is the law! We … Read more