Via PBS

Massachusetts, a state considered a leader in education reform, decided last week to reject student tests based on federal Common Core standards--tests still used in many other states. Instead, the state will develop its own exams to measure student progress. New York Times reporter Kate Zernike joins Alison Stewart with more.

Opinion Piece by Alan Singer for the Huffington Post New York Blog:

​According to the Council of Chief State School Officers, at least 18 states are in the process of revising the Common Core Standards adopted in 2010. That includes New York where Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia is involved in a mandated review of math and reading curriculum. Governor Andrew Cuomo, who supported Common Core as "state of the art" from the start, has called its implementation in New York State "flawed." He blamed blunders in the rollout for causing "frustration, anxiety, and confusion for children and parents." But Cuomo has never questioned the validity of Common Core, which suggests the mandated review will largely be for show.  click here for full article
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 Nina Schutzman, Poughkeepsie Journal 5:46 p.m. EST November 17, 2015

Students in grades 3-8 spent double the time they're supposed to on state math and English Language Arts exams this year, according to a local study.

"We need to be concerned about the amount of instructional time that is lost, and resources diverted, in this process," researchers said. "When students are engaged in this testing process, they are not engaged in learning. And when teachers are engaged in this testing process, they are not engaged in teaching." click here for full article

By Valerie Strauss November 17  ​

On September 30, 2011, Carol Burris, then the award-winning principal of South Side High School in New York, wrote about the creation of a new New York State teacher and principal evaluation system in an Answer Sheet post titled, “The dangers of building a plane in the air.”  That piece, one of many about the system known as APPR, detailed the problems with the way New York State education officials were designing and intending to implement it — and she predicted that it would ultimately fail. Her predictions, not surprisingly, have now officially come true. click here for full Washington Post article

Jon Campbell 3:04 p.m. EST November 14, 2015
ALBANY - It’s a reliable and frequent scene at the state Capitol: School groups calling on New York to boost education funding.

It was no different last week, when the state Educational Conference Board — a coalition of organizations representing various school interests — gathered to call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers to increase state school spending by $2.2 billion next year.  click here for full Poughkeepsie Journal article

At 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, you'll find Mark Gaither standing on Gough Street in southeast Baltimore. He's outside Wolfe Street Academy, the neighborhood elementary school where he's the principal.

Gaither has a huge umbrella in case it rains, and thick gloves for when it snows. He's here each morning to greet students and families as they come to school — which should make for at least 225 "good mornings."

This daily greeting is one part of the school's strategy to fix chronic absence and turn around what was once a failing school...Listen to the Story
Morning Edition

Gully Stanford 3:27 p.m. EST November 11, 2015

Career interest surveys show that some 15 percent of our teenage students are attracted to careers in art, music, theater, media arts and dance. Transcending labels of zip code, socio-economic status, race and ethnicity, American youth embraces the abiding values of creativity, entrepreneurship and cultural celebration.

Why is it, then, that the arts are often the first victims of school district budget-cuts, and that our guidance counselors rarely advocate for creative careers?
That was the underlying question addressed at the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center, when the Cocoon Theatre International Beckett Festival hosted a Student Symposium, moderated by Terry Gipson, who served in the state Senate and is a double-degree theater professional. click here for full article

Via Politico New York

By KESHIA CLUKEY 6:18 a.m. | Nov. 12, 2015

ALBANY — Contrary to federal praise, New York State’s testing restrictions are confusing and have yet to prove themselves effective, according to some education officials and advocates. click here for full article