The National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) conducted a months-long study on how to diversify the teacher workforce. The study analyzed the practices of current and former educators and school personnel who have overseen hiring educators. A complementary literature review examined the effectiveness of current efforts in place…

This book's title, "I Used to Think... And Now I Think...", is borrowed from an exercise often used at the end of teacher professional development sessions, in which participants write down how what they've learned has changed their thinking. The resulting essays model the ongoing process of reflection and growth among those deeply committed to…

What can a college admissions officer safely predict about the future of a 17-year-old? Are the best and the brightest students the ones who can check off the most correct boxes on a multiple-choice exam? Or are there better ways of measuring ability and promise? In this penetrating and revealing look at high-stakes standardized admissions tests,…

In this powerful collection of personal accounts, successful and respected teachers from across the country reveal how recent education policies have played out in their schools and classrooms in negative and counterproductive ways, and offer teacher-led alternatives for providing equitable, engaging, and empowering education. Framed by critical…

As a new decade dawns, teachers stand at the center of a policy vortex. They serve as the primary focus of one of the Obama administration's four pillars of educational reform--effective teachers and leaders. Educational reformers of all stripes have focused tremendous energy on thinking of ways to identify effective teachers and in turn recruit,…

Much has been written about student preparation for standardized tests such as: get enough sleep, do not eat sugary food or drinks, eat a well-balanced meal, wear comfortable clothing, bring appropriate supplies especially extra #2 pencils, answer every question, write neatly and legibly, deduce wrong answers immediately and use all of the time…

One of the major priorities that should guide teacher education programs in preparing teachers for their work in a democratic society is to develop a commitment to knowledge that embraces complexity and to place this knowledge into competition with the mainstream vision, which results from a deep reliance on standardized testing and controls much…

This paper describes how to conduct a session to address the increasing presence of standardized testing and its impact on reform in mathematics classrooms. A brief history of testing and the impact of testing on teaching and learning are presented. Focusing on the consequences for educational equity that come from conducting state and national…

Curriculum policies, testing programs, and language arts textbooks have hampered the teaching of writing, but circumstances are changing. An 11-item reference list is included. (Author/DCS)

This article examines the standardized high-stakes testing in the wake of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) movement. It focuses on the political economy of the testing industry; that is, a look into the ownership, intent, and regulation of the private forces that produce, provide materials, prep sessions, and tutorials for and evaluate, report on,…

Criticizes calls for national competency testing for Canadian students. Argues that thinking skills are too complex, and standardized tests too simplistic, for such tests to be valuable. Points out that testing alone does not improve education. Examines why standardized tests are appealing. Concludes that the tests are useful if their limits are…

This publication is designed to help students in Washington's classrooms become proficient in the skills and processes of mathematics. Washington's school reform efforts focus on setting clear, high expectations for what students should know and be able to do. The Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) articulate the state's expectations…

Presented is a parent's viewpoint that criticizes assessment methods that diminish appreciation for diverse ways of knowing, discourage discovery and project-based learning, diminish the natural problem-solving aspects of play, and perpetuate the single right answer form of assessment. Assessment that values the child, includes all interested…

Calculators are transforming mathematics instruction, freeing it from an arithmetic-driven curriculum. They have encouraged teachers to think more carefully about what is important to learn. Calculators should be used at all levels of instruction and on tests, including standardized exams. Meaningful educational reform depends on such a change.…

Viewing standards from the perspective of classroom teachers, this book discusses the need to alter middle school culture to facilitate meaningful improvements in the teaching-learning environment. It emphasizes efforts by middle grades educators to make schools and classrooms places where more students work harder to do work of higher quality…