our votes as Liberal women
Sure, I like the idea of a woman as president or vice-president. And, since I thought that Hillary Clinton had enough competencies and credentials to be a decent president, I was rooting for her.
But I would never vote for a woman just because she's a woman. And I would never vote for a particular ticket just because there was a woman running on it. And I believe that women across America who try to live by Liberal ideals will use their vote to try to ensure that the next president is one who champions those ideals.
I know that pundits, and others, are speculating about Barack Obama losing the votes of women who wanted Hillary Clinton to get the Democratic presidential nomination -- or, at least, the VP slot.
It just goes to show you how little these speculators must think of the intelligence of women. If we believe that the current administration has been an abysmal failure on every policy front, we are not going to vote for a Republican ticket that would continue those policies, even though that ticket includes a woman.
I will admit that, if the case were such that a competent, credentialed, charismatic man were running against an equally competent, credentialed, and charismatic woman, I would probably vote for the woman.
But such is not the case with the upcoming presidential election.
And, especially in this case, just because you're a woman doesn't mean that you champion the ideals that Liberal women hold dear. And, conversely, you don't have to be a woman to champion the ideals that Liberal women hold dear.
Feminists and other Liberal women who had originally supported Clinton, will vote for Obama. Wait and see.
And, while you're waiting, read this great post on that issue on Don't Gel Too Soon.
waiting for Grammy
He's waiting for me on the steps to my new door to a new life.
The space for me at my daughter's is ready except for the painting. I am conflicted about leaving here, but, after eight years of the increasing burden of caregiving, I just can't do this any longer.
When my mother was my age, she was going on cruises with my dad, surrounded by couples with whom they had been friends since their dating days. My dad passed away in his early seventies. I want to be able to have some sort of life before my number comes up.
I imagine being able to come and go as I please, being able to sleep through the night, sitting outside on my steps in the morning and having a cup of tea in the sunshine. Here, I am not only sleep deprived; I am deprived of all of those small things that become big things when you don't have them.
I imagine being able to get off my anti-depressants, walk my way off my cholesterol med, throw away my muscle relaxant.
It's come down to my life or hers. My brother, who has control of everything here, will have to figure out how to get her the care she needs so close to the end of her long life.
I don't know how long my life will be. I can't give away what's left. Not any more.
And waiting for me with anticipation is my grandson, whose loving energy will help me overcome the guilt I will bring with me.
Obamaphenomenon
That's what this is, isn't it.
For the first time in my life I've actually watched a political party convention on television. It feels like I'm watching the rebirth of a nation, the enthusiastic start to a constructive revolution.
And I loved the line from Hillary about the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Suit." The speech writers all outdid themselves across the board. Every speech was packed with quotable, chantable phrases.
Hope, heart, and humor. That's what drives the Obamaphenomenon. Even I feel optimistic.
Myrln Monday: Wind Walking
For a while before his death in April 2008, non-blogger Myrln (aka W. A. Frankonis, i. frans nowak), posted here on Kalilily Time some kind of rant or other every Monday. Our daughter, who has salvaged his published, performed, and none-such writings, continues to send me some to post posthumously.
Wind Walking
When you walk in the wind,
sometimes it’s helpfully behind,
other times right up in your face.
Which makes wind a lot like people.
waf oct99
re-entry
Four days with my daughter and family put me in another reality, one suffused with conversation, laughter, play, sunshine, and time -- things I don't have here, where the insistent needs of a 92 year old woman hold just about every moment hostage.
I was able to sit in the dappled shade and finish the mystery novel I started to read last month. I was able to relax enough to ease the spasms I've been getting in my back from an out-of-place rib. I sat on the floor and with my grandson and his various construction, rescue, and police vehicles. I slept like the dead.
I never got to post a new piece on the education issue. That will have to wait until next week. As for now, I'm struggling with re-entry.
Meanwhile, if you're hungry for something more important to read, go over to No Utopia to this post about what conservative and writer Andrew Bacevich had to say to Bill Moyers during a PBS interview.
Bacevich's responses include this:
Well, I think the clearest statement of what I value is found in the preamble to the Constitution. There is nothing in the preamble to the Constitution which defines the purpose of the United States of America as remaking the world in our image, which I view as a fool's errand. There is nothing in the preamble of the Constitution that ever imagined that we would embark upon an effort, as President Bush has defined it, to transform the Greater Middle East. This region of the world that incorporates something in order of 1.4 billion people.
I believe that the framers of the Constitution were primarily concerned with focusing on the way we live here, the way we order our affairs. To try to ensure that as individuals, we can have an opportunity to pursue our, perhaps, differing definitions of freedom, but also so that, as a community, we could live together in some kind of harmony. And that future generations would also be able to share in those same opportunities.
The big problem, it seems to me, with the current crisis in American foreign policy, is that unless we do change our ways, the likelihood that our children, our grandchildren, the next generation is going to enjoy the opportunities that we've had, is very slight, because we're squandering our power. We are squandering our wealth. In many respects, to the extent that we persist in our imperial delusions, we're also going to squander our freedom because imperial policies, which end up enhancing the authority of the imperial president, also end up providing imperial presidents with an opportunity to compromise freedom even here at home. And we've seen that since 9/11.
Myrln Monday: notes from "Nepperhan Days"
For a while before his death in April 2008, non-blogger Myrln (aka W. A. Frankonis, i. frans nowak), posted here on Kalilily Time some kind of rant or other every Monday. Our daughter, who has salvaged his published, performed, and none-such writings, continues to send me some to post posthumously.
This is one: Notes from “Nepperhan Days” his self-tale:
Immigration experience of body and soul/heart as human condition. We are all immigrants. A family story of three Italian generations: those who left Europe, then the first-born in America and thus the first to be assimilated, then the second –born generation which rejects the experience of the 1st two before coming to realize we are all immigrants of a kind and thus come to anew place in the heart: immigrants to acceptance, love and pride in ancestry.
In many ways we are all immigrants.
the education issue: technology in the classroom
(This is the third of my series of posts about the issue of education in the upcoming presidential election, in response to the challenge issued by Ronni Bennett in her blog, Time Goes By.)
Let's face it. We Americans look to our leader to set an example as well as set policy. When it comes to computer and communications technology, McCain and Obama, as a recent NPR All Things Considered segment affirmed:
.....have very different digital resumes. Their habits were shaped, in part, by what they were doing when the digital age arrived.
Obama has been seen walking with his BlackBerry — so absorbed you worry he might bump into something.
McCain, on the other hand, says he rarely uses e-mail or the Internet.
OK. So, Obama sets a better example than McCain about the usefulness of technology. How does that translate into their policies, which, in turn will drive how important technology will be in education.
On the GOP side, from here
Asked if McCain had taken a position on broadband internet access in schools, Graham Keegan [who has worked with McCain since his 2000 presidential bid]said the senator had not yet released his stance on classroom technology. At a news conference after the forum, she said that position would be unveiled in the coming weeks. .
As might be expected, McCain's technology initiatives would focus on the private sector and the free market, assuming, as Republicans tend to do, that the benefits would filter down to the common people:
McCain has proposed a program to provide tax and financial benefits for companies that provide broadband services to low-income and rural users, Powell says. "It may require some government assistance, either through financial subsidy policy or through other kinds of creative tools, like community or municipal broadband services."
[snip]
The real key for McCain, Powell says, is to hire more people with technology experience throughout the government who can envision technology solutions for education, health care, homeland security and other issues.
On the other hand, from here:
Obama has called for the creation of a new Cabinet-level position: a "chief technology officer" who would make sure the federal government imports the best technology tools from the private sector. That's according to William Kennard, a technology adviser to the Obama campaign.
[snip]
Obama's philosophy on technology is "more activist" than that of GOP presidential candidate John McCain, Kennard tells NPR's Michele Norris.
"Obama understands that the future of our economy depends to a large extent on how we can ensure that Americans have access to technology and we empower Americans to use it," he says.
Obama supported a Clinton administration plan to provide all schoolchildren access to the Internet at school; McCain opposed it, Kennard says. He says Obama and McCain also differ when it comes to the universal service fund — a long-standing mechanism for providing phone service to rural areas that Kennard says Obama "embraces."
"The reality is that if we rely simply on the free market, there will be many people in this country that will have to do without. This is fundamentally about economic development. It's about making sure that people in rural areas can participate in the information age," Kennard says.
It sounds to me that Obama is suggesting a coordinated effort, across the nation, to educate people (from schools to government agencies) on how to apply technology to make their daily work more effective. And he would appoint someone to be in charge of that effort.
McCain, on the other hand, has a less structured approach, seeming to suggest that private sector experts be hired by the government to "envision" how technology could be put to best use in all aspects of government, including education.
Why do I keep thinking of "Haliburton," "Blackwater," and outsourcing when I hear McCain's approach?
The eSchool News piece cited before adds this about McCain's long-term vision:
The president or other federal officials could promote more technology-based education, but long-term changes would largely be up to principals, superintendents, and school board members, Graham Keegan said.
A comment on that site, left by an experienced teacher, pretty well sums up what happens when you continue the approach supported by McCain that leaves it up to the individual school administrators to decide how important technology is to educating their students for success in the future:
You can't have quality, functioning, technology without an onsite technology specialist. I was in one school that had one and it was wonderful. I also had more computers than students. Of course it was a wealthy, suburban system where most of the kids would have learned whether they had technology or not. Then I was in 2 poor urban systems. In one I had a half-broken MAC and a donated model I had to beg for. At another school I had 5 computers. 1 worked properly, but neither of the two printers hooked to it worked. Having technology entails taking responsibility for keeping it functioning.
If good, effective leadership requires both setting example and setting policy, the best candidate is obvious
Holy Holly
"You say hellraiser like it's a bad thing."
Nancy Miller, the creator of the TNT series, Saving Grace writes:
...Grace, that part of you that is fearless, that questions everything, that lives life unconditionally, gloriously, giving in to a freedom of expression so raw and primal that sometimes it leaves you breathless.
According to the website (same link as above):
SAVING GRACE stars Holly Hunter in an astonishing performance as Grace Hanadarko, a top-notch, forceful investigator whose wild personal life translates into a no-holds-barred approach to her detective work......Grace's mesmerizing journey involves facing both the internal and external demons that stand in her way.
I have never been a fan of Holly Hunter because most of the time I couldn't understand what she was saying. But either my ears and tv reception have improved, or Hunter has had some elocution lessons between last season and this one. I gave up watching it last summer. Now, I'm addicted to it.
You go, girl!
Embrace Your Grace
You can watch full episodes by going here.
Myrln Monday: SONG FOUND IN A DORY.....
For a while before his death in April 2008, non-blogger Myrln (aka W. A. Frankonis, i. frans nowak), posted here on Kalilily Time some kind of rant or other every Monday. Our daughter, who has salvaged his published, performed, and none-such writings, continues to send me some to post posthumously.
This is one.
SONG FOUND IN A DORY BOBBIN IN THE BAY IN KANKANEMONIOUS GULCH
Enter an old man who moves to a bench and sits. He wears a heavy topcoat, a suit, vest, old shoes.
Very deliberately, he begins going through his pockets and removing the contents.
Coat: one glove, a crumpled handkerchief, a cigar butt.
He removes the coat.
Jacket: one key, a stub of paper, a broken pencil, an empty matchbook, a red balloon.
He removes the jacket.
Vest: one paper clip, a creased snapshot.
He removes the vest.
Trousers: a second crumpled handkerchief, a penny, a hole in the pocket, a stone.
He sits, moving his hand from object to object without touching any of them.
(Sound in.)
Small girl: (singing)
Bring back the old man’s wishes.
Bring back the old man’s hat.
Bring back the old man’s wishes.
(Slow fade to black)
paper dolls
Earworm: The Mills Brothers singing "Paper Doll." Of course it was a totally sexist song. But it was the forties. I was five years old. What did I know. It sure sounded pretty.
And I loved to play with paper dolls. The ones of famous movie stars.
I guess I was surprised that there are still paper dolls for sale out there
Even more surprising is the new
Actually, there's a McCain one as well.
I suppose that's one way to get little kids aware of the election coming up. Although I imagine it would be more appealing to girls than boys, who tend to like more physical activities where they don't have to sit still for so long. At least that's the case with my 6 year old grandson.
I wordled my weblog
borderlines
Too often these days I feel as though I'm walking a tightrope. It would only take a little push to take me over the edge.
At night, when I can't fall asleep, I listen to books on tape that I download, free, from my local library. They are usually mystery novels -- situations so far removed from my own life that I can forget, for a while, what is stressing me out so.
Tonight, the "heroine" of the novel drifting in through my ear buds gave a clinical definition of anti-social behavior. I was interested to learn more about what that was, since I often feel I'm in it's presence.
Some googling, got me to this:
Anti-social personality disorder symptoms:
* Disregard for society's expectations and laws
* Unlawful behavior
* Violate rights of others (property, physical, sexual, legal, emotional)
* Physical aggression
* Lack of stability in job, home life
* Lack of remorse
* Superficial charm and wit
* Impulsiveness
Hmm. What if someone exhibits the above characteristics but on a less lawless scale? I guess that would mean they have "borderline anti-social personality disorder."
Or maybe what it really is, is just plain "borderline personality disorder." Sure sounds like it:
Borderline Personality Disorder (DSM-IV Personality Disorders 301.83[1]) (BPD) is defined as a personality disorder primarily characterized by emotional dysregulation, extreme "black and white" thinking, or "splitting", and chaotic relationships. The general profile of the disorder also typically includes a pervasive instability in mood, interpersonal relationships, self-image, identity, and behavior, as well as a disturbance in the individual's sense of self. In extreme cases, this disturbance in the sense of self can lead to periods of dissociation.
The disturbances suffered by those with borderline personality disorder have a wide-ranging and pervasive negative impact on many or all of the psychosocial facets of life, including ability to hold down a job and relationships in work, home, and social settings.
[snip]
This profile may be supported and/or corroborated by long term patterns of behavior as reported by family members, friends or co-workers. The list of criteria that must be met for diagnosis is outlined in the DSM-IV-TR
Yup. There it is. Borderline.
And here I am. Planning and packing.
the education issue: money vs mind
(This is the second of my series of posts about the issue of education in the upcoming presidential election, in response to the challenge issued by Ronni Bennett in her blog, Time Goes By.)
Anyone who follows the news knows that environmental and energy issues are in the forefront of today's politics. I can't help wonder how different things might be today if those leaders who screwed up these two survival necessities had been exposed to a different kind of education, one in which critical thinking, creative discovery, complex problem solving, and honest communication had been at the core. These are the skills that all people need to become all they can be, for themselves and for their communities. The educational challenge is one of developing human capital.
A July 29 New York Times Opinion piece by David Brooks begins with this question:
Why did the United States become the leading economic power of the 20th century? The best short answer is that a ferocious belief that people have the power to transform their own lives gave Americans an unparalleled commitment to education, hard work and economic freedom.
Brooks points to two research efforts that show that the skills slowdown is the biggest issue facing the country. and that It’s not globalization or immigration or computers per se that widen inequality. It’s the skills gap. Boosting educational attainment at the bottom is more promising than trying to reorganize the global economy.
Brooks goes onto say
.... it’s worth noting that both sides of this debate exist within the Democratic Party. The G.O.P. is largely irrelevant. If you look at Barack Obama’s education proposals — especially his emphasis on early childhood — you see that they flow naturally and persuasively from this research. ........ McCain’s policies seem largely oblivious to these findings. There’s some vague talk about school choice, but Republicans are inept when talking about human capital policies.
from here:
.....McCain ..... has yet to move his discussion of education from conservative generalities to specific policy proposals. Sure, McCain nods toward introducing "competition" in public schooling and, like every national politician, he has become a proponent of educational "accountability." But generally, McCain's pronouncements on education seem calculated to buttress other aspects of his agenda, such as privatization of public services, opposition to abortion rights, and even support for immigration reform.
[snip]
Since McCain first advocated vouchers, a growing body of research has confirmed that they do not improve students' academic performance or help close the achievement gap between affluent white children and poor children of color. Furthermore, the value of the vouchers McCain and other conservatives have proposed -- $2,000 -- is equal to less than half the average annual tuition at an American private school -- $4,689. That means vouchers won't give poor families many educational options beyond inner-city parochial schools, which are far less expensive and exclusive than secular prep schools focused on ensuring college admission. Voucher programs stack the deck against families who prefer a secular education for their children. In Milwaukee, the site of the largest private-voucher experiment to date, 102 of 120 participating schools are religious-affiliated.
From here and attributed to NEA president Reg Weaver:
“McCain’s plans have erased any doubts that he would continue the misguided policies of the Bush administration. The spending scheme recently outlined would reportedly save $100 billion, but it doesn’t mention the critical casualties of those cuts: America’s children. The move would take away even more resources from public schools that are already underfunded. Under McCain’s scheme, 4.2 million disadvantaged children would be shortchanged in needed reading and math help due to the shortfall of $10.7 billion between the McCain plan for Title I and what was promised in the No Child Left Behind law.
“McCain’s scheme would also shortchange states and schools by $12.5 billion by reducing services to 3.6 million children with disabilities. Like President Bush, who proposed $14.2 billion less than what Congress provided for education during his presidency, McCain’s scheme has shown he is quite willing to mortgage our children’s future.
from here, quoting Sen. John McCain's education adviser, Lisa Graham Keegan:
In defending McCain's perceived lack of interest in education, Keegan said that it wasn't because the candidate is not passionate—but because he believes a "renaissance" in education is possible and that his plan will be more meaningful, and more at odds with the current public education system. (Update: Margaret Spellings declared that education was not McCain's passion.)
"It's very easy to write a detailed program for an old system," Keegan said in criticizing Sen. Barack Obama's plan, which has been on his Web site for months.
As far as McCain's education plan to be unveiled in the fall, Keegan said it will focus on standards, accountability, delivering information on these issues to the public, and more direct intervention. He will "insist" on giving principals the power to use differential pay for teachers. And, expect the issue of international benchmarking to appear in his plan, too, she said. wants to move away from sanctions and instead use tutoring and public school choice as "opportunities" for children and families rather than as punishments for schools. And perhaps more importantly, he wants to make the aid available to families immediately without waiting two or three years. And maintaining the current sanction of restructuring schools at five years if they are failing to meet adequate yearly progress isn't a priority for him, either. In addition, McCain will work more closely with governors to come up with other options for addressing failing schools, she said.
Obama's positions on education are very different from McCain's:
from here:
Speaking by satellite to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama slammed his opponent John McCain for voting against education funding.
“He voted against increased funding for No Child Left Behind to preserve billions in tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans – tax breaks he wants to extend without saying how he’d pay for them. He voted against increasing funds for Head Start, and Pell Grants, and the hiring of 100,000 new teachers again and again and again,” Obama said.
He accused McCain of only wanting to recycle old Republican ideas, “In fact, his only proposal seems to be recycling tired rhetoric about vouchers and school choice. Now, I’ve been a proponent of public school choice throughout my career. I applaud AFT for your leadership in representing charter school teachers and support staff all across this country, and for even operating your own charters in New York. Because we know well-designed public charter schools have a lot to offer, and I’ve actually helped pass legislation to expand them. But what I do oppose is using public money for private school vouchers.”
Obama also discussed merit pay for teachers, “And when our educators succeed, I won’t just talk about how great they are; I will reward them for it. Under my plan, districts will be able to give teachers who mentor, or teach in underserved areas, or take on added responsibilities, or learn new skills to serve students better,
In sharp contrast to McCain's haphazard thoughts and non-policies on education, Barack Obama has spelled out his well-thought out plan for putting American education on the road to becoming what it should be: a system of helping all children and adults become all they are capable of being. It's all there, on his website, in red, white, and blue, with financial capital supporting human capital.
Obama summed it up here:
A truly historic commitment to education - a real commitment - will require new resources and new reforms. It will require a willingness to break free from the same debates that Washington has been engaged in for decades - Democrat versus Republican; vouchers versus the status quo; more money versus more accountability. And most of all, it will take a President who is honest about the challenges we face - who doesn't just tell everyone what they want to hear, but what they need to hear.
I am running to be that President. And that's why I'm proposing a comprehensive plan to give every American child the chance to receive the best education America has to offer - from the moment they're born to the day they graduate college. As President, I will put the full resources of the federal government behind this plan. But to make it a reality, I will also ask more of teachers and principals; parents and students; schools and communities.
saved by a craft
Sometimes these days I think the only way I have stopped myself from strangling my brother and/or my mother is by picking up a crochet hook or a pair of knitting needles and going at it with a new hank of yarn.
I realized recently that I am a "process" craftsperson rather than a "product" one. I have at leave five projects started that I've set aside because I got to points in the patterns that required a lot of attention to detail. So I've started a lightweight crocheted afghan for when I move in with my daughter and family. It's the same stitch over and over again -- striped using two related yarns. There is something about the rhythm of the hand movements that's mesmerizing, mentally relaxing. I can sit in the middle of a raging familial storm and block it out with the repeating stitch mantra. It's certainly better for my health than drinking.
Oh, I have finished projects -- like this and this and this and this.
But that was all before I moved my mother and me in with my brother. That was before my mother needed 24/7 care. Then I had the mental energy to focus on the details of form.
Now I just need something to do with my hands, something to intrude between my world and my brain. Something that I can easily put down if I have to.
So, it's
Yarn over hook.
Insert hook in the next stitch to be worked.
Yarn over hook.
Pull yarn through stitch.
Yarn over hook.
Pull yarn through all 3 loops on hook ..........
letting the dishes go
Today I let the dishes go and did some blog-jumping through Goodblogs. And I eventually found this:
CAREGIVERS BILL OF RIGHTS
I have the right:
To take care of myself. This is not an act of selfishness. It will enable me to take better care of my loved one.
I have the right:
To seek help from others even though my loved one may object. I recognize the limits of my own endurance and strength.
I have the right:
To maintain facets of my own life that do not include the person I care for, just as I would if he or she were healthy. I know that I do everything that I reasonably can for this person, and I have the right to do some things for myself.
I have the right:
To get angry, be depressed and express other difficult emotions occasionally.
I have the right:
To reject any attempt by my loved one (either conscious or unconscious) to manipulate me through guilt, anger or depression.
I have the right:
To receive consideration, affection, forgiveness and acceptance from my loved one for as long as I offer these qualities in return.
I have the right:
To take pride in what I am accomplishing and to applaud the courage it sometimes takes to meet the needs of my loved one.
I have the right:
To protect my individuality and my right to make a life for myself that will sustain me when my loved one no longer needs my full-time help.
I have the right:
To expect and demand that as new strides are made in finding resources to aid physically and mentally impaired persons in our country, similar strides will be made toward aiding and supporting caregivers.
What's interesting, is that different websites quoting the above attribute it to different authors:
I don't care who wrote it first. It's damn right on.
it's still the wrong answer
Thanks to Jim Culleny for his daily poetry emails.
Myth
Muriel Rukeyser
Long afterward, Oedipus, old and blinded, walked the roads. He smelled a familiar smell. It was the Sphinx. Oedipus said, "I want to ask one question. Why didn't I recognize my mother?"
"You gave the wrong answer," said the Sphinx. "But that was what made everything possible," said Oedipus. "No," she said. "When I asked, What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening, you answered, Man. You didn't say anything about woman."
"When you say Man," said Oedipus, "you include women too. Everyone knows that."
She said, "That's what you think."
the education issue: assessment
Ronni Bennett's Time Goes By is one of the few weblogs that I have time to frequently read. Recently, she wrote:
So here is what I propose: that each blogger reading this today – whatever else you write about on your blog - take on one issue or a small aspect of one issue, follow it in the mainstream press, on alternative media and political sites online, on other blogs as it is debated and once a week, write about what you’ve learned on that issue. Make yourself an expert on it, do some research, give us the facts, tell us what the candidates are saying, how it's being spun by their surrogates - and your opinions too, if you are so inclined.
Education is one area in which I have abiding interest, based on twenty years of experience that includes classroom teaching, training teachers, and developing and implementing statewide policies, including the state's Learning Standards.. And, I have opinions. Very strong opinions. Especially about student assessment.
Everyone knows that what's on the test determines what gets taught. And, in general, not enough effort is put into developing engaging ways for "how" it all gets taught. Everyone knows that, in terms of students developing a love of learning and then learning well, the current "teaching to the test" approach is an overwhelming failure. Student learning needs to be assessed so that we know if they're learning how to apply what they've learned, or not.
This piece on the website of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching presents a different approach:
In the ambitious New Standards Project, a national initiative that regularly brought teachers together from around the country to learn techniques for integrating instruction and assessment, participating teachers learned to literally merge these two activities in such a way that they were indistinguishable. Lauren Resnick of the University of Pittsburgh, one of the visionaries behind the project, noted that rather than bemoan the inclination to teach to the test, we should take advantage of it. We should make exercises so compelling, and so powerful as exemplars of a domain, that honing one's ability to solve them represents generalizable learning and achievement. Viewed in this light, teaching to the test is no longer vaguely disreputable because the skills and knowledge are themselves general and are the very things we wish students to acquire.
So, I begin to look at where the presumed presidential candidates stand on issues of education, specifically assessment. And here's what I found:
from here:
McCain focuses his statements on education on school choice –that is, if a school fails a student, then the student should have the freedom to move to a different school. McCain believes that many schools are failing, and No Child Left Behind helps to illustrate the problem. Obama believes that public education was broken before NCLB –and that NCLB was intended to fix the problem, but was poorly conceived, never properly funded, and was poorly implemented.
Hmm. I believe that, while "school choice" does work to the advantage of some students, what most students need is access to a system of 21st Century public education that does what it's supposed to do -- prepare students to think about what they're learning and to want to continue learning so that they can live fulfilled, productive and positive lives. Duh. Is that what's happening? I don't think so.
OK. So, what are the education platforms regarding assessment of the two presumed candidates?
from here
McCain's education platform is built on merit pay for teachers and school vouchers for families who would like to trade in their students' failing schools for private schools. According to McCain, families whose children are stuck in failing schools should have choices and opportunities that are not limited by entrenched bureaucracy or unions.
Pretty flimsy platform, it seems to me.
from here:
Standardized testing is stuck in the crossfire in the debate over accountability, and Obama has stepped up to take aim. He says that too often standardized tests fail to provide valuable or timely feedback. Meanwhile, “creativity has been drained from classrooms, as too many teachers are forced to teach to fill-in-the-bubble tests,” Obama says. While we do need some form of assessment, he says those tests should be measuring what is valuable for students to learn. “I will provide funds for states to implement a broader range of assessments that can evaluate higher-order skills, including students’ abilities to use technology, conduct research, engage in scientific investigation, solve problems, present and defend their ideas,” says Obama.
Thanks Barack. I couldn't have said it better.
