Posts by Rahul Sinha — Elections Committee
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Daycare is education. Why isn’t it better?
The cover story of the New Republic this week describes the “hell of American day care.” While it goes into detail on a few extreme cases, the article also asks a very important question. Given what we know about early childhood cognitive development, why do we treat the environment infants and toddlers find themselves in with such disregard? The article intersperses… Keep reading…
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Shocking rhetoric from John Townsend and AAA
This week’s Washington City Paper cover story quoted AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend calling Greater Greater Washington editor David Alpert “retarded” and a “ninny,” and comparing Greater Greater Washington to the Ku Klux Klan. Many other reporters, people on Twitter, and residents generally have clearly stated in response… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Not their job
Low test scores, fire custodians?; Henderson addresses cheating; Graduation rate up… a bit; Charter can’t expand; Change the funding formula?; Obama cuts vouchers; Some don’t believe in public education; Get a D, mommy can’t eat?. Keep reading…
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Should charters also be neighborhood schools?
At-large councilmember David Grosso has introduced a bill to allow DC charter schools to give priority to students in their neighborhood for admissions. Supporters say it will strengthen neighborhoods, while opponents worry it would further disadvantage children from poorer areas. It’s not a new idea. Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Against cuts
Keep the arts; Adios at Stuart-Hobson?; Boundary plan delayed; Activists sue to stop closures; “Principal of the year” leaving; Atlanta teachers indicted for cheating; NJ preschool shows long-term benefits; All teachers are good?; CT raising graduation requirements. Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Sharing is caring
DC school facilities plan considers charters; DC truancy bill passes committee; New Jersey takes over Camden schools; Indiana vouchers upheld; New NAEP will test technology literacy; Innumeracy is like dyslexia?; TFA is actually valuable; Autism warning signs infographic. Keep reading…
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“Tracking” is unpopular, but is it good for our children?
Should schools sort children into “tracks” based on their abilities? This debate has gone on since the 1950s. It’s a simple idea. Most schools have several classrooms for any given class or subject. Children are starting in different places and learn at different speeds. Instead of teaching them all at once pace, which can be too fast for some and too slow for… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: No tuition for you!
Sequester interrupts 1,300 students’ tuition; One for PG takeover; Milloy endorses Henderson’s plan; Minorities are not becoming teachers; Are Gifted & Talented programs racist?; Other Washington gets probed; Are AP/IB classes harmful?; Bill Maher spars with Michelle Rhee. Keep reading…
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Does testing lower test scores?
Applying pressure to teachers through evaluations based on standardized tests leads to worse test scores, a 1990s study found. Does this mean that trying to use “accountability” to improve teaching actually does the opposite? In 1999, Alfie Kohn, a prolific author on education and childhood psychology, wrote a book on the then-nascent educational reform movement. Keep reading…
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Tackling truancy, part 3: The solution is collaboration
This is the third installment of a series on truancy in DC schools. Read part 1 and part 2. Truancy isn’t a new problem, nor one unique to DC. School systems around the country have tried various approaches that leverage state services and civil society to engage the child and their family on many levels. Many have been able to take a bite out of chronic truancy. In the end,… Keep reading…