A Teachable Moment

While I try to dedicate my blog to my own thoughts, whenever I read a new piece by Diane Ravitch, I feel obligated to draw it to the attention of my readers. Her latest piece in the New York Review of Books begins with a thought that I have found myself expressing in talks with teachers and administrators. If teachers are to be graded, or degraded, on the basis of the performance of their students, then they would have to be crazy not to teacher to the tests, given their livelihoods depend on the scores their students achieve. Her piece also introduces a term apparently coined by the Finnish education minister – Global Education Reform Movement – acronym GERM. What a useful expression for the spread of the foolishness that passes for education policy these days. Give this piece a thoughtful read. You won’t be disappointed.