Thursday, October 16, 2008

Taking Action Against Cheating

Hats off to Dr. Jason Stephens of the University of Connecticut. He is embarking on a project to curb cheating by fostering a culture of ethics in school. It sounds so obvious!

Might his techniques, to emphasize a code of honor in schools help to foster a culture of ethics in our nation?

Let's start at the top and use the Trickle Down Theory. I suggest that the next administration hire Dr. Jason Stephens to help implement his code of honor in all of the branches of our government. The executive and legislative branches are particularly in dire need of assistance.

With effective oversight, the honor code will filter down to Wall Street. The ethical mindset will certainly, eventually, trickle down to the common people of America. Americans and the rest of the world, will be more at peace when the nation can make inroads on the abatement of the 'It's All About Me' Syndrome.

Teachers to Be Measured Based on Students’ Standardized Test Scores

If you are following education issues your interest was surely piqued when it was reported this month that nation's largest school district, New York City Department of Education, is starting to measure teachers' performance by looking at student test scores.

At one time, in the recent past, I was completely against the idea. In the hands of an incompetent, not very intelligent, or politically driven, administrator this could be a dangerous tool. On the contrary, in the hands of a visionary and competent administrator, looking at student performance can be a wonderful aid to help a teacher tweak his or her practice.

We need a method for evaluating administrators, superintendents, and school boards.

See the NYT article.

Monday, October 13, 2008


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