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When the good news really isn’t…

I often complain about the lack of “good news about schools” stories in the media.

Sure they get the story when a third grader brings a gun to school but I never saw my 6th grade Science Fair on Channel 2.  So, hey, I was thrilled, thrilled, I tell you, to see a good news story on the front page of my Washington Post.

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I could have spent the day a happy woman, but noooo. I just had to read the whole story. I wanted to love this story. I wanted to call up the Post writer and invite him over for a pedicure (which I believe is the highest form of human gratitude). But I am haunted that the good news was the bad news.

It was a sweet piece on the success in Montgomery County, Maryland, where a superintendent is getting well-deserved credit for concentrating on closing the “achievement gaps” between white kids and black and Hispanic kids.

(I hate to be picky, but this is actually standardized-test-score gaps which, please trust me, is not the same thing as achievement but anyway the point is…)

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Stupid Test

She said, “I graduated from the University of Utah, too!”

She’s a very Special Education teacher who is now teaching in Hawaii.  She came up to me to give me a hug and to tell me she enjoyed my little speech on stupid testing.

(Now, to be clear, the lawyers at NEA asked me to stop calling the tests “insane” since this is an actual medical condition and it may be offensive to insane people to be equated with the testing mania sweeping the country, so under legal advisement I have opted for the more technically correct term, “stupid”, knowing that it may offend technically “stupid” people. I apologize to them in advance.)

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The gist of my little speech was that over twenty years ago as a 6th grade teacher at Orchard Elementary School in West Valley City, Utah, I was beginning to notice that people were giving standardized tests much more weight than they merited. I was beginning to notice that parents would glance at the portfolio of student writing and math work that I would assemble for each of my kids.

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I Am Lily, and this is my voice

I’ve been told I should write a “Hi-I’m-Lily-And-Here’s-Why-I’m-Writing-A-Blog” introduction. This is a dangerous assignment.

So I’ll just cut to the chase. I’m blogging because I love to hear the sound of my own voice. It’s a great voice. And I wisely agree with practically everything I have to say and everything I have to say is substantiated by my own opinions.

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I have a lot of opinions about teaching. And learning. And even more about what is Not teaching and what is Not learning. And I’m never shy about sharing, except that it’s frustrating if I’m limited to sharing with the people for whom I am cooking dinner.

And you might never make it to a conference where I am the speaker (I am very, very popular on the education speaking circuit because I am very, very free).

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Public Education is Key to Latino Success

The face of America is changing…But one thing will not change. It hasn’t changed for over 200 years. Public education will continue to be the key—la llave a la puerta de la oportunidad. Everything hinges on public education because NEA’s mission is to take all children, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, income, language, skills or ability or disability; we take all children and give them the keys to the doors they might want to open.

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