Opting out in Brooklyn- Fuhgeddaboutit?

As testing season begins in New York, it’s another round of the opt-out wars—well war might be an exaggeration, given that the-opt out percentage is relatively low—let’s say the opt-out melees.  While pundits and shills (myself included) spout slogans and dominate the airwaves, there is a better and deeper conversation taking place between parents. This…


How We Effed up the Common Core

Flying from California to New York and stopping in the middle, I moved from relative balmy and calm debates over the common core to fierce storms.  In CA, implementation was delayed, and relatively smooth, with minimal pushback and very few opt outs from testing.  In other places it is very different with an astounding 20%…