Finnish Lessons: What We Learned from Pasi Sahlberg

May 16, 2014 by

By Lisa Guisbond

We all got a taste of Finnish education from Pasi Sahlberg Wednesday night, and boy did it taste good! In describing his country’s approach to school reform, the Finnish educator and author filled First Parish Church with hope and optimism by showing us “some new ideas about what is possible, not just about what is wrong.”

Pasi did not shy away from critiquing the ways U.S. education reform has gone astray. “You are testing your kids too much, it is too expensive, and it has negative consequences for students.” (According to Pasi, an expression I thought was a piece of American folk wisdom is also used in Finland: “Weighing the pig doesn’t make it fatter.” The difference is, in Finland, they take this to heart!)

Pasi described a system that spends less than the U.S. Nevertheless, it gives all schools equitable resources, has well-trained and highly respected teachers, little standardized testing, and recognizes children’s need for play and creative expression.   → Read More

Filed Under: Achievement Gap, Education, Education-Other Tagged With: , , , ,

CPS Presents Pasi Sahlberg, May 14 in Harvard Square

April 8, 2014 by

We are excited to present a talk by Pasi Sahlberg, author of Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland? and now a visiting lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Pasi has been a teacher, a teacher educator and educational coach and advisor for many years. He has become a global ambassador for Finland’s successful approach to school reform, one that is radically different from the test-driven, top-down reforms many of us have been resisting here in Massachusetts and across the United States.

You won’t want to miss this important event. Click here to register online today. Spread the word to your friends and colleagues. Click here for a downloadable flyer to post and share.    → Read More

Filed Under: Charter Schools, Education, Education-Other

What We Know: Opting Out of PARCC Pilot Tests

March 12, 2014 by

1)    The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) voted this fall to begin pilot testing PARCC exams to see if we should move from our current MCAS tests to these new exams. The plan is to include 15% of the state’s students in approximately 2/3 of state schools. (For more, see our PARCC test fact sheet, here.)

2)    Is opting out an option? More and more parents, teachers, school committee members and superintendents believe parents should be able to decide whether their children participate in these trials.   → Read More

Filed Under: Education, Education-Other Tagged With: ,

CPS Public Comment on Discipline Regulations

March 7, 2014 by

CPS submitted public comment on proposed regulations to implement the Chapter 222 law on student discipline. The law attempts to ensure students facing exclusion from school have access to alternative educational programming so they can continue to make academic progress. It also aims to increase fairness and reduce the number and length of student exclusions. CPS and other groups weighed in to ensure regulations from the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education support these goals. Here are our comments:

Elizabeth Harris
Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
75 Pleasant St.
Malden, MA 02148
Re: Chapter 222 Proposed Regulations
Dear Ms. Harris:

For 32 years, Citizens for Public Schools (CPS) has worked to promote, preserve and protect public schools and public education.  Key to this mission is ensuring equal access and educational opportunities for every child, and making sure that every student has a well-rounded public education that meets the needs of the whole child.

   → Read More
Filed Under: Education-Other

CPS Joins Testing Resistance & Reform Spring

February 20, 2014 by

Campaigns against the overuse and misuse of standardized testing are exploding across the nation. Many parents, teachers, students and activists agree that one-size-fits-all exams produce narrow, misleading snapshots of U.S. children and public schools. State and local policy makers are starting to heed their constituents’ message by reducing testing overkill.

Now, major groups seeking to overhaul assessment have allied to help win more policy changes. Today, they announced the launch of “Testing Resistance & Reform Spring.” Citizens for Public Schools is proud to be a partner in this important campaign.

Testing Resistance & Reform Spring (TRRS) seeks to ensure that assessment contributes to all students having access to a high-quality education. The core theme is, “Enough is Enough: Less Testing, More Learning.” The alliance unites grassroots boycotts, rallies, opt-out organizing, town hall forums, petition drives and legislative campaigns around three fundamental goals:

  • Stop high-stakes use of standardized tests;
  •  Reduce the number of standardized exams; and
  •   Replace multiple-choice tests with performance-based assessments.
   → Read More
Filed Under: Education-Other
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