Handwringing and head scratching around the 2011 TIMSS and PIRLS results released yesterday continue around the globe. While Western countries show great admiration of the outstanding scores of East Asia and lament on their own abysmal performance, the East Asian education systems, while celebrating their achievement, are worried about something that the media in Western countries rarely mentions. Here are some examples:
Japan:
“But enthusiasm for studying science was below the global average among Japanese second-year junior high students. The fourth-graders interest in arithmetic was also below the world average.” –Japan Times
Singapore:
Nevertheless, …

“America’s Woeful Public Schools: TIMSS Sheds Light on the Need for Systemic Reform”[1]
“Competitors Still Beat U.S. in Tests”[2]
“U.S. students continue to trail Asian students in math, reading, science”[3]
These are a few of the thousands of headlines generated by the release of the 2011 TIMSS and PIRLS results today. Although the results are hardly surprising or news worthy, judging from the headlines, we can expect another global wave of handwringing, soul searching, and calls for reform. But before we do, we should ask how meaningful these scores and rankings are.
“Numbers don’t …

Two Important Research Findings on Children and Trauma Support the Halting of Testing in K-12 Public Schools: An Open Letter to Governor Christie, Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg er
Denny Taylor, Professor of Literacy Studies, Founding Director of the International Center for Everybody’s Child, Hofstra University
11-4-12

Dear Governor Christie, Governor Cuomo, and Mayor Bloomberg,

I write to applaud your rapid response to Hurricane Sandy. You have been decisive in your decision making and tireless in your efforts to care for all those who have suffered because of the brute force of the …

Professor Denny Taylor of Hofstra University asked me to share this. Thanks, Denny.–Yong

November 3, 2012
Recommendations for Administrators and Teachers Responding to Hurricane Sandy:

Hurricane Sandy has created long lasting catastrophic conditions in the North East of the United States. People are making heroic efforts to respond to the emergency.  At hospitals in New York City nurses arrived on Sunday and did not leave until Wednesday evening. On Monday Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of NYC, called on New York teachers to be first responders in public shelters in the city. …