Points of Disagreement and Uncertainty 344 Identifying Constraints 344 The Interpretation of the ... more Points of Disagreement and Uncertainty 344 Identifying Constraints 344 The Interpretation of the Social and Physical Environments 345 In attempting to understand the relationship between culture and cognition. we have found it useful to examine the historical antecedents of our current assumptions about mind. society. and the means by which we can understand their interrelations. Current debates within developmental and cognitive psychology recapitulate. to a stanling degree. debates that occurred within the social sciences a century ago. It is our belief that a reexamination of the nineteenth-century theories of the relationship between mind and society in light of contemporary psychological research yields imponant suggestions for solutions to current p.,ychological debate., and provides a useful staning point for our essay.
Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 2012
The articles in this issue illuminate the perils and promise of the push to develop large-scale d... more The articles in this issue illuminate the perils and promise of the push to develop large-scale data systems fostered by No Child Left Behind (2001) and expanded recently by the Race to the Top federal education program. As the articles by Marsh (2012, this issue) and Jennings (2012, this issue) attest, data are often touted as being the equivalent of an educational Swiss Army knife-a tool fit for a variety of purposes, including informing student, educator, and school accountability; instructional improvement; school choice; teacher compensation; professional development; school budgeting; and other important functions. The effects of data use depend on the comprehensiveness and validity of the measures used to generate results, their suitability for the purposes being served, the ability of users to make appropriate and valid inferences, and the ability of the system and individuals within it to respond to the results in a timely and effective manner (Jennings, 2012; Marsh, 2012; Supovitz, 2012, this issue). Murnane, City, and Singleton (2008) summarized the multiple challenges districts face to meet these challenges in an article describing the design and use of the MyBPS data system in Boston Public Schools. While citing considerable progress over the course of this effort, Murnane and his colleagues emphasized the time needed to create the right mix of assessments, develop the analytic capabilities of staff (teachers, principals, central office administrators, and so on), and generate the portfolio of tools required to address the needs the data revealed. On this last point, Murnane et al. underscored the difficulty that Boston Public
The New York City Working Group on School Transformation brought together education practitioners... more The New York City Working Group on School Transformation brought together education practitioners, school reformers, policy-makers, advocates, and parent and student leaders to propose alternatives to the school closings policy of the New York City Department of Education (DOE). (See the list of Working Group members in Appendix 1.) The group was initiated by the New York City Coalition for Educational Justice and coordinated by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform following the fall 2011 conference Effective Alternatives to School Closings: Transforming Struggling Schools in New York City. This report presents the Working Group's conclusions about the limitations of school closings and a set of recommendations for systemic responses to the needs of struggling schools
Annenberg Institute for School Reform January 2013, as this issue of VUE goes to press, marks the... more Annenberg Institute for School Reform January 2013, as this issue of VUE goes to press, marks the beginning of a new presidential term – a good opportunity to gather ideas, reflect on what’s working and what needs improvement, and rethink policies. The year 2013 also marks the Annenberg Institute’s twentieth anniversary of research and capacity building in support of equity and excellence in urban public education, working side by side with a broad range of partners across the nation. We have learned a great deal in those two decades – both from our successes and from our disappointments. Informed by those experiences, my AISR colleagues and I present the thirty-sixth issue of VUE – featuring, for the first time, AISR authors for all the articles – to share our recommendations for the next four years of federal education policy.
Before I begin the substance of my remarks, I would like to reveal some of my background because ... more Before I begin the substance of my remarks, I would like to reveal some of my background because it will explain the views I am about to share. I am usually described as an expert on urban education. During the past ten years I have been involved in urban school reform, ...
Points of Disagreement and Uncertainty 344 Identifying Constraints 344 The Interpretation of the ... more Points of Disagreement and Uncertainty 344 Identifying Constraints 344 The Interpretation of the Social and Physical Environments 345 In attempting to understand the relationship between culture and cognition. we have found it useful to examine the historical antecedents of our current assumptions about mind. society. and the means by which we can understand their interrelations. Current debates within developmental and cognitive psychology recapitulate. to a stanling degree. debates that occurred within the social sciences a century ago. It is our belief that a reexamination of the nineteenth-century theories of the relationship between mind and society in light of contemporary psychological research yields imponant suggestions for solutions to current p.,ychological debate., and provides a useful staning point for our essay.
Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 2012
The articles in this issue illuminate the perils and promise of the push to develop large-scale d... more The articles in this issue illuminate the perils and promise of the push to develop large-scale data systems fostered by No Child Left Behind (2001) and expanded recently by the Race to the Top federal education program. As the articles by Marsh (2012, this issue) and Jennings (2012, this issue) attest, data are often touted as being the equivalent of an educational Swiss Army knife-a tool fit for a variety of purposes, including informing student, educator, and school accountability; instructional improvement; school choice; teacher compensation; professional development; school budgeting; and other important functions. The effects of data use depend on the comprehensiveness and validity of the measures used to generate results, their suitability for the purposes being served, the ability of users to make appropriate and valid inferences, and the ability of the system and individuals within it to respond to the results in a timely and effective manner (Jennings, 2012; Marsh, 2012; Supovitz, 2012, this issue). Murnane, City, and Singleton (2008) summarized the multiple challenges districts face to meet these challenges in an article describing the design and use of the MyBPS data system in Boston Public Schools. While citing considerable progress over the course of this effort, Murnane and his colleagues emphasized the time needed to create the right mix of assessments, develop the analytic capabilities of staff (teachers, principals, central office administrators, and so on), and generate the portfolio of tools required to address the needs the data revealed. On this last point, Murnane et al. underscored the difficulty that Boston Public
The New York City Working Group on School Transformation brought together education practitioners... more The New York City Working Group on School Transformation brought together education practitioners, school reformers, policy-makers, advocates, and parent and student leaders to propose alternatives to the school closings policy of the New York City Department of Education (DOE). (See the list of Working Group members in Appendix 1.) The group was initiated by the New York City Coalition for Educational Justice and coordinated by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform following the fall 2011 conference Effective Alternatives to School Closings: Transforming Struggling Schools in New York City. This report presents the Working Group's conclusions about the limitations of school closings and a set of recommendations for systemic responses to the needs of struggling schools
Annenberg Institute for School Reform January 2013, as this issue of VUE goes to press, marks the... more Annenberg Institute for School Reform January 2013, as this issue of VUE goes to press, marks the beginning of a new presidential term – a good opportunity to gather ideas, reflect on what’s working and what needs improvement, and rethink policies. The year 2013 also marks the Annenberg Institute’s twentieth anniversary of research and capacity building in support of equity and excellence in urban public education, working side by side with a broad range of partners across the nation. We have learned a great deal in those two decades – both from our successes and from our disappointments. Informed by those experiences, my AISR colleagues and I present the thirty-sixth issue of VUE – featuring, for the first time, AISR authors for all the articles – to share our recommendations for the next four years of federal education policy.
Before I begin the substance of my remarks, I would like to reveal some of my background because ... more Before I begin the substance of my remarks, I would like to reveal some of my background because it will explain the views I am about to share. I am usually described as an expert on urban education. During the past ten years I have been involved in urban school reform, ...
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