MMD: Skepticism in edGood Morning and Happy Monday! This week, take a look at skepticism in the world of education. Standardized tests, baby boomers and college rankings are among the top stories today.

We begin this week with a look at standardized testing. Some parents have begun to question this method of ranking students, citing “unnecessary” stress and fears that the corporate world is “overriding” education. Others are skeptical of the fact that the results are often used to evaluate the quality of teachers; a metric the tests weren’t necessarily designed to assess. From whispers along the grapevine of K-12 education, opposition has been growing quickly, thanks to social media. For more on what can amount to an “act of civil disobedience,” please read more…
More Parents Opting Children Out of Standardized Tests (Education Week)

DIY College Rankings (Chronicle of Higher Ed.)
Who to better trust in ranking higher education institutions than the consumers themselves? That’s the thoughts of College Factual, which will allow users to select their own criteria and in effect, make their own personal ranked list. Can this ranking system be trusted?

Answers for Middle-Aged Seekers of MOOCs, Part I (NY Times) — Thank you Joe C. for the link
Regardless of whether it’s for tertiary or lifelong learning, Baby Boomers are becoming less skeptical of what MOOCs have to offer and have been joining the surge. This New York Times series scratches the surface with its first installment, an interview with Duke University English Professor, Cathy Davidson.

Have a great week! In other news…
No Child Left Untableted (NYTimes) — Thanks Jeff for the link
What is the Goal of the American Education System? (Education Week)
Learning: A Holistic View (Education Week)

Photo Credit: PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE via photopin CC BY NC ND 2.0

2 thoughts on “MMD: Skepticism in Education

    1. Is there a particular article you need? Everything should be linked from the post, although we’ve had to update one of the links that had been broken.

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