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Nancy Bailey's Education Website

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What I Believe Emily Hanford Misses About Reading

November 6, 2022 By Nancy Bailey 21 Comments

Emily Hanford has brought attention to reading, including several new podcasts, Sold a Story, claiming children have been harmed for years by reading instruction. She singles out programs she says failed. The stories about children are compelling. But she leaves out some history, and I don’t think she’s ever critical of any of the many […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Common Core, Data Collection, IDEA, Online Instruction, Privacy Concerns, public school reform, Reading First, Resource Class, retention, teachers

9 Concerns About the Science of Reading: Why It’s Not Settled Science!

October 16, 2022 By Nancy Bailey 27 Comments

In public schools, good reading instruction for all children is imperative. Understandably, parents and teachers want to do the right thing to help children excel at reading and learning. On that point, we all agree. States are passing Science of Reading (SoR) legislation claiming it’s evidence-based instruction, settled science, to address what appear to be […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Common Core State Standards and the Science of Reading, kindergarten expectations, National Reading Panel (NRP), No Child Left Behind and the Science of Reading, or else, preschool reading readiness, Reading and the Corporate Connection, Reading First, retention, teachers replaced by technology, third grade reading

3rd Grade Reading Laws Are Harmful

September 21, 2020 By Nancy Bailey 3 Comments

By Stefanie Rysdahl Fuhr Many states insist that students read by third grade. If students have difficulties they might be retained. Students might master reading later. They should not be punished if they aren’t reading perfectly in third grade. Last spring I sent this letter to my state legislators.  Feel free to use it as […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: 3rd grade reading, 3rd grade reading laws, reading, reading assessment, retention, science of reading

The Haunted Third Grade Classrooms Children Fear: Enter and… Stay Forever!

October 29, 2019 By Nancy Bailey 4 Comments

Children fear third grade retention. It doesn’t motivate them to learn. They don’t read earlier because of it. Retention is not effective. It’s scary and could haunt a child forever. Third grade retention laws are real for children in nineteen states. NEA Reports noted in 2017 that 16 states and Washington D.C. make it mandatory that […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: dyslexia, expectations, Flunking, high-stakes testing, retention, third grade, third grade retention

It’s Time to Erase Harmful, Recycled Education Policy!

October 4, 2019 By Nancy Bailey 5 Comments

Serious education issues in public schools are recycled because the ulterior motive of some is to end public education. Research is repeatedly ignored. Why are school administrators clueless? How is it that legislators repeatedly recreate policy we know is harmful for students? Each heading contains a link to proof. End Retention. Research is clear that […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: 3rd Grade Retention, Alternative Strategies to Retention, high-stakes testing, Homework/busywork, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, kindergarten, Kindergarten is the New First Grade, libraries and librarians, nonstop online testing, online behavioral data, retention, teacher qualifications, the arts

My Blogging Anniversary: How Has School Reform Changed in Five Years?

August 21, 2018 By Nancy Bailey 17 Comments

I recently passed the five-year anniversary of when I started writing my blog. What has changed? In this post, I analyze some of the issues I’ve written about over the years. Then, I thank you for your support. Change or lack of change in education can seem dark and foreboding, but there’s a great deal […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: 5th year anniversary, charter schoos, class size, Common Core, data, early childhood education, reading, recess, retention, Social Emotional Learning, special education, standardized testing, Technology, the arts, vouchers

FORCE & FLUNK: Destroying a Child’s Love of Reading—and Their Life

October 9, 2017 By Nancy Bailey 40 Comments

We are now in the dangerous era of FORCE & FLUNK when it comes to children and reading. Here’s how it works. FORCE A frenzy surrounding reading is caused by school reformers and the media, claiming children are not learning to read fast enough. Kindergarten is the new first grade, automatically making preschool the new […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Flunking, kindergarten, preschool, Pushing children to read too early, reading, Reading Programs, retention, Technology

What’s Scary to Kids: Having Dyslexia and Being Held Back in Third Grade!

October 31, 2016 By Nancy Bailey 3 Comments

You thought I forgot Halloween because I posted earlier today? No. Here is an old post that is unfortunately still relevant today. There is no point in rewriting what is already said. Happy Halloween! Have fun and stay safe out there! ___________________________________________________________________ With certain states jumping on the retention bandwagon, even though we know retention […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Accountability, dyslexia, high-stakes testing, retention, Scary, third grade

Michigan to Retain Children with Lead Poisoning

October 7, 2016 By Nancy Bailey 3 Comments

Michigan has a lead problem with its children in Flint, and a governor who failed badly his own accountability test. Many wonder why he is still governor. Some wonder why he isn’t in jail. But yesterday he signed off on a bill to fail third graders. How many children in Flint will wind up failing […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Failure, Governor Snyder, Michigan, Michigan Legislators, retention, third grade

Arizona Fails its Children!

July 13, 2016 By Nancy Bailey 14 Comments

Arizona is holding back 1,400 third graders. I guess they are following Florida’s misguided lead. The Arizona Department of Education said the third-graders did not pass the math and English portions of the Arizona’s Measurement of Educational Readiness to Inform Teaching — AzMERIT — test. (KTAR News) Expect More Arizona seems O.K. with the failures. Here […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Arizona, Dropping Out, Expect More Arizona, Failure, Mandatory Retention, Reasons Retention is Bad for Children, retention, Social Promotion, Strategies to Avoid Retention, third grade, Wrightslaw

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Author, Ph.D. Ed. Leadership and longtime teacher, Blogging for Kids, Teachers, Parents & Democratic Public Schools.

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dianeravitch Diane Ravitch 🇺🇸🇺🇦🌈 @dianeravitch ·
17 Jan

A must-read. School choice started as a means of resisting the Brown decision and racial desegregation. https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2021/01/14/the-dark-history-of-school-choice/

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vfleischfresser Vaughan Fleischfresser @vfleischfresser ·
25 Jan

The cutting of music has to stop. The reduction of funding has to stop. The devaluing of music has to stop. The idea that it’s an ‘extra’ has to stop. The idea that it’s not academic has to stop. The idea that it’s not essential to education has to stop. It all has to stop. Now.

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tygersongbird TygerSongbird 💜 🂡 ♠️🏹 @tygersongbird ·
26 Jan

Most boardroom meetings don't even have 35 people in them. Yet, Republicans want teachers to teach over 50 kids. That is insane. Most days in class, I didn't have enough desks or space for those desks. So, how can we put more kids in these classes? There will be no walking space. https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1617516564432961537

The Tennessee Holler @TheTNHoller

😳WATCH: “Class size limits could soon be a thing of the past in Tennessee.”

As Republicans steer💰from underfunded public schools to private
ones in a teacher shortage, senator @lundbergjon (R) wants to make it worse. (TEACHER: “A catastrophe.”)

FULL: https://www.wymt.com/2023/01/21/more-kids-classrooms-its-possible-tennessee/

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joshcowenmsu Josh Cowen @joshcowenmsu ·
25 Jan

Having failed at drumming up even artificial support for DeVos #schoolvouchers in #miched, it seems bored Right-wing PACs are organizing around—wait for it—keeping 3rd grade retention in place #mileg 🤦‍♂️

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plthomasedd Paul Thomas @plthomasedd ·
25 Jan

The #scienceofreading movement is yet another anti-teacher movement in education reform. Just like TFA, charter schools, and the VAM-era of Michelle Rhee. Bashing veteran teachers and teacher educators and coaxing new teachers with false blame and false narratives

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