Bob Houghtaling
How to assess education without high stakes tests
As part of of graduate school seminar class, a professor asked me to name three important figures in counseling/psychology and what I learned from them. With all respect to Rogers, Freud, Jung, Ellis and Skinner, my answer centered on a few non-traditional types. Magic Johnson, Bill Cosby and my grandmother were probably not the answers [...]
Get education reform debate out of The Cave
Deborah Gist has become a lightening rod for the electricity surrounding the Department of Education’s school reform measures. While many politicians and business leaders extoll the commissioner’s virtues, this is often counter-balanced by teachers, parents and students who claim that her policies hurt many kids. Back and forth we go. Sometimes I think that we [...]
What are we racing to the top of?
With all the fuss about high stakes testing, the biggest shame is that the Department of Education is telling us that the measure is the answer. A ruler never helped anyone grow an inch. Something other than the test needs to be looked at when 64 percent of the Hispanic or Latino population will not [...]
What’s wrong with the ed. reform movement
While it is great that so much emphasis is being placed on the misuse of NECAP testing there is much more that needs to be looked at regarding how our present youth population is treated by the education system. Recent studies indicate that nearly 1 in 5 school aged youth are taking prescription medications. In [...]
Students Statewide Should Boycott NECAP
It is a bright autumn day in early to mid October. Students from all over the state are sitting quietly in rows. On their desks are booklets and number 2 pencils. It’s NECAP time. Soon the teacher gives the O.K. to begin and in unison kids take out a book and begin reading instead. Thus [...]
The Unemployed: Jesus, Socrates, Buddha, Gandhi
Jesus, Socrates, Buddha and Gandhi all had long periods of unemployment. Sure these guys were once employed as a carpenter, soldier, prince and lawyer but they are best remembered for their years of wandering around and being unemployed. In fact, their unemployment played a key role in the successes each had. Would Jesus have had [...]
The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
It’s been said in jest that ‘the beatings will continue until morale improves.’ But to some this seems increasingly to be the Rhode Island’s guiding principle as it tries to improve its struggling public education system. One of the most salient concerns has to do with importance of standardized tests. Recently we learned that almost [...]
38 Studios Debacle: RI’s Own Green Monster
Curt Schilling was a magnificent baseball player for a number of years. He was instrumental in removing the Curse of the Bambino for the Red Sox, and who can ever forget the ‘Bloody Sock’? Great stuff indeed. While it is evident that Mr. Schilling displayed significant talent on the diamond, his recent exploration into the [...]
Americans Care for Political Parties More than Policies
Imagine turning on your car radio and hearing of the baseball trade of the century. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox had just traded their entire rosters to each other. That’s right, Jeter and Rivera are now Red Sox and Pedroia and Lester will suit-up for the Bronx Bombers. How do you [...]
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