Author Archives: rmberkman

About rmberkman

This blog is the sole musings of one Robert M. Berkman, an educator who has taught math, science and technology for the past 30 years in New York. You can react to all his posts by emailing him at rants@bltm.com.

Is this the most ignorant article EVER about Common Core Math?

Posted on May 4, 2014 by rmberkman

“Vox” is a website that claims to explain “everything you need to know in two minutes,” but it took me a lot less time than that to figure out this may the stupidest article about the Common Core math program … Continue reading →

Yo, @LouisCK : We Need To Have A Dad-to-Dad Talk About Math, Homework & the CCSS

Posted on May 2, 2014 by rmberkman

Dear Louis CK: Okay, I’m a fan and I love your work. End of fawning admiration. I want to talk to you dad-to-dad about your daughter’s homework, the Common Core, and the fate of the world. Seriously, I do. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Core State Standards, Math Anxiety, Research | 1 Comment

“Waking up on third base” & Why CCSS Boasts Are Hollow

Posted on April 30, 2014 by rmberkman

Jim Hightower, whom many of us in the over-40 set will remember as the plainspoken former Texas politician, once described former “president” George H.W. Bush as someone who “was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.” Hightower was speaking … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Core State Standards, Junk, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Now that she’s got the kids, where to find teachers?

Posted on April 21, 2014 by rmberkman

If you remember a previous post, I pointed out that the Success Academy Charter Schools was advertising for students in some very interesting places, which included my neighborhood of Park Slope, as well as a website where I publish educational materials. … Continue reading →

Posted in charter schools, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Moron VAMs & Non-Cognitive Ability

Posted on April 17, 2014 by rmberkman

In a recent post, I summarized and explicated on research conducted by C. Kirabo Jackson, a professor at Northwestern University, who published a paper that examined the use of test scores to measure the effectiveness of a teacher using the … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Value-Added Model | Leave a comment

Discrepancies #1

Posted on April 16, 2014 by rmberkman

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

One of many nails in the VAM coffin….

Posted on April 14, 2014 by rmberkman

If you’ve read the American Statistical Association’s position on the dangers of evaluating teacher performance based on the “Value-Added Model,” you’re probably wondering how they arrived at this very sobering conclusion. As Albert Einstein was alleged to have stated, “Not … Continue reading →

Posted in Value-Added Model | 9 Comments

The Myth of School Diversity

Posted on April 9, 2014 by rmberkman

I was traveling on the 6 train this morning, which runs up the East Side of Manhattan. I got on at Broadway/Lafayette, and because it was rush-hour, the car was crowded, but more crowded than usual. On the train were … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Thought Experiment: Is there such a thing as an “Ethical” Charter School?

Posted on April 6, 2014 by rmberkman

In my series of rants about charter schools and their discontents, I’ve been accused of being a “lumper” rather than a “splitter.” That is, I’ve been characterizing all charter schools as bastions of segregation, discrimination, military-style “no excuse” discipline systems … Continue reading →

Posted in charter schools | 2 Comments

Annie Murphy Paul: She Ain’t So Brilliant

Posted on April 4, 2014 by rmberkman

I’ve held a long running skepticism of Annie Murphy Paul, most likely because she has made a career writing about something she knows nothing about. I don’t know what qualifies her to pen a book and blog called “Brilliant: The … Continue reading →