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Quote by Nicholas Lemann

“Profound question is how do you measure the non-skills component of what goes on in schools: values, curiosity, critical thinking, and so on. That's very tough. Maybe everything worthwhile can't be measured.”

Quote by Nicholas Lemann

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Nicholas Lemann
Nicholas Lemann

Nicholas Lemann is an American writer known for his profound insights into educational, media, and social issues. His work often delves into educational reform and the changes in the news industry. more

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“I am always suspicious of the formulation that "politics" has prevented a great idea from being enacted by government. Politics IS government, in a democratic society. It's a challenge for school reformers, like reformers in any realm, to build a popular constituency for their work. If the people it's supposed to benefit vote against it, that tells me that the person pushing reform lacks political skill. And political skill is a good thing.”

PeopleIfsPersonsIdeasGovernmentSchoolPoliticalChallengesSkillsBenefitsVoteGood ThingsDemocraticReformRealmsPushingSuspiciousGreat IdeaDemocratic SocietyReformersGovernment Politics
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“I am not against standardized tests. There are tests and tests and tests, and, to simplify, the ones I favor are criterion-referenced tests of skills, aligned with the curriculum. Social and emotional skills are important but skills are too. I find it heartbreaking that this is so often seen as an either-or choice. To get to the richness of studying literature, for example, you must first be an adept and confident reader. Whether you are is something a good test can measure.”

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“In the current environment, attributing low student performance to teacher tenure is one of the great unproven causal links out there. The relationship just hasn't been examined very carefully, but we should all recognize that in higher education the strongest institutions generally have the most robust tenure systems, and in elementary and secondary, the states with the strongest teacher unions (and tenure systems) tend to have the highest student performance.”

ShouldStatesEnvironmentTeacherStudentsHigherHighestLowsPerformancesInstitutionsUnionsCurrentsStrongestLinksRobustHigher EducationTenureTeachers Unions
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“One of the most consistent findings about low performing schools and students is that "home variables" (parental income and education, etc.) are more predictive than "school variables." But, having said that, we as a society can have much more effect on the school variables than on the home variables, so it's important and valuable to focus on the question of which interventions in schools are most effective and which are least effective.”

SaidImportantHomeSchoolFocusEffectsStudentsFindingsLowsValuableIncomePerformingConsistentEtcInterventionVariablesParental
Author:Nicholas Lemann
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