K-12 education discussion group

If you're curious or passionate about K-12 education, please join us for a discussion about standardization in education.

Note: I haven't set a date for this meeting yet. I'm looking for a time in mid- to late October, but I'm not sure if a weekday evening or weekend afternoon would be better for people. I'm flexible either way. If you have a preference, please let me know in the comments.

The U.S. has been engaged in standards-based education reform since the 1980s. We've had the No Child Left Behind Act and now the Common Core. Is it working? Does standardizing education make sense?

Proponents of standardization argue that we need standards to increase accountability and provide equity. Without standards, some children will receive higher quality education while others will receive lower quality—sometimes even in the same school building!

Opponents of standardization argue that not all children learn the same way or at the same pace, and education will never be effective unless learners and teachers are empowered to make choices for themselves. Learning must be personally relevant, and we need to respect teachers as professionals.

I've selected a few articles to get the discussion going. These articles are just a jumping off point. If you have other articles on the same topic you'd like to share, send me a note or leave a comment. Thanks!

Should the United States education system standardize the curriculum? (http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-the-united-states-education-system-standardize-the-curriculum)

Standardization Will Destroy Our Education System, If It Hasn’t Already (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-sheninger/standardization-will-dest_b_1703357.html)

Differentiate, Don't Standardize (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/01/14/17noddings-comm.h29.html)

How Public Schools Can Fight Back Against Inequality (https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/02/how-public-schools-can-fight-back-against-inequality/283669/)

Five Ways to Increase Teacher Agency in Professional Development (https://www.edutopia.org/blog/five-ways-increase-teacher-agency-professional-development-anne-obrien)

The purpose of this group is to have a thoughtful discussion in order to develop a deeper understanding of issues affecting K-12 education. My goal is to make the discussion group welcoming for people who drop by once, but also to build a larger dialogue and perhaps come up with some solutions with the people who are able to come regularly.