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Were it not for the fact that you’re reading these words, chances are you’d never have heard of AB 2999, a bill authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D. – Chatsworth) that would require every California public school district, county office of education, and charter school to develop a homework policy in compliance with…

On March 19, 2024, CAPSO’s leaders assembled in Sacramento for the spring meeting of the Association’s board of directors. As has become a matter of longstanding practice, regular business was conducted during the morning portion of the meeting and, following lunch, board members organized themselves into three teams and made pre-arranged visits to the…

Decades ago, while still in grad school, I read a book that left a lasting impression. Written by Alan Nairn, then a young associate of Ralph Nader, The Reign of ETS contained what struck me as a stinging criticism of what was then known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test – a…

How do we know whether an 8th-grade student is proficient in science? (Ditto for reading, math, or any other content area.) Who decides, and on what basis are such determinations made? Obviously, some form of assessment is required in order to meaningfully answer such questions. But how are assessments developed? How do we know…

With roughly three million members, the National Education Association is the largest labor union in the United States. When the American Federation of Teachers‘ 800,000 members are added to that figure, their combined membership is nearly double that of the next largest union – the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). NEA and…