For the last decade David Hursh’s writing and political organizing has focused on the dangers of high-stakes testing. His most recent book, High-Stakes Testing and the Decline of Teaching and Learning: The Real Crisis in Education (Rowman and Littlefield, 2008), situates the rise of high-stakes testing in states like Texas and New York, and at the federal level with No Child Left Behind within larger debates about the purposes of education and the nature of society.
Marilyn Cochran-Smith, John E. Cawthorne Professor at Boston College, wrote: "In this unusual book, David Hursh combines rich recollections of classroom teaching with trenchant analysis of the "real crisis" in education today-the neoliberal package of high stakes testing, accountability, markets and privatization. The result is a deeply disturbing but compelling and original book that puts democratic education back where it should be--at the center of discussions about schools and schooling.”
In 1998 Hursh helped start the Coalition for Common Sense in Education, a group of parents, students, and educators working to changed education policy through lobbying in Albany and hosting forums. Some of the speakers the Coalition has funded include Jonathan Kozol, Angela Valenzuela, Deborah Meier, Peter Sacks, Monty Neill, and Susan Ohanian.
Since the publication of his book in March, Hursh has delivered invited talks to numerous groups, including the Rochester Teachers Association, Monroe County School Board Association, and in the Arts and Lectures series at SUNY-Cortland. This upcoming academic year he has been invited to present at universities across the United States.
David Hursh is a Professor at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester.
On October 24, 2015, the U.S. Department of Education released their Testing Action Plan as a response to the increasing concern of parents, teachers, and students that standardized testing is, in their words, “unnecessary,” consumes “too much instructional time” and creates “undue stress for educators and students.” On first reading, Obama and Duncan seem to be saying that they want… Read more →
This is my speech given at Preserving Public Education: The Foundation of Our Democracy, an event organized by teachers from several area school districts. Approximately 650 people were in attendance. Spencerport, New York March 19, 2015 We face a crisis in public education. But, not because the schools are failing. In fact, given the high childhood poverty rate in our cities… Read more →
On May 31st, the Working Families Party, after much debate, endorsed Governor Cuomo for re-election. See http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/nyregion/cuomo-secures-support-of-working-families-party.html?_r=0. However, Cuomo was severely criticized for favoring charter schools over public schools and taking campaign contributions from charter school CEOs and hedge fund managers. For a short analysis of Cuomo’s politics see my article “A cautionary tale: Governor Cuomo and the effort to… Read more →
Public education is under attack in the US and other countries around the world. I am just concluding a two-month trip to New Zealand and Australia speaking and meeting with the heads of national teachers’ unions in both countries, and speaking at four universities. This will be the first of several blogs. The impetus for the trip began simply enough…. Read more →
Testimony for the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Education Chair: Senator John L. Flanagan Public Hearing: The Regents Reform Agenda: “Assessing” Our Progress Buffalo, New York October 16, 2013 David Hursh, Ph. D., Professor, Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York. dhursh@warner.rochester.edu ———————————————————————————————————— My message today is simple: You should not… Read more →
By David Hursh, Warner School Professor and William Cala, past interim Rochester City School District Superintendent Dean Zupan, in his guest essay in the Democrat and Chronicle, compares the RCSD with a local parochial school, McQuaid, and the 22-school network of Cristo Rey Jesuit Schools, claiming that private schools are more successful and cost-effective in educating students. Further, he states… Read more →
As I write this on September 12th, the Chicago teachers are on strike for a third day. In listening to different media reports, many of them focus on salary and class size, issues that do not immediately appear relevant to other districts across the nation. However, there are several issues in which how they are resolved will impact the future… Read more →
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