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Connections

Coming Up On Connections: Friday, April 8th

engageny.org

First hour: The debate over state testing and the opt-out movement

Second hour: Erika Christakis, author of The Importance of Being Little

The so-called "opt-out" movement is back and appears to be just as strong as last year, when thousands of New York State students sat out the ELA and Math tests. This week, significant numbers of students have once again refused to take the tests. What are the implications? Why are many parents supporting the tests, while others are vocally opposing them? Our panel debates it. Our guests:

  • Stephen Sigmund, executive director of High Achievement New York
  • Sam Radford, pro-testing advocate and head of the Buffalo District Parent Coordinating Council and the New York Parent Alliance for Learning Standards
  • Eileen Graham, co-founder of Black Student Leadership
  • Ronald Hall, co-founder of Black Student Leadership

In our second hour, what does the increasing emphasis on testing do to our pre-schoolers? Erika Christakis is the author of The Importance of Being Little: What Preschoolers Really Need from Grownups. Her book is an examination of how we expect kids to learn, and why we tend to de-emphasize play and creativity. We'll talk about the consequences and the changes she would prefer. Our guests:

  • Erika Christakis, author of The Importance of Being Little
  • Debbie McCoy, assistant vice president for education at The Strong National Museum of Play
Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.