Weekend Reads: Against ‘grit,’ the trait that was supposed to save poor kids

  • Are teachers leaving schools because of current education policies? The data suggest not. (Teacher Pensions)
  • A new book looks for lessons in Nashville’s cycle of segregation, desegregation, and resegregation. (American Prospect)
  • A Newark public school teacher who sends her child to a local charter school explains why. (Star-Ledger)
  • Two takes on why Detroit’s dysfunction might portend the future for other American districts. (Vice and The Atlantic)
  • Angela Duckworth says the concept of “grit” that she popularized — and documents in a new book — has taken on a life of its own. (NY Mag)
  • An analysis of more than a century of “grit theory” concludes that it’s not good for poor kids. (Answer Sheet)
  • Grittiness might not be good for other people to exalt, either. (Slate)
  • ESPN broadcast a Mathletes competition this week and it was intense. (Deadspin)
  • Teach For America is ending its yearlong experiment in training corps members in cultural competency. (Teacher Beat)
  • Here are tips for how to pronounce students’ names correctly, from a teacher trying to help her colleagues do better. (Learning the Language)
  • Lots of states that originally planned to use shared Common Core exams are backing out and creating their own tests — fast. (Chalkbeat)
  • A purportedly grassroots group that protests hedge fund involvement in education has close ties to New York’s teachers union. (The 74 Million)
  • Educators are rarely taught about the science of learning, according to some people hoping to shake up how teachers are trained. (Hechinger Report)