We know from international data—PISA, TIMSS, and so on—that other countries produce more “high achievers” than we do (at least in relation to the
Of all the responses to my “you’re-not-college-material” essay
More than one million students. Sixteen thousand schools. Nearly 10,000 test items. This spring is a critical milestone, as PARCC states make history by participating in field tests. More than the numbers, however, the successful field tests mark a huge shift in how we do testing in this country.
In recent years, policymakers and reform advocates have viewed State Education Agencies (SEAs) as the lead organizations for implementing sweeping reforms and initiatives in K–12 education—everything from Race to the Top grants and federal waivers to teacher-evaluation systems and online schools.
South Carolina has taken today’s testing drama to new heights. A few years back, the governor, chief, and state board chair all agreed to have the Palmetto State become a governing board member of the Smarter Balanced (SBAC) testing consortia. But as other states withdrew and new testing options emerged, the state legislature no longer saw participation in a consortium as necessary.
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2002 was the apotheosis of the standards-assessments-accountability movement, which had been building for about two decades.
A laudatory event takes a weird turn.
Columbus' newspaper pros try two different ways of looking at one education event.
A very important education reform announcement occurred last week, but you probably missed it because of the surprising and unfortunate paucity of coverage.
I try to avoid reading Paul Krugman’s columns because they almost always make me angry, and anger is not something I particularly enjoy. Yet I couldn’t help myself this morning, and the experience proved my point.
The always-terrific Center for Reinventing Public Education continues to lead when it comes to thinking about and cataloguing the changing nature of urban K–12 delivery.
Back in January, a Bloomberg News ranking of the world’s most innovative countries punctured the theory that low U.S.
A few weeks ago, Slate published an article by Mike that argued that reformers’ obsession with college was blinding us to other valid routes to the middle class.
Dallas Independent School District (DISD) superintendent Mike Miles has been on the job in Texas less than two years and he
When it comes to SIG, my mind is obviously made up. So I’d forgive you for skipping anything I write about it; you have every reason to think I’m going to be bearish.
Note: This post is part of our series, "Netflix Academy: The best educational videos available for streaming." Be sure to check out our previous Netflix Academy posts on
The mainstream media has been hyping bills lately (one passed in Indiana and one pending in Oklahoma) that would demand a review of the Common Core State Standards.
Today, New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) announced that longtime CEO Neerav Kingsland will transition out of the organization this summer.
Findings from a fascinating new report on school boards are unintuitive for two big reasons.
While I won't say I'm glad that Indiana (or any other state) is reversing its earlier embrace and spitting in the eye of the Common Core, it grieves me not at all that they now seem to be exiting.
For two decades, path-breaking philanthropies have propelled the growth of charter schools. Today, more than 2.5 million American children attend a charter school, and research has shown that, done well, charters can produce impressive academic results.
With Indiana making changes to the Common Core (and Oklahoma likely to follow), many are turning their attention to Louisiana. While some state legislative sessions began much earlier this year, the Bayou State is just getting started and has long been seen as a potential battleground in the fight over Common Core.
When it comes to education reform, school boards are often the redheaded stepchildren. Over the last two decades, mayors have taken over nearly twenty major urban school systems.
Chad proves to a be a particularly prescient prognosticator of political proposals.
Two bills currently pending in the Ohio General Assembly seek to address the needs of Ohio's high school dropouts, each with a very different focus.
Determining the best way to measure the contributions of teachers/schools to their students' learning gains remains unsettled science. Researchers at Mathematica have tried to provide some clarity.
I’ve long argued that there is a meaningful and important difference between standards and curriculum. Pick your metaphor: The standards set the destination; they don’t define the journey.
