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Commentary
10.31.2002

Education's Mirth Dearth

Chester E. Finn, Jr.

The following are among the responses generated by last week's editorial, "Education's mirth dearth," which invited readers to proffer theories on why educators are a solemn bunch.

Commentary
10.30.2002

The autism boogeyman

Greg Forster

Recently, the New York Times showered attention on a new study from the M.I.N.D. Institute at U.C. Davis, giving it front-page news play and devoting an editorial to hand-wringing over its findings. Numerous other publications accorded it prominent attention, too, and just this week Senator Barbara Boxer cited it while arguing for new federal initiatives on autism.

Commentary
10.30.2002

Testing backlash in key gubernatorial races

Democratic gubernatorial candidates in at least five key races - including Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Texas - are pledging to curtail their states' use of standardized tests to evaluate student and school performance and as accountability instruments.

Commentary
10.30.2002

Education's mirth dearth

Chester E. Finn, Jr.

You may laugh at the antics and costumes of the youthful spooks who beat a path to your door this evening in search of sweets, but when's the last time you had a really good giggle sitting at an education conference or reading one of this field's innumerable journals and newsletters? Why is there so little humor in educator-land?

Commentary
10.30.2002

Paige warns states not to lower standards to foil NCLB

Last week, Education Secretary Rod Paige warned state officials not to attempt to skirt the intent of "No Child Left Behind" by lowering standards or redefining proficiency to ease the impact of the law's accountability provisions.

Commentary
10.30.2002

Greater Expectations

Chester E. Finn, Jr.

Association of American Colleges and UniversitiesOctober 2002

Commentary
10.30.2002

Cracking the education monopoly with vouchers

With the blessing of the Zelman decision, the last big civil rights battle - enabling poor minority children to attend good schools - can now begin in earnest, writes Sol Stern in the autumn issue of City Journal.

Commentary
10.22.2002

The MCAS appeals process: deliberately difficult?

Some 12,000 students - or 19 percent - of the Bay State's high school class of 2003 may be denied diplomas after repeatedly failing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams.

Commentary
10.22.2002

Rookie superintendents share their battle stories

During the 2001-2001 school year, nearly one-fifth of the nation's superintendents were newcomers to this demanding role. The American Association of School Administrators contacted six of these rookies with diverse backgrounds and asked each to keep a journal of his or her experiences as a first-year superintendent.

Commentary
10.22.2002

PTA fights for relevance, membership

A long article in Sunday's Los Angeles Times describes the Parent-Teacher Association's struggle to survive declining membership and increasing demands on parents' time and energy.

Commentary
10.22.2002

Massachusetts approves controversial history guidelines

This week, the Massachusetts' Board of Education unanimously approved new K-12 history standards despite criticism that the guidelines were rushed and weighted more heavily toward facts than concepts. The state maintains that the public had ample time to offer input, as the standards' two-year development included numerous meetings with teachers and community groups.

Commentary
10.22.2002

New York City's poorest students receive the least Title I money

An unintended consequence of a 1994 rule governing Title I - the largest federal education aid program - is that New York City's poorest boroughs receive far less money per disadvantaged student than other boroughs with lesser concentrations of poor kids.

Commentary
10.22.2002

California's education awards cancelled for this year

California's budget crisis has dried up funds for the state's highly touted education awards program, which will not be distributed this academic year, Governor Gray Davis's administration announced last week.