The winner of the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee will be crowned tonight, and all the pomp will be broadcast live on ABC. But it's worth wondering whether the Scripps bee still merits such publicity while the estimable National Geographic Bee (held last week, and hosted by Alex Trebek) goes relatively unnoticed.
Last week's editorial, "The death and life of great American education organizations" captures well the reality of institutional responses to societal conditions, as well as the circumstances-some external, others internal-that cause public organizations to change. Some adjust or adapt, some make radical shifts (which often speed their decline), while still others simply implode.
Editor's note: This commentary is drawn from No Child Left Behind: A Primer (Peter Lang, 2006), available here.
Colleges are reporting that this year's SAT results were significantly lower than those of years past. A problem with the test? Is poor Susie fatigued by the new writing portion? David Kahn, head of a private tutoring company in New York City, doesn't think so.
Bryan C. Hassel, Michelle Godard Terrell, and Julie KowalEducation Sector May 2006
Why do the woes of the Education Commission of the States (ECS) put me in mind of the late Jane Jacobs?
The latest results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in science are out, and they provide compelling evidence that accountability works. The old saying goes that "what gets tested gets taught." That's not quite right; what schools are held accountable for gets taught-and learned.
Few chapters in American history are more painful than the Atlantic slave trade. Historian Sheldon Stern, author of Fordham's Effective State Standards for U.S. History: A 2003 Report Card, is certainly aware of that.
Education bigfeet Deborah Meier and Diane Ravitch have been at odds on school-related issues over the last thirty years. But when they recently met over lunch to prepare for a debate about No Child Left Behind, both were surprised by how much common ground they shared.
National Council on Teacher QualityMay 2006
Massachusetts's most recent test results show that non-native English speakers have trouble functioning in a regular classroom, and bilingual education activists are hyping the news like Don King promoting a Tyson fight.
Last month, when Chicago's South Loop School held elections for its local school council, voters were surprised to witness "a ‘smelly' crew of disheveled men, some reeking of alcohol," punching ballots. The situation further deteriorated when one man asked the school's principal, "Where do we get our five dollars for voting?" Some foul play was afoot.
Katherine L. Hughes and Melinda Mechur KarpAmerican Association of Community Colleges2006
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford thinks he's found the solution to the state's school funding disparities. The Palmetto State's current model, he says, "disadvantages rural South Carolina." But a system "where you were funding kids and you put the money in the kid ... would lead to complete portability ...
A recent St. Petersburg Times survey found that last year over half of the Tampa Bay metro area's teachers considered leaving their jobs, and that "41 percent of teachers with 15-plus years' experience look back on their careers and wish they had chosen another profession." The dissatisfied teachers' complaints weren't all about salaries, either.
As the law now stands, young adults convicted of a drug-related offense are ineligible for federal student aid. It sounds reasonable on the surface. But ultimately, the policy fails on both economic and moral grounds.
This past week brought three signals that Secretary Spellings and her team are emerging from their "flexibility" phase and ready to rumble with the education establishment.
Occasional Paper 119Michael KirstFebruary 2006
U.S. Department of EducationPolicy and Program Studies ServiceApril 2006
Last week, an Oakland superior court judge struck down the Golden State's mandate that all high school students pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to graduate. The class of 2006 is the first to face the requirement.
A lot of American students are firing up their computers to get the tutoring help they need. A typical session goes something like this:An instant messaging-type window opens, and the conversation-often an audio one--begins. "Hello, Brian. This is Ralph. Let's continue last week's review of algebra."
Regarding last week's Gadfly editorial ("Highly qualified data," May 11), I am a special education teacher and have been following for some time the highly qualified (HQ) bandwagon. Only special education teachers must be HQ in both core areas and in special education.
Michael Maxwell, a high school teacher in St. Joseph, Missouri, was suspended from work this week after asking his class to write an essay about the person they would most like to murder and how they would do it.
New York Times columnist David Brooks thinks policymakers are missing the boat. Rather than propose structural remedies such as opening charter schools or implementing vouchers, he says education policymakers should "enter the murky world of psychology and human nature" and talk "about core psychological traits like delayed gratification skills" when trying to spur social change.
Regarding last week’s Gadfly editorial (“It’s all about the authorizers,” May 4), I'm still fuzzy on why authorizers should close popular, legally operating charter schools. The abysmal state of traditional public schools often makes even mediocre charter schools choice-worthy.
Richard the Lionheart is best known as England's "Absent King," and for being the leader of the Third Crusade. Truman Capote, author of In Cold Blood, is credited with inventing the modern American crime novel. And any number of Greek thinkers are remembered for creating the intellectual framework of Western civilization.
Are the worst schools in America about to get an overhaul? Don't count on it.
Whenever the Southern Baptists make the news, I often remember the question about the falling tree in the forest. If there's no one around to listen, does it make any noise?
