Commentary
NCLB giveth, Spellings taketh away
The Washington Post reported Monday that No Child Left Behind has pressured schools to raise the achievement of students with disabilities.
Commentary
Crash course
Buckle up and hold on. Not only has Baltimore's schools chief Andres Alonso pushed through plans that would slash the number of his district's central-office jobs, but he also won approval last week to create five new combined middle/high schools (which will be run by outside operators) and require the staff at three other Baltimore schools to reapply for their jobs.
Commentary
Making Professional Conduct in Education More Intelligent: Using Knowledge and Skills to Enhance Moral Sensibilities (Dispositions)
Jack Benniga, Mary Diez, Erskine Dottin, Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Peter Murrell, Hugh SockettTeacher Education as a Moral CommunityFebruary 2008
Commentary
Students First: Renewing Hope for California's Future
Governor's Committee on Education ExcellenceNovember 2007
Commentary
A catalyst for high-school reform
Despite enormous efforts to improve high schools, progress has been slow and uneven. But one important educational innovation, virtual schooling, can greatly accelerate the pace of reform.
Commentary
Traditional math > arithmetic
Just like many education philanthropists, education reporters tend to tread carefully around issues of curriculum and pedagogy. It's not hard to understand why; anyone who spends their working lives outside of the classroom is naturally leery about appearing to tell teachers how to do their jobs (myself included).
Commentary
On imitation and flattery
President Bush's "Pell Grants for Kids" proposal was dead on arrival but may nonetheless have a positive impact.
Commentary
Reading First: Replace the rug
Thank you ever so much for Sol Stern's fabulous analysis of Reading First and rebuttal to Bob Slavin. And thank you for turning the spotlight on Slavin's posturing and self-interest and on the U.S.
Commentary
Smart accountability, perhaps
Florida state Senator Don Gaetz is pushing a bill that would grade high schools by measures other than just the state test, the FCAT.
Commentary
Wrong about SES
In a "Friday Guest Column" at Edbizbuzz, the AFT's Nancy Van Meter goes on the attack against supplemental services providers.
Commentary
Peddling hate in Iran's classrooms
Iran's students are being taught the virtues of Islamic world supremacy and jihadism. This is the conclusion of a major new study on Iranian textbooks by Freedom House (read the full story here).
Commentary
Cahoots?
New Yorkers got a dose of d??j?? vu yesterday when New York's new governor, David A. Paterson, and his wife Michelle held a press conference to discuss their marital infidelities.
Commentary
Playing hooky
Ed Week reports on an interesting new study showing the impact of teacher absences on students: "taking into account the effects on student achievement that might be produced by various characteristics of the teachers,