For all of the talk about how different reading instruction is meant to be in the Common Core era, and for all of the hand wringing over the critical “instructional shifts” embedded in the new literacy standards, a glimpse at the world of classroom implementation reveals that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Competition is healthy in many areas of American life, including education.
How can cities with copious educational choices make those options work better for families?
Three recent news stories you might have missed.
COLLEGES AND THE COMMON COREA New America Foundation policy paper finds that colleges and universities are behind in meaningfully aligning their instruction and teacher-prep programs with the Common Core. (Hechinger Report)
Here’s a suggestion for something to include in Wisconsin-specific education standards for Wisconsin children:By the end of first grade, children will know that two Badgers plus two Badgers equals four Badgers.You want Indiana-specific standards for Indiana kids? By the end of first grade, children will know that two Hoosiers plus two Hoosiers equals four Hoosiers.
The second part of our look at the possible data correlation between eighth-grade proficiency and college remediation.
Twelve years ago, my wife and I went back to school. Not the same one, though: she went to medical school and I went to education school. I don’t think I’ll shock even the gentlest reader by asserting that the former was harder than the latter, but I would like to offer a glimpse of how differently rigorous they were.
Repost of a blog by Tom Vander Ark that appeared on the Getting Smart website on July 16, 2014.
COLLEGE READINESSA new study finds that toughening high school exit criteria did not increase the likelihood that graduates would go on to college. (Inside School Research) MO’ MONEY, MO’ PROBLEMS
It feels like there are two very different charter-school conversations going on. The first is about policy and practice; the other is about philosophy and politics. Both have their place. But a recent collection of events and articles demonstrate why it’s important to understand the difference between the two.
OKLAHOMA AND THE COMMON COREThe Oklahoma Supreme Court is hearing arguments on the state’s Common Core repeal. (Associated Press) PHILLY SCHOOL FUNDING
One of the great misconceptions in education is that the reform movement is monolithic. There have always been competing camps, often defined on ideological grounds. Conservatives and libertarians tend to stress school choice, for example; liberals are much more comfortable with an intrusive federal role.
Articles of the week from the Education GadflyWhither the NEA?Chester E. Finn, Jr. | July 9, 2014 | Flypaper
I’ve never been to the annual conference of the National Education Association and I’ve never regretted it, but it would have been fun to be a fly on the chandelier at last week’s shindig in Denver.
Just as the education-reform movement is starting to figure out how to use test-score data in a more sophisticated way, the Obama administration and its allies in the civil-rights community want to take us back to the Stone Age on the use of school-discipline data. This is an enormous mistake.
Common Core standards mean freedom to many teachers. Here's why.
We take a look at the results of a recent survey of the public's attitudes toward the state of education in America.
The most interesting story coming out of the landmark Vergara and Harris deci
TEACHER TENUREOn Thursday, an advocacy group filed a lawsuit challenging New York City’s teacher-tenure laws. (New York Times) TEACHER EQUITY
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
Bad ideas in education are like horror movie monsters. You think you’ve killed them, but they refuse to stay dead.A generation ago, the infamous “reading wars” pitted phonics-based instruction in the early grades against “whole language,” which emphasized reading for meaning instead of spelling, grammar, and sounding words out.
