Don't blame Common Core for publishers' lousy textbooks
Kevin MahnkenIf you’ve been keeping up with the Common Core scandal pages, you may be wondering who Dianne Barrow is.
NAEP computer-based writing pilot assessment: Fourth-grade performance
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.A new study from the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences provides results for fourth-grade students on the 2012 NAEP pilot computer-based writing assessment. The study asks whether fourth graders can fully demonstrate their writing ability on a computer and what factors are related to their writing performance on said computers.
The Bush education plan
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Education reform has been a specialty of Jeb Bush’s, and his track record on this issue in Florida is unbeatable. He knows the topic up, down, and sideways.
Ten things every American should know
Robert PondiscioNearly thirty years ago, a then-obscure University of Virginia professor named E.D. Hirsch, Jr. set off a hot national debate with the publication of Cultural Literacy.
Has your child's elementary school stopped teaching history, science, and other content? Here's how to do it yourself
Michael J. PetrilliIn a perfect world, all children would have access to an inspiring, well-rounded education, especially in pre-K and elementary school. They need a solid grounding in history, science, art, music, and literature.
Can parents help with math homework? YES
Jason Zimba, Ph.D.My wife and I both spend time working with our kids on their homework. We have also made a family tradition of “Saturday School,” a routine that my wife and I instituted a couple of years ago because our kids’ school was using a pre-Common Core math curriculum that wasn’t keeping pace with the standards.
A fair shot at opportunity
Editor's note: This is the first in a series of blog posts that will be collaboratively published every Wednesday by the National Association for Gifted Children and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Each post in the series will exist both here on Flypaper and on the NAGC Blog.
Youth Voting: State and city approaches to early civic engagement
Robert PondiscioBy Robert Pondiscio
Advanced civics for U.S. history teachers
Robert PondiscioThe importance of making history an academic priority once again. By Robert Pondisico
Education posts I wish I'd written this year
Robert PondiscioThe best compliment I can pay a fellow education blogger is to confess professional jealousy. By Robert Pondiscio
How to solve Scalia's race problem
Brandon L. Wright, Chester E. Finn, Jr.There is a fast track in American education. And we’re getting far too few African American students onto it. By Brandon L. Wright and Chester E. Finn, Jr.
Governor Cuomo's task force looks to bury higher standards
Robert PondiscioSome say the world will end in fire. Some say in ice. But if you’re pressed for time and want to end all intelligent life quickly, nothing beats a task force.
What I saw at Success Academies
On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of visiting Success Academy Harlem 1 and hearing from Eva Moskowitz and the SA staff about their model. I’m not going to venture into the thorny stuff about SA here. What I will say is that their results on state tests are clearly impressive, and I doubt that they’re fully (or even largely) explained by the practices that cause controversy.
The effect of public and private schooling on anti-Semitism
Kevin MahnkenAttending a religious school might reduce bigotry. Kevin Mahnken
If you build it, they will come
The Education GadflyThe creation of Brooklyn Ascend charter school, textbooks in Texas, and substitute teachers in impoverished schools.
How five states are boosting college readiness in twelfth grade
As states have implemented college and career readiness standards, it has sometimes been assumed that most of the work and attention has occurred at the elementary grades. In truth, many states have been working for some time to ensure that grade twelve prepares all students for post-secondary success.
Parents: Children's first math teachers
We’ve seen a lot of hand wringing over math achievement in this country. Our students continue to underperform against their peers in other countries, lighting a fire under educators and politicians to push new STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programming in schools. While these panicked efforts have admirable intentions, they are mostly barking up the wrong tree.
Do "Response to Intervention" practices work for elementary school reading?
Kevin MahnkenA new study suggests that they don’t. But mind the details. Kevin Mahnken
The condition of STEM 2015
Robert PondiscioSTEM interest doesn’t necessarily translate into STEM aptitude. Robert Pondiscio
Scaling up the "Success for All" model of school reform
Robert PondiscioAn affordable model that helps students who are already behind become better readers. Robert Pondiscio
Don't mess with NAEP now!
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Remember that past changes were controversial and probably unwise. Do not stir this pot again now. Chester E. Finn, Jr.
Aligning K-12 and postsecondary career pathways with workforce needs
Stephan ShehyState efforts are uneven, but some are on the right track. Stephan Shehy
Doing the right thing
The Education GadflyPell grants for dual college enrollment and Nevada’s early returns on education savings accounts.
The problem isn't testing, it's short-term thinking
David GriffithLast week, in the wake of President Obama’s pledge to reduce the amount of time students spend taking tests, my colleagues Robert Pondiscio and Michael Petrilli weighed in with dueling stances on the current state of testing and accountability in America’s schools. Both made valid points, but neither got it exactly right, so let me add a few points to the conversation.
Pell grants should go (only) to needy students who are ready for college
Chester E. Finn, Jr.What if federal aid for college students were focused exclusively on those who are truly ready for college? What if we stopped subsidizing remedial courses on campuses and insisted that students pursuing higher learning be prepared for college-level courses (none too strenuous nowadays in many places)?
President Obama's meaningless pledge to reduce school tests
Robert PondiscioThe time spent testing isn’t the issue; the problem is the sky-high stakes attached. Robert Pondiscio
The hidden value of curriculum reform
Robert PondiscioWhat’s it going to take to get curriculum taken seriously as a reform lever? Robert Pondiscio
Down and out in Jackson and Selma
The Education GadflyIs LAUSD railroading Rafe Esquith? Also: the value of lectures, and a sad tale of wasted promise.