A lesson in newspaper subtlety

Columbus' newspaper pros try two different ways of looking at one education event.

The Broad Prize and the courage to change

A very important education reform announcement occurred last week, but you probably missed it because of the surprising and unfortunate paucity of coverage.

Intolerance on the left and the Common Core

I try to avoid reading Paul Krugman’s columns because they almost always make me angry, and anger is not something I particularly enjoy. Yet I couldn’t help myself this morning, and the experience proved my point.

Friday catchall: Job opportunities and quick reads

The always-terrific Center for Reinventing Public Education continues to lead when it comes to thinking about and cataloguing the changing nature of urban K–12 delivery.

The false tradeoffs of test scores, creativity, and happiness: part II

Back in January, a Bloomberg News ranking of the world’s most innovative countries punctured the theory that low U.S.

Responses to Mike’s 'You’re just not college material' post

A few weeks ago, Slate published an article by Mike that argued that reformers’ obsession with college was blinding us to other valid routes to the middle class.

Teacher excellence in Dallas?

Dallas Independent School District (DISD) superintendent Mike Miles has been on the job in Texas less than two years and he

The opt-out outrage

The opt-out-of-state-testing movement has notched

The challenges facing struggling rural schools

When it comes to SIG, my mind is obviously made up. So I’d forgive you for skipping anything I write about it; you have every reason to think I’m going to be bearish.

Netflix Academy: The best streaming videos on mammals

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 

Will Kansas ban counting to 100 and reading?

The mainstream media has been hyping bills lately (one passed in Indiana and one pending in Oklahoma) that would demand a review of the Common Core State Standards.

Next for Neerav, NSNO, and NOLA

Today, New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) announced that longtime CEO Neerav Kingsland will transition out of the organization this summer.

Recent edu-reads, for your perusing pleasure

Findings from a fascinating new report on school boards are unintuitive for two big reasons.

Good riddance, Indiana

While I won't say I'm glad that Indiana (or any other state) is reversing its earlier embrace and spitting in the eye of the Common Core, it grieves me not at all that they now seem to be exiting.

From Promising to Proven: A Wise Giver’s Guide to Expanding on the Success of Charter Schools

For two decades, path-breaking philanthropies have propelled the growth of charter schools. Today, more than 2.5 million American children attend a charter school, and research has shown that, done well, charters can produce impressive academic results.

First shots fired in Louisiana Common Core battle

With Indiana making changes to the Common Core (and Oklahoma likely to follow), many are turning their attention to Louisiana. While some state legislative sessions began much earlier this year, the Bayou State is just getting started and has long been seen as a potential battleground in the fight over Common Core.

The two tracks of school reform

Do school boards even matter? Yes, but…

When it comes to education reform, school boards are often the redheaded stepchildren. Over the last two decades, mayors have taken over nearly twenty major urban school systems.

House proposal strengthens teacher evaluation policy

Chad proves to a be a particularly prescient prognosticator of political proposals.

Good intent, questionable remedy

Two bills currently pending in the Ohio General Assembly seek to address the needs of Ohio's high school dropouts, each with a very different focus.

How Does a Value-Added Model Compare to the Colorado Growth Model?

Determining the best way to measure the contributions of teachers/schools to their students' learning gains remains unsettled science. Researchers at Mathematica have tried to provide some clarity.

The Empire State straight jacket: Why New York should put the 'voluntary' back in 'voluntary curriculum'

I’ve long argued that there is a meaningful and important difference between standards and curriculum. Pick your metaphor: The standards set the destination; they don’t define the journey.

Abandoning the Common Core is taking the easy way out

While the New York State United Teachers and the National Education Association have withdrawn

An important take on state takeovers

All eyes are on the “extraordinary authority districts” in Louisiana (the RSD), Tennessee, (the ASD), and Michigan (the EAA).

Does school board leadership matter?

Anyone concerned with improving the achievement, efficiency, operations, or other performance of school districts inevitably asks: Shouldn’t the board be responsible for doing this right? How much do school boards matter, anyway?

Beating the odds: Some school boards can do it

In an Education Week commentary essay about school boards in 2009, I wrote, “[M]y sense of things, after two stints on my local school board…is that school boards have been overtaken by the ‘educatocracy,’ by powerful trade unions, certified specia

Truth, not tracking

In a provocative piece in Slate recently, Fordham’s executive vice president Mike Petrilli asked why Euro-style tracking isn’t a better strategy for high-school students who are significantly below grade level.

Does School Board Leadership Matter?