Beyond Superman: Leading Responsible School Reform
The challenges facing public education today require multifaceted solutions that involve all stakeholders working together—not shallow responses or agenda-driven reformers with superhero aspirations. At eSchool News Online, we’ve created this platform to help school and community leaders explore real, effective strategies for moving education forward in the 21st century.
Missouri court liberates children trapped in failed schools
Speaking at the American Federation for Children conference in Washington, D.C. last month, Governor Mike Pence (R-IN) told the audience, "Fifty years ago we wouldn't let minorities into…
Separating fact from fiction about the Common Core standards
Here is some information to help educators respond to frequently asked questions about the Common Core standards.…
Gates Foundation looking to make nice with teachers
Though widely viewed as a critic of teachers and their unions, the world's largest foundation has begun reaching out to them in new ways, sending the message it…
Making the case for student-controlled devices
It's time to realize that we cannot, and should not, dictate the manner in which students learn. One area where the desire for control is clearly manifested is…
Grouping by ability in classrooms is back in fashion. Is this good for kids?
In today’s New York Times, Vivian Yee reports on the supposed reemergence of elementary school ability tracking, in which teachers split students into smaller groups of advanced, regular,…
Why grouping students by ability makes sense
The Washington Post reports that a recent post by Joanne Yatvin argued against ability groupings of students, saying: Teaching to the presumed level of a whole class never…
Seven TED 2013 videos you don’t want to miss
These days, it seems even the masses—the Silicon Valley masses, specifically—have an education-focused mindset, and to prove that point, this year’s TED Talks focused on education in particular.…
Nobel Peace nominee: Pay teachers more, focus on mobile technology
Sir Bob Geldof—an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor, and political activist—noted during the Consortium for School Networking's recent K-12 Technology Leadership Conference that the world's economy is…
How to be an effective 21st-century education leader
Today’s K-12 superintendents must be forward thinkers, bold leaders, and skilled communicators in order to lead their schools effectively in the 21st century, said the winners of eSchool…
2012 Tech-Savvy Superintendent Award winners discuss the keys to their success
Winners of the 2012 Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards sat down with eSchool News Editor-in-Chief Dennis Pierce to discuss the qualities they think are important for today’s superintendents, the initiatives…
Seven elements for effective community-school partnerships
The phrase "It takes a village" is at the heart of a school reform movement called partnerships for learning, which aims to integrate community resources with local schools…
Gates Foundation: Test scores not enough for teacher evaluation
After three years of research on measuring teacher effectiveness, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Jan. 8 that it takes multiple measures to most accurately evaluate teachers.…
States nervous about new Common Core school standards
In Kentucky this year, the percentage of elementary and middle-school students who rated "proficient" or better on statewide math and reading tests declined by about a third. Kentucky…
Quality of Texas teachers dropping with low pay
The quality of Texas' teachers is dropping largely because of low pay in a competitive market, an expert economist testified Tuesday in the public school finance trial, the…



