Think big: How to jumpstart tech use in low-income schools
The challenges of rural schools are many of the same (though not all) that low-income public schools face across the country: inadequate access to technology and broadband, tight…
School Reform News
Steve Hargadon: Escaping the Education Matrix
“We tell a story about the power of learning that is very different from what we practice in traditional models of school,” says Steve Hargadon, education technology entrepreneur,…
Should principals stop visiting classrooms?
Principals are above all supposed to be “instructional leaders” but exactly what that means — or how to be effective in that role — isn’t entirely clear, the…
Howard Rheingold: The new power of collaboration
In this TED Talk, Howard Rheingold talks about the coming world of collaboration, participatory media and collective action
Ending education reform to reimagine what’s possible
According to a recent PEW Research Study, 66 percent of Americans say either that the education system in this country needs to be completely rebuilt or that it…
Between the extremes on charter schools
As the campaigns for mayor of New York and governor of New Jersey enter the home stretch, few issues draw more heated rhetoric, the Huffington Post reports.
Introducing a new program for high schools: Digital Ready
The Department of Education and NYC Digital today announced the launch of Digital Ready, an intensive professional development and technology expansion program to help NYC public high schools…
Turning education upside down
Three years ago, Clintondale High School, just north of Detroit, became a “flipped school” — one where students watch teachers’ lectures at home and do what we’d otherwise…
Turning education upside down
The New York Times reports: Three years ago, Clintondale High School, just north of Detroit, became a “flipped school” — one where students watch teachers’ lectures at home…
Delaware Vision 2015: School leaders see some progress
What is going right in Delaware’s education system? What areas need work? And how do we improve? Those were the questions on the table at the Vision 2015…
Education reform advocate John White: We’re in danger of becoming the enemy
Advocates for charter schools, teacher evaluations and other changes to public education that have become mainstream in recent years are at risk of turning into the establishment they…
EC unveils plans to make “every classroom digital” by 2020
The European Commission (EC) has unveiled plans to reinvigorate the use of ICT in European schools, including providing more free and open digital learning platforms to educational institutions…
Should businesses run schools?
It's a question that has come up recently thanks to a national movement towards school reform: “Should schools be run like a business?” According to a new guide…
Magic Johnson launches initiative for at-risk kids
Earvin "Magic" Johnson is getting a little help from Chicago rapper Common for his newest off-court endeavor, the Associated Press reports.
Expecting the best yields results in Massachusetts
Conventional wisdom and popular perception hold that American students are falling further and further behind in science and math achievement. The statistics from this state tell a different…
Loud voice fighting tide of new trend in education
Diane Ravitch made her name in the 1970s as a historian chronicling the role of public schools in American social mobility, The New York Times reports.
Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed this school year
Nearly 50 million U.S. elementary and secondary students have headed back to school this week for the start of a new school year, the Huffington Post reports.
This guy left Google to put the power of big data into small classrooms
Forbes reports that Prasad Ram (aka Pram) is founder, creator, and CEO of Gooru, “an open and collaborative online community where the best free materials for learning can…
How to succeed in a startup and still pass middle school
In elementary school, my friends and I would re-sell snacks that we purchased from Costco at a lower price than what the vending machines and lunch lady charged,…
Longer school days for struggling students, or everyone
Education Secretary Arne Duncan is a big fan of extending time in school, National Journal reports.
The disturbing shift underway in early childhood classrooms
A disturbing shift is underway in early childhood classrooms around the country, The Washington Post reports.
To improve learning, some schools lengthen the school day or year
It’s a July morning at 6:45 a.m. and the temperature is starting to climb across the city, according to The Hechinger Report.
New rules aim to rid schools of junk foods
High-calorie sports drinks and candy bars will be removed from school vending machines and cafeteria lines as soon as next year, replaced with diet drinks, granola bars and…
Miami-Dade to ensure every student has digital device by 2015
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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
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Gates Foundation looking to make nice with teachers
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Who’s minding the schools?
In April, some 1.2 million New York students took their first Common Core State Standards tests, which are supposed to assess their knowledge and thinking on topics such…
Lawmakers at odds over NCLB’s successor
The one-size-fits-all national requirements of No Child Left Behind would give way to standards that states write for themselves under legislation introduced by senators of both parties last…
What if Finland’s great teachers taught in U.S. schools?
The Washington Post reports that many governments are under political and economic pressure to turn around their school systems for higher rankings in the international league tables.
Figuring out how to give teachers useful feedback
When Texas lawmakers rolled out a framework for evaluating public schoolteachers more than 15 years ago, they intended to identify ways to strengthen the state’s teaching corps, The…
A Nation Still At Risk: How we can fix our schools
In April 1983—exactly thirty years ago—the famous report “A Nation at Risk,” warned that American education was a “rising tide of mediocrity,” Forbes reports.
Education Schools Innovate to Supply STEM Teachers
Biologist Kaleigh LaRiche spent most of her first two years after college working in wildlife education at the Akron, Ohio, zoo. Today, she's a first-year science teacher in…
Maryland explores mandating high schoolers take four years of math, among other reqs
Public K-12 schools and higher education could see sweeping curriculum changes as lawmakers in Annapolis consider a bill aimed at bolstering the number of college graduates in the…
Could Indiana’s school voucher ruling influence other states?
The Indiana Supreme Court on March 26 upheld the nation's broadest school voucher program in a ruling that supporters say could set a national precedent as other states…
How the ‘Big6’ can aid in Common Core implementation
With implementation of the Common Core State Standards under way, a method known as the Big6 can help ensure that a curriculum put in place to meet the…
After decade of criticism, student grouping rises
Teachers say they are grouping students of similar abilities with each other inside classrooms and schools are clustering pupils with like interests together — a practice once frowned…
Digital learning MOOC now open to school leaders
Enrollment opens today for a first-of-its-kind Massive Online Open Course for Educators (MOOC-Ed) that will help school district leaders make the shift to digital instruction in their schools.
Report: ESEA reauthorization could be trouble for waiver states
A new report surveying states that have applied for and received NCLB waivers finds they are worried that reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) could hinder…
A telling tweet from Finland
Finland is always held up a model for education reform, the Washington Post reports.