School Reform News Archives

Wisconsin school unions: Hundreds seek recertification following contentious rights law

October 3, 2011 by Staff and wire services reports

More than 200 school unions in Wisconsin met Friday's deadline to seek recertification, but it's unclear how many others let it pass and gave up the little bargaining…

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Feds to spare schools from harsh penalties in exchange for reforms

September 23, 2011September 23, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

This article is no longer available.

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Rupert Murdoch giving keynote at Jeb Bush’s ed reform summit

September 21, 2011 by Staff and wire services reports

The man chosen to give the breakfast keynote address on the second day of the upcoming National Summit on Education Reform 2011: Education Everywhere , is none other…

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Self-grading and more: New methods in teacher evaluation gain traction

September 20, 2011 by Staff and wire services reports

Last year, Mosinee Middle School social studies teacher Paul Nievinski chose a new evaluation process his school district offered for experienced teachers, wausuadailyherald reports.

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New film fights negative perception of teachers

September 20, 2011September 16, 2011 by By Jenna Zwang, Contributing Editor

Think of it as kryptonite for ‘Superman’: As lawmakers work to strip teachers of their collective bargaining rights and school reformers place much of the blame for the…

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Viewpoint: A rational approach to student-teacher ratios

October 27, 2011September 1, 2011 by By Mickey Revenaugh

What number of students should each teacher teach? How many is “too many”? It turns out that the right answer is: It depends.

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Wisconsin teacher retirements double after cuts to benefits and collective bargaining

September 1, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

When students return Thursday for the first day of school across Wisconsin, many familiar faces will be gone, as teachers chose retirement over coming back in the wake…

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‘Principal pipeline’ project targets six major districts

August 30, 2011August 30, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

Six school districts will receive funding from a $75 million initiative that will help them develop a much larger corps of effective school principals and determine whether this…

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Ind. vouchers prompt thousands to change schools

August 29, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

Weeks after Indiana began the nation's broadest school voucher program, thousands of students have transferred from public to private schools, causing a spike in enrollment at some Catholic…

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15 ways more funding could change education

August 27, 2011August 26, 2011 by By Meris Stansbury, Online Editor

If money were no object, what would your "dream school" look like—and what it would offer students and teachers? Perhaps surprisingly, many readers responded with practical, common-sense ideas—which…

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Career education on the rise in high schools

September 21, 2011August 23, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

This article is no longer available.

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Rotten apples: Coping with educators who cheat

August 23, 2011August 22, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

A problem that has plagued schools in Atlanta, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and elsewhere could further erode confidence in public education—just when schools need all the support…

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States face challenges when it comes to school reform

August 17, 2011August 16, 2011 by By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor

With a renewed focus on student achievement and school reform, many state education agencies (SEAs) find themselves under pressure to change operations and show positive results, and a…

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School voucher bills flood GOP-led statehouses

August 5, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

More states than ever before have considered school vouchers this year, driven by resurgent Republicans who see the lagging economy as an opportunity for a fresh push on…

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Ten common myths about teaching

September 20, 2011August 5, 2011 by From staff reports

It seems everyone has an opinion about teachers and their profession these days … and most of them aren’t teachers.

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What makes an effective school principal?

August 5, 2011August 4, 2011 by By Raishay Lin, Contributing Editor

Recent research shows that good principals in K-12 schools can create dramatic improvement, particularly in the lowest performing schools—but the consistency, fairness, and value of current principal evaluation…

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Editorial: Poised on the brink of opportunity

August 3, 2011August 3, 2011 by By Dennis Pierce, Editor

As in Joplin, Mo., the nation’s leaders have a critical opportunity to reinvent the future of education. Here’s hoping they have some of the same courage personified in…

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Matt Damon, others speak out to ‘Save Our Schools’

August 3, 2011August 1, 2011 by By Jenna Zwang, Assistant Editor

Teachers and their supporters turned out by the thousands July 30 for the Save Our Schools March in Washington, D.C. They came to protest budget cuts, the outdated…

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Five things students say they want from education

August 12, 2011July 28, 2011 by From staff reports

With so many education stakeholders debating the needs of today's schools, student voices aren’t always heard when it comes to what they want from their education.

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Replace ‘seat time’ with competency, report says

August 1, 2011July 28, 2011 by By Meris Stansbury, Associate Editor

A new report says that competency-based learning is becoming more attainable for schools, and with some actionable policy steps, state education leaders can help schools personalize learning and…

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Ending the ‘tyranny of the lecture’

September 23, 2014July 27, 2011 by By Dennis Pierce, Editor

Harvard professor Eric Mazur reveals how he uses peer instruction to make learning more dynamic—and how new software can facilitate this process.

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Teachers will not join Walker in education effort

July 25, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

Wisconsin's teachers union will not join Republican Gov. Scott Walker's effort to create a new state accountability system to replace the federal No Child Left Behind after lingering…

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Why Illinois might be a model for education reform

July 15, 2011July 15, 2011 by By Jenna Zwang, Assistant Editor

Illinois’ Senate Bill 7, passed in June, ushered in numerous changes designed to improve teaching and learning—and it demonstrates the power of collaboration between education policy makers and…

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Oregon education reform bills aim to create more flexible, individualized public schools

July 11, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

This article is no longer available.

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Readers: Here’s how we’d change ESEA

July 11, 2011July 8, 2011 by From staff reports

With Education Secretary Arne Duncan warning Congress that he'll take matters into his own hands if lawmakers this year fail to rewrite the Elementary and Secondary Education Act…

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Report highlights importance of early childhood education

July 8, 2011July 7, 2011 by By Jenna Zwang, Assistant Editor

Children who attend high-quality pre-kindergarten programs are more likely to graduate from high school, says a new report that calls on states and communities to build an aligned…

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All Korean textbooks to go digital by 2015

July 1, 2011July 1, 2011 by From wire service reports

This article is no longer available.

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‘Instructional rounds’ approach flips classroom evaluations

June 27, 2011June 23, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

This article is no longer available.

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How to cut special-ed spending without sacrificing quality

June 15, 2011June 15, 2011 by By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor

As school districts grow accustomed to doing more with less, special-education programs are dealing with their own unique set of challenges—and one expert has proposed several solutions to…

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Alliance: Keep spending rules in place with NCLB fix

June 13, 2011 by By Jenna Zwang, Assistant Editor

As Congress works to update the No Child Left Behind Act, members of the nonprofit Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE) hold out hope that a bipartisan agreement will…

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Idaho education firestorm sparks attempt at repeal

June 9, 2011June 9, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

Idaho carried out a sweeping overhaul of its public school system this year and stood out nationally amid a rancorous debate over education around the country. But the…

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Ten of the best school-reform ideas from readers

June 7, 2011June 6, 2011 by From staff reports

Recently, we asked readers: “If you could recommend only one idea for school reform, what would it be and why?” Here, we present the best, most original, and…

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Activist South Bay students secure computers for schools, save teachers

June 2, 2011 by From wire service reports

This article is no longer available.

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Alliance calls for ‘deeper learning’ to better prepare students

June 2, 2011June 1, 2011 by By Jenna Zwang, Assistant Editor

Mere proficiency in regurgitating facts is not enough, the Alliance for Excellent Education says in a new policy brief: To be competitive in today’s complex society, students need…

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Editorial: God bless taxes

June 1, 2011May 31, 2011 by By Dennis Pierce, Editor

Poor results from a national civics exam can hardly be seen as a surprise, when the nation’s own captains of industry have failed at the topic themselves.

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Report shows education options expanding across U.S.

May 26, 2011May 26, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

When it comes to education options—from kindergarten up through college—the decision is no longer simple for students and their parents, a new federal report suggests.

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Report: U.S. should model education system after other countries

May 26, 2011 by By Jenna Zwang, Assistant Editor

The U.S. must mirror the educational practices of top-performing countries if it is to regain its competitive advantage, according to a new report from the National Center on…

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NCLB fix lagging in Congress

May 20, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

The long-awaited overhaul of the nine-year-old No Child Left Behind law has begun in the U.S. House of Representatives with the first in a series of targeted bills—but…

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Editorial: Bully for teachers

May 9, 2011 by By Dennis Pierce, Editor

There’s a better way to improve the quality of teaching in the nation’s schools than to bully principals and instructors.

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Indiana lawmakers OK broadest voucher plan in US

April 28, 2011 by From staff and wire reports

Indiana will create the nation's broadest private school voucher system and enact other sweeping education changes, making the state a showcase of conservative ideas just as Gov. Mitch…

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