Why it’s time for a reset of education reform
The end of another school year is leaving a bad taste in many people's mouths, The Washington Post reports.
School Reform Opinion
Left-brain schools in a right-brain world
When we were in elementary school, my sisters and I used to play "school," says Tim Elmore for the Huffington Post.
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…
Why our current obsession with high-stakes testing is wrong
We have seen how an increasingly test-obsessed public has led our school systems to narrow their curricula, diminishing attention to many of our important public education goals to…
Op-ed: New data shows school “reformers” are full of it
In the great American debate over education, the education and technology corporations, bankrolled politicians and activist-profiteers who collectively comprise the so-called “reform” movement base their arguments on one…
Why K-12 online learning isn’t really revolutionizing teaching
For those familiar with past efforts to install new technologies in schools, the many claims for online instruction transforming traditional teaching and learning in K-12 public schools either…
A different kind of ‘flipped’ learning: Students teaching students
As a teacher at Granby Elementary School in Columbus, Ohio, I've orchestrated a more interactive style of instruction, in which students teach each other. This approach has raised…
Teacher gives epic resignation in video
In what's already become viral amongst educators, one fourth-grade teacher has posted her resignation in an emotional video that's hard to ignore.
Principal: Why our new educator evaluation system is unethical
A few years ago, a student at my high school was having a terrible time passing one of the exams needed to earn a Regents Diploma, The Washington…
Getting kids to learn is about relationships
“Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like,” says Rita Pierson, a veteran educator and recent TED Talks Education speaker. According to Pierson, connecting with students on a…
Top quality education for everyone! But what’s ‘top quality’?
When 160,000 students registered for an online version of Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence course, many thought that the dream of bringing top quality education to everyone was within reach,…
Editorial: Make the Common Core standards work before making them count
I cannot say this more simply: We are committed to the success of our students. That means getting the transition to Common Core standards right. That’s why today…
‘Radical’: Education reformer Michelle Rhee argues that tough love is best
Michelle Rhee headed the District of Columbia public school system from 2007 to 2010, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Education demands tech upgrade
Technology has changed lives in a number of meaningful ways, a Politico opinion column reports.
What teachers need and reformers ignore: time to collaborate
One of the primary things that teachers value but that school reformers have given short shrift is time to collaborate.
Teacher of the year: Let us lead
New Haven’s teacher of the year put on a “phosphorescent” shirt and lit up an Omni Hotel ballroom with a challenge to a school reform crowd: Let teachers…
Guest: Turn STEM into STEAM with arts education
I tell people that I am a native of Seattle, but that I only knew it before it became cool. The creative economy hadn’t really happened yet —…
Opinion: Bridging the disconnect between teachers and the ed-tech industry
Teachers show up at large, industry-driven conferences feeling more than a little like middle school students at their first dance, EdSurge reports.
Op-Ed: Rookie teachers need way more support
Steve Jobs once said, "Technology is nothing. What's important is that you have a faith in people, that they're basically good and smart, and if you give them…
Why Common Core tests won’t be what Arne Duncan promised
On Sept. 2, 2010, Education Secretary Arne Duncan gave a speech called “Beyond The Bubble Tests: The Next Generation of Assessments.” Duncan was referring to standardized tests that…
The new challenges of teaching
The Washington Post asks: What can we learn about assessment from photographs?
Six steps to effective teacher development and evaluation
Effective teaching is a complex alchemy—requiring command of subject matter, knowledge of how different children learn, and the ability to maintain order and spark students’ interest. Evaluation procedures…
Do school reformers use threats to drive agenda?
Education reformers haven’t been able to persuade everybody to their point of view, so increasingly, they use threats, the Washington Post reports.
Magical thinking about technology in education
To hear some people talk, you’d think technology is going to save public education. Really? Asks the Washington Post.
Confessions of a black school reformer
Here’s a post about a new book on school reform — “The Garden Path: The Miseducation of a City — by Andre Perry — that smacks opposing sides…
Teacher evaluation funding follies
With all of the recent jockeying over the stalled New York City teacher evaluation deal, little has changed in the last several weeks, says David Bloomfield, author of…
The problem with high-tech ‘personalized’ learning tools
SWSXedu was a big hit in Texas last week, where technology companies (such as Rupert Murdoch’s Amplify Education) hawked their new education gadgets that they promised would help…
Opinion: Arguing about school reforms that go nowhere
In the 1990s, Las Montanas High School (a fictional name for a real place) throbbed with excitement over technological advances in California’s Silicon Valley where it was located,…
Opinion: Why the ‘learning pyramid’ is wrong
A lot of people believe that the “learning pyramid” that lists learning scenarios and average student retention rates is reliable, says the Washington Post.
Principal: Promise of Common Core is dying
Here’s a powerful piece about how an award-winning principal went from being a Common Core supporter to an opponent, says the Washington Post.
L.A. mayor: Education is our civil rights struggle
My story began like far too many people across this country. My father left when I was 5 years old., says Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, for…
Does the Common Core demoralize teachers?
It's a serious question, with serious implications. It's a question that arises for me all too often when I see tired faces, confused looks, or disheartened shoulders, says…
More high school may be bad for this student
Is Laura Linder’s son Chris being pushed out of Thomas Stone High School? Asks the Washington Post.
Opinion: ‘The Road Out’ of poverty begins with great teachers
In a rundown Appalachian town, Deborah Hicks once dreamed of an education that would take her far away from the life she knew. She was a precocious little…
Opinion: Why California should retain foreign students
In a matter that affects the most populous state, California, the Obama Administration and the Department of Homeland Security are getting behind changes that would pave the way…
Bill Gates: Invest in better teaching
Yesterday I released my annual letter. Each year, I reflect on what I learned in the last year through our travels and work with the foundation and how…
The Vietnamization of public education
Here’s an interesting look at the false metrics of success that characterized the Vietnam War, and now, school reform, by Steve Cohen, a senior lecturer in education at…
Opinion: Shouldn’t more be done to prepare new teachers?
We've all been inside a classroom, and there's a good chance we've each had at least one teacher who wasn't prepared for the task at hand, TakePart.com reports.