Why making, coding, and online learning are the real trends to watch
Forget VR and fancy wearables, a trio of short-term trends may also hold long-term promise
How the government can drive school innovation
Most of the funding and decision-making around education in this country occur at the state and local levels. The federal government has limited ability to effect change. That…
Review: Anti-union movie ‘Won’t Back Down’ is a step backward
This article is no longer available.
Countless reforms, but few results
By emphasizing choice, accountability, and teacher quality, instead of simply throwing more money at challenges that have long since proven themselves unresponsive to increased spending, we can build…
Preparing every child for college or a career
In today’s global economy, a high-quality education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity—it is a prerequisite to success. Because economic progress and educational achievement are inextricably…
Until we get rid of funding inequities, real education reform can’t happen
Many of our schools lack adequate financial support, and the public is willing to pay higher taxes to remedy the situation. The problem lies in the ways our…
Education is a public good, not a commodity
Education is the great equalizer, the bedrock of the American Dream. Despite the highest levels of income disparity since the Great Depression, at a time when the personal…
Romney calls for smaller federal role in education
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has offered a program of education policy goals that calls for a smaller federal role in both K-12 and higher education, modifying but…
Education’s pendulum: Thinkers or test takers?
This article is no longer available.
Column: Why our kids hate math
This article is no longer available.
Why teacher merit pay can’t work today–and what can be done about this
When asked why it’s so hard to pay public employees based on their merit, you often hear a number of answers. Some point to union resistance, while others…
How corporations can really support U.S. public education
Common-sense recommendations are fine, but if U.S. corporations really want to support public education, there's a better way.
Online learning: Disruptive innovation in progress
As online learning has grown rapidly in K-12 education, news stories have captured several angles about the phenomenon. But the news coverage has largely failed to capture two…
These core beliefs are critical to the success of U.S. public schools
AASA believes that public education is the cornerstone of democracy and a civil right. As such, we will aggressively defend against all actions that undermine public education, such…
Flipped learning: A response to five common criticisms
Flipped learning has created quite a stir. Some argue that this teaching method will completely transform education, while others say it is simply an opportunity for boring lectures…
Why releasing teacher ‘rankings’ is a bad idea
New York City on Feb. 24 became the latest municipality to release the “value-added” rankings of thousands of public school teachers. Here’s why the city’s move is seriously…
What public school administrators want from policy makers
We have little hope that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act will be reauthorized prior to the elections. And that’s a shame, because there is substantial agreement between…
Viewpoint: Tests don’t measure teachers
This article is no longer available.
Viewpoint: The education competition myth
It's not whether competition works or whether it doesn't work; the question is whether it can exist at all. Just like capitalism is predicated on the free flow…
Viewpoint: Think first, tweet later
This article is no longer available.
On ed tech, we’re asking the wrong question
Does the use of textbooks lead to better student achievement? Somebody should do the research. Schools nationwide are spending billions of dollars each year on textbooks, with no…
Improving public education isn’t a mystery
We know how children learn. It is not a mystery. If children and schools are failing, it is not because we lack the knowledge to provide them with…
Viewpoint: A rational approach to student-teacher ratios
What number of students should each teacher teach? How many is “too many”? It turns out that the right answer is: It depends.
Our digital natives are immigrating
Marc Prensky eloquently coined the metaphor of the “digital immigrant” to define an adult who has “immigrated” into the use of technology. This is opposed to a “digital…
Editorial: Poised on the brink of opportunity
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…
Schools need relief from onerous regulation
Our schools are overwhelmed by regulatory mandates that have been heaped upon them by NCLB, writes AASA Executive Director Dan Domenech. In spite of the harsh economic reality…
Editorial: God bless taxes
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.
Editorial: Bully for teachers
There’s a better way to improve the quality of teaching in the nation’s schools than to bully principals and instructors.
Editorial: Frenemy of the people
As educators and administrators band together in the face of opposition, it isn’t just vocal school reformers they need to worry about … but policies that undermine the…
Viewpoint: Scarce resources, insufficient talent threaten to sink public education
Our disadvantaged students are about to encounter the “perfect storm”: a lack of resources needed to ensure they are not left behind and an insufficient number of talented…
Viewpoint: School leaders need more help, and not red tape, to transform education
Our public system of education seems to be under constant attack from the media and self-appointed “reformers.” Regardless of the opinion those outside of education might hold, it…
Editorial: Public school employees under attack
Conservative lawmakers are targeting educators as part of a broader attack on public-sector employees in states from coast to coast—and the fallout could have lasting implications for the…
Viewpoint: Why education is not like business
Much of the recent political chatter has claimed that government is inefficient, inept, and wasteful, and the oft-cited remedy for such failures is to make government—including public education—act…
Viewpoint: How we should improve on NCLB
From Feb. 17-19, the “Great Education Conversation” will take place in Denver as part of the American Association of School Administrators’ national conference. It will be a dialogue…
How—and why—to teach innovation in our schools
It’s wonderful to hear President Obama call for a nationwide emphasis on innovation, but it raises an interesting challenge: Where will all those innovators come from? Currently, we…
Opinion: A nation being left behind
President Obama is absolutely right: America can’t afford to dither while other countries pass us by. But his message will be a hard sell to a House of…
Memo to Facebook: Face up to security responsibilities
Based on the importance of safe social networking, maybe it's time for Facebook and its staff to spend a little more time understanding what may be the most…
Opinion: This ‘Superman‘ doesn’t fly
As a strong supporter of American public education, I don’t know what’s more depressing: that the film Waiting for ‘Superman’ is so bad, or that so many critics…
Viewpoint: Is Superman the conversation we need?
It’s hard to look away from the small, vulnerable faces of the children whose educational odysseys are highlighted in the movie Waiting for Superman. It’s hard not to…
The computer ate my teacher! Technology and the new face of today’s classroom
