Browse our collection of education articles, audio reports, webcasts, blog posts, and video from around the Web. This blog is no longer being updated.
Education
Education Advice For New Leaders
It’s not as if the Democrats are looking for outside advice in setting their legislative agenda now that they’ve taken over the majority in the U.S. House, but just in case they need some guidance, Chester E. Finn, president of The Fordham Foundation (and a former U.S. Department of Education official under Republican President Ronald Reagan) has a list of do’s and don’t’s for the soon-to-be new chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee. I’m sure Rep. George Miller, a California Democrat, is listening.
Education
Teachers Blog: Lessons Learned
Lesson Plans, a blog from The New York Times, chronicles five teachers' experiences during their first month of the new school year. The teachers include a poet and performer, two MetLife Fellows in the Teachers Network Leadership Institute—one of whom teaches a bilingual Spanish-English class in San Francisco—a first-year teacher from Teach for America, and a 28-year veteran English teacher. The teachers recount a typical day at school, tackle politics in the classroom, deal with disruptive students, and more.
Education
Mr. Bobb Likes Year-Round Schools
In this chat over at The Washington Post yesterday, newly elected president of the Washington D.C. Board of Education Robert C. Bobb said he wants to fix up crumbling D.C. schools with the urgency the city would have mustered had it won the contest to host the 2012 Olympics. He also said he likes the idea of year-round schools and thinks D.C. schools superintendent Clifford B. Janey’s road map of education reform isn’t perfect, but it’s a good start.
Education
More 2006 Election Talk On The Web
Analysis of the 2006 elections continues in cyberspace and it’s likely to drag on for some time. eSchool News has decided that Democrats’ victories in the U.S. house and U.S. Senate are a good thing for education, with a possible impact on everything from technology funding to reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Edspresso is saying that Republican losses don’t signal the demise of the school choice movement. At Small Talk, there’s little thought that the new national Democratic leadership will make big changes to No Child Left Behind, but that some state elections, particularly in Maryland and Indiana, will have more impact in schools. And for an on-the-ground look at what San Francisco Board of Education elections mean for the Golden Gate city’s schools, check out this California blog.
Education
Chat with Mr. Bobb
The newly elected president of the Washington D.C. Board of Education wants to talk to you. Robert C. Bobb will be answering questions at The Washington Post’s Web site during an online chat at 1 p.m. today. Questions can be submitted early and a bit of background reading on Mr. Bobb’s election is also available.
Education
Election 2006: Ballot Initiatives
Politicians weren’t the only ones being voted on yesterday. Election day also found voters casting ballots for and against a number of education initiatives--from Arizona where voters decided to increase the tobacco tax to fund education, to Nebraska where voters gave the nod to an early childhood education endowment fund. At NCLBlog, the American Federation of Teachers’ site, there’s a discussion of some of the ballot initiatives and how they shook out. There’s also this primer, put out by the Education Commission of the States, which methodically summarizes and updates the results of each state’s education-related ballot questions.
Education
Election 2006: Education Perspectives
With the election over (for the most part), what do the results mean for education on a national, state, and local level? Bloggers and education groups all over the Web are chiming in and making predictions about how the election fallout, particularly the new Democratic leadership in the U.S. House and on the House education committee, will impact education. Over at Eduwonk, Andrew J. Rotherham is downplaying the results for schools but he delves into some states where the outcome of elections may alter the educational landscape. Alexander Russo at
Education
Books Are So Yesterday
As voters head to the polls tomorrow e School News Online points out that what’s at stake is more than who gets elected congressman or senator. In many communities there are other education-related issues on the ballot too ("Voters to Decide How States Fund Education," Education Week). This article highlights two counties in Texas where bond bills call for gradually replacing traditional textbooks in favor of those viewed on computer laptops. Several other Texas school districts have already been replacing paper texts with eBooks. The electronic books, the schools say, are easily updated with new information and easily downloaded—no need to wait for a new printing or shipment if a school runs out of textbooks.
Education
The Quest for Highly Qualified Teachers
The November issue of the American School Board Journal takes an in-depth look at the teacher quality provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and how states are progressing towards the goal of having a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. The conclusion is that a lot more progress is needed. The article looks closely at five areas of concern surrounding the issue of highly qualified teachers, including the ever-popular teacher pay issue.
Education
No Underpants on Halloween
In the spirit of Halloween, we just wanted to remind students (and educators!) to think carefully about the costumes they’re wearing to school. This Associated Press story posted by the Washington Post details the goings on at Long Beach High School in Long Beach, N.Y., where three female students were sent home to change after they dressed up like storybook hero Captain Underpants. As you might guess, Captain Underpants wears his undergarments where everyone can see them, but the school’s principal did not appreciate the view.
Education
The Best of the Best
There’s a lot of focus on struggling urban schools, but this podcast from the Merrow Report highlights urban school districts that have found success.
Education
Are Boys Really Struggling?
There’s been a burst of concern on the education scene this year about boys and whether they’re falling by the wayside in school. For decades the focus has been on girls and how they’re being short-changed by classes like math, that may be structured in favor of the opposite gender. Then, this year, folks started worrying about boys instead, with a cover story in Newsweek raising the level of concern. But an article in the October issue of the American School Board Journal says don’t believe the hype. It argues that researchers are finding boys doing just as well as they always have.
Education
Everybody Do the Wiki!
This month, both the NEA publication, NEA Today and the AFT magazine, American Teacher, feature articles on Wikis and Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that anyone can edit. The NEA article provides an in-depth look at Wikipedia, which strives to be a free, online reference allowing anyone to create entries—thus, says NEA Today, opening the medium for mistakes and vandals who intentionally post incorrect information. The AFT item presents the views of two teachers: one who views Wikipedia and Wikis in general (which students can create themselves) as a valuable learning tool, and another who says the use of Wikis by students promotes laziness and sloppy research. Also, take a look at Education Week’s April 2006 story on Wikis.
Education
Glorious Food? English Schoolchildren Think Not
The British government's new regulations that require schools to serve healthy lunches aren't going over too well with some English children. They're not overly impressed with the more nutritious fare being served up at their schools; they want their hamburgers, fries, and sugary drinks back on school menus. Some parents feel sorry for the kids, stating that children won't eat what's not appetizing to them, no matter what, and have even sold them banned food though the gates of a northern English school, according to a story posted by The New York Times.