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 This blog is no longer being updated.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
'Inconvenient' Controversy Heats Up Again
In the latest (and possibly last) chapter to the saga over former Vice President Al Gore’s global warming movie “An Inconvenient Truth,” The Washington Post reports today that one of the movie’s producers has decided to give away copies of the DVD to the first 50,000 teachers who ask for it. If you’ll remember, producer Laurie David accused the National Science Teacher’s Association of turning down her offer to give them 50,000 copies of "An Inconvenient Truth" to distribute because of the group’s ties to energy companies like Exxon Mobil—a charge the NSTA vigorously denied. Education Week wrote up the brouhaha here.
Education
IB for the Milk and Cookies Set
The International Baccalaureate program—once known mostly for its challenging high school version—is becoming more and more popular with elementary school parents, according to this Washington Post story. The IB's elementary incarnation, called the Primary Years Programme, is now in 72 U.S. schools. According to the story, parents who choose the program for their children are looking for a more global take on education, along with a challenging curriculum. Education Week looks at the International Baccalaureate program here and explores the reasons why the IB program is getting a boost from the Bush administration's push for improved math and science.
Education
Schools Stuck In the Past
The Time Magazine cover story this week is all about the time warp that American public schools are mired in. The article argues that schools need a complete overhaul to allow students to compete in the global marketplace, where skills like fluency in several languages, out of the box thinking, global awareness, and the ability to interpret complex data are all highly valued. But the article argues that those things are not being taught in public schools where the structure of teacher lecturing at the head of the class, students sitting in rows taking notes by hand has remained unchanged for decades. The article interviews Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, among others. It also highlights schools like Seattle's John Stanford International School where students take some classes in either Japanese or Spanish and whose social studies education includes a more global perspective.
Education
Subtracting Math Curriculum
Parents struggling to help their children with nightly math homework will be pleased to hear that the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has released a report recommending that schools limit the mathematical concepts they introduce instead of inundating students with many math concepts that ultimately don’t stick. On this segment on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, Education Week’s math and science reporter Sean Cavanagh holds forth on the intent of the group’s recommendations and why where you go to school may determine what you learn. Francis “Skip” Fennell, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, also joins to the program to talk about the group’s recommendations and a few parents chime in too. Read more about the issue in Mr. Cavanagh’s thorough story here. If you’ve got a few more spare minutes, you may also want to do your own reading of the NCTM’s report.
Education
A Father Surfs Through Autism
It seems almost every month a new story comes out highlighting the increase of autism cases among children. The U.K.’s Observer features this poignant and personal description of a father trying to connect with his son despite the barrier of his son’s autism. As unlikely as it may sound, surfing was the way they broke through. If you’re looking for more hard data on the subject, Education Week takes a close and thorough look at the increase of autism among school-age children.
Education
Latino Students Dropping Out
San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. expounds on why Latino students may have such a significant school drop-out rate in this essay. During a recent speech he said he had to explain some of the reasons for the high rate, even though Latino parents place such value on education. He cautions that there are no simple answers. Check out some of Mr. Navarrette’s other columns here.
Education
A 'Phat' Guide to Slang
If you’ve been anywhere near a high school lately (or even a middle school for that matter) you may have had trouble deciphering the slang coming from students who are actually speaking English. “Phat” doesn’t mean fat and “sick” doesn’t mean someone is vomiting. But over in England, teachers and other adults are struggling even harder to decode the speech of students born in the U.K. but whose families speak Punjabi, Urdu, or Hindi at home, according to TES Magazine. The new slang has been dubbed Hinglish and the magazine provides a primer on it for those who are completely baffled (contemplate the words chuddies, bevakoof, and pukka). For the American version, check out this story from The Arizona Republic which comes complete with a cheat sheet of definitions and suggestions for further reading.
Education
NSTA's 'Inconvenient' Controversy
While Al Gore’s documentary on global warming “An Inconvenient Truth” is required viewing for science students in Norway and Sweden, so far American students will still have to head to Blockbuster on their own to rent the film. According to this Washington Post opinion piece, the producers of the movie wanted to give 50,000 free DVDs to the National Science Teachers Association for distribution to schools as an educational tool, but their offer was turned down. The big reason, according to Laurie David, who wrote the article and is one of the movie’s producers, is the NSTA’s connection with Exxon Mobil, which has given the group $6 million since 1996 and puts out lesson plans and other material Ms. David says are aimed at manipulating the science information that students get. The NSTA, however, disputes Ms. David's suggestions. In a statement released today, Gerald Wheeler, the group’s executive director says the science group’s policies prohibit it from endorsing any product and thus passing out a DVD. The NSTA statement also points out that Ms. David didn’t mention the association's efforts to find other ways to distribute the movie. In addition, Mr. Wheeler takes exception with the characterization that the NSTA is spreading corporate messages for Exxon and other companies like Shell Oil, which provide funding for conferences and other NSTA activities.
Education
Tackling Tough Issues on No Child Left Behind
Up on Capitol Hill there’s a lot of talk about the possibility of fast action on the No Child Left Behind Act, which is up for reauthorization next year. But the folks over at the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation are worried that lawmakers are not prepared to tackle what they see as one of the federal education law’s biggest problems: the laser-like focus on math, reading, and sometimes science where the law calls for testing of student achievement. Critics say the result is that schools are squeezing out other subjects, like social studies, in order to focus on the subjects that are tested. The Fordham Foundation is convening a symposium to discuss the issue Dec. 12 in Washington, D.C. Some big names in the education world are expected to lead the discussions, including Kati Haycock of The Education Trust, Diane Ravitch of the Brookings Institution and Toni Cortese of the American Federation of Teachers.
Education
A Strawberry a Day
The November issue of NEA Today includes a nice read on student gardens. The article highlights a California elementary school that has adopted a pilot gardening program. The students are tilling the soil, watching seeds grow in the classroom, and eating the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor in the cafeteria. One of the big goals of the project is to get kids interested in eating healthy, fresh food at a young age to fight the problem of childhood obesity.
Education
Battling Over Math
Time Magazine features an essay on “the math wars” by writer Claudia Wallis, who argues that the right formula for teaching mathematics has been found, but that politics are getting in the way. She says the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has devised some basic, but sensible methods for teaching math to American students who are faltering in comparison with their peers in places like Singapore. But she worries that the new methods will be incorrectly interpreted and result in boring math drills and could contribute to students' aversions to math.
Education
"Freakin" Is No Hustle
Evoking the 1984 Kevin Bacon movie “Footloose,” National Public Radio tells the story of the principal at Aliso Niguel High School in California who has banned school dances due to the suggestive nature of “freak dancing” at the gatherings. Principal Charles Salter said the sexually charged dancing was inappropriate for school and far removed from the days when school leaders wrung their hands over slow dancing. The report is part of NPR’s series of stories about the trials that face principals across the country.
Education
Education Groups Examine Election Results
Reacting to the outcome of the recent elections, several education organizations have put out statements that recap what they see as campaign successes and lay out proposals for the new, Democratically controlled Congress. In this release, Reg Weaver, the president of the National Education Association, calls the elections a “victory for children.” The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Edward J. McElroy, called the results “a rebuke to the Republican majority.” Over at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development that organization puts forth its hopes for the new Congressional agenda on education.
Education
Looking Across The Pond
The London-based Times Education Supplement has launched a redesign of its TES magazine, a popular British education publication. This week’s issue features an article debating whether men are turning away from the teaching profession and another on how two married math teachers have perfected the art of job sharing. The magazine’s Web site also features several different blogs, which are worth taking a look at for a European perspective on education.