In 2012, Education Week published in print and online more than 100 thoughtful Commentaries on education issues. To give a sense of which opinion essays our readers found most compelling, the editors at Education Week have compiled a list of our 10 most-viewed Commentaries. Below, they are ordered by the number of online page views they generated. Revisit these Commentaries and examine perspectives you may have missed in 2012.
1. Value-Added Evaluation Hurts Teaching
Linda Darling-Hammond says new teacher-evaluation methods are needed, but judging teachers based on student test scores does more harm than good. (March 5, 2012)
2. The Rise of the Tech-Powered Teacher
Technology isn’t a silver bullet, says Salman Khan, but when used appropriately, it can enable teachers to lead differentiated and interactive classrooms. (October 1, 2012)
3. Are Teachers Overpaid? A Response to Critics
Jason Richwine and Andrew G. Biggs, the authors of a controversial study last fall concluding that teachers are overpaid, defend their findings. (January 11, 2012)
4. Timed Tests and the Development of Math Anxiety
Timed math tests can transform children’s brains, leading to low math achievement even among highly capable students, writes Jo Boaler. (July 3, 2012)
After seven years, Jordan Kohanim quit the job she loved because she didn’t have the time to be the teacher she wanted to be. (August 21, 2012)
6. Common-Core Work Must Include Teacher Development
The professional development needed to support teachers’ part in the common-core standards has remained an afterthought, Stephanie Hirsh writes. (January 31, 2012)
7. A Teacher Remembers the Accused Colorado Gunman
A former teacher of the man under arrest in the mass shooting in Colorado reflects on the once-promising 5th grader and one of his classmates. (July 27, 2012)
8. Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail
Trying to look perfect on a college application is not the ticket to admission, writes Angel B. Pérez. (January 31, 2012)
9. Use Technology to Upend Traditional Classrooms
Schools should use technology to rethink education, not simply speed up what they do now, Justin Reich says. (May 22, 2012)
10. Why Complex Teacher Evaluations Don’t Work
Teacher evaluation is critical to effective school-improvement efforts, but only if it is carried out properly, writes Mike Schmoker. (August 28, 2012)