Today is a very special day: Rules for Engagement turns 1 year old! Our first post went up Oct. 2, 2012. Who’s got cake?
The education field always offers plenty of news, but it doesn’t always offer a lot of substantial change. When Education Week turned 30 years old in 2011, we put out this timeline of education policy, which showed a great deal of redundancy. In 1988, groups debated the use of calculators in math classes. After 25 years, calculator use on common tests still invites argument.
But the last year has seen some noticeable shifts in attitudes about school climate. Most visibly, districts have started questioning long-standing zero-tolerance policies, and the role of harsh discipline techniques. Los Angeles even banned suspension over “willful defiance.” Nonacademic factors continue to show their relevance to student performance, but there’s still plenty of research that needs doing. (The first step would probably be to have a functioning government, but hey, you can’t get everything.)
And change came to this blog itself, with our wonderful Nirvi Shah going to join Politico over the summer; you’d have to look far and wide to find anyone else who could make vending-machine regulations sound so interesting.
Hopefully, you’ve found Rules for Engagement useful so far. As a reminder, if you have any comments, criticisms, or tips, feel free to send an email.