Curriculum Matters
This blog covered news on the common core, literacy, math, STEM, social studies, the arts, and other curriculum and instruction topics. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: common core, reading & literacy, mathematics, STEM, social studies, and curriculum.
Teaching
Learning Styles: True or False
Kent Fischer has one of the most provocative local education blogs, one he's written as a reporter for The Dallas Morning News for about four years now. He focuses mostly on issues related to Dallas ISD, but writes about broader trends and concerns for K-12 schools as well.
Assessment
National Standards, And The Future of NAEP
I attended an interesting event in Washington yesterday: a conference celebrating the 20th anniversary of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for the NAEP. The gathering brought together a lot of people from the nation's capitol and outside the Beltway who have been instrumental in shaping the exam known as "the nation's report card" and making it what it is today. Those attendees spent an afternoon looking forward, and looking back.
Reading & Literacy
NGA: Extend Literacy Instruction Through All Grades
An issue brief by the NGA Center for Best Practices cites examples of a number of states that have developed K-12 literacy plans. It's not enough to have a literacy plan only for students in grades K-3, such as the ones many states created to participate in Reading First, the flagship reading program under the No Child Left Behind Act, according to the National Governors Association. The 15-page brief says that "reading on grade level by 3rd grade is not sufficient for preparing students for success in high school and beyond."
Education
What People Are Saying About National Standards
My colleague David Hoff, over at NCLB: Act II, is on top of this.
Science
Teachers and Textbooks
When teacher Mike Fletcher leads students through a geometry lesson, he brings a special kind of authority to the subject. He helped write their textbook.
Science
British Prime Minister Highlights Science
Barack Obama is not the only national leader talking about the importance of education during a period of deep recession. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is seeking to revamp his nation's approach to math and science instruction, pitching that proposal as a matter of long-term economic health, according to this BBC story.
Education
Fair Play and Fighting Spirit
Here's another good story on the gray area surrounding "mercy" rules—policies aimed at curbing vicious blowouts that are fairly common in high school sports. This article, from the AP, is set in Nebraska, where lopsided scores in girls' basketball —92-18, 72-13, 92-11 and the like—apparently occur pretty regularly.
Education
Today's Students and the Value of Newspapers
This video of the last day at the Rocky Mountain News, the latest newspaper to close up shop in the midst of a spiraling downturn in the news industry, was posted on Vimeo a few days ago by Matthew Roberts. Over at The Joy of Children's Literature blog Denise Johnson wonders if today's generation will remember how the news "used to be published."
Education
Stay Tapped In to Stimulus News With EdWeek Widget
Edweek.org now has a widget for our coverage related to the federal stimulus. You can embed this widget in your blog or on your Web site to help readers follow the latest news and analysis on how the huge infusion of federal money is being targeted for schools.
Science
Your Favorite Fictional Mathematician?
I recently came across this item in Plus magazine, an online publication which seeks to introduce readers to the "beauty and practical applications of mathematics." It asks readers to vote for their favorite fictional mathematicians. I was a bit surprised by the top vote-getter.
Education
GAO: Loss of Arts Education Higher in Some Kinds of Schools
Most elementary teachers report that instruction time for arts education stayed about the same between the school years of 2004-05 and 2006-07, according to a report released today by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Still, teachers at schools with higher percentages of minorities and that have been identified as needing improvement under the No Child Left Behind Act were more likely to report a decrease in time spent on arts education in their schools. Four percent of elementary teachers surveyed said arts education increased at their schools, and 7 percent reported a decline.
Education
"Carnival" for Math-Science Bloggers
A new "carnival" of blogs focused on math and science issues is open for business. For those new to carnivals—and I am one of you—they serve as a sort of clearinghouse of links to blogs, and specific posts, on a particular topic. This one is sponsored by Kim's Play Place, a blog run by a self-described "homeschooling mom to two girls with a toddler," who is especially interested in math and science topics.
Reading & Literacy
Evaluation: Reading First Showing Some Success in California
While an "impact study" by the federal government has raised questions about the success of Reading First nationally, an evaluation in California credits the program with raising student achievement in that state significantly. Reading First, which has been the flagship reading program of the No Child Left Behind Act, is a K-3 program, but in California, even 5th graders in Reading First schools are scoring significantly higher on reading tests than those not in Reading First schools. The study by Educational Data Systems also shows that students in schools that implemented the program to a high degree had much higher achievement than students in schools that didn't implement the program in a comprehensive way.
Science
The Right Gesture in Math
Most teachers have probably seen their students transmit all kinds of silly, strange, and downright inappropriate gestures over the course of the school day. But sometimes in-class gestures can have a benign and productive effect, at least in mathematics.