The Answer Sheet: Guest Bloggers


Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/03/2011

How to improve teacher education now (and why Teach for America isn’t the answer)
By Valerie Strauss
Former Teachers College president Arthur Levine writes why it is now time to change the way teachers are prepared for their jobs and how we should do it.

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:00 AM ET, 08/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Teachers, Guest Bloggers

Posted at 12:27 PM ET, 04/05/2011

Ravitch: Ignoring lessons of phony ‘Texas miracle’
By Valerie Strauss
Education historian Diane Ravitch writes about how the so-called “Texas miracle” led to No Child Behind, and how modern reformers are ignoring the lessons learned from that reform.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:27 PM ET, 04/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 04/05/2011

A case against standards
By Valerie Strauss
An English professor explains why he is opposed to standards being formulated by the National Council of Teachers of English and why he thinks they will harm public education.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 04/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 03/03/2011

Value-added assessment: Theory vs practice
By Valerie Strauss
Conflating the importance of teacher quality with the ability to measure it carries big risks, and can lead states, districts and the media to miss the trees for the forest.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 03/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Matthew Di Carlo, Teachers | Tags:  la times, la times teacher, los angeles times, los angeles times teachers, los angeles times teachers series, teacher assessment, teacher evaluation, teachers, teachers and value-added, teachers database, value added

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 03/02/2011

March Madness: 'My name is Luke and I refuse to take your test'
By Valerie Strauss
A father writes that his 11-year-old has spent this year in school getting ready for this month's Pennsylvania standardized assessment tests rather than pursuing intellectually stimulating classroom experiences. Now he wonders if he should ask his son to boycott the tests.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 03/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Standardized Tests | Tags:  bartleby project, penn state, pennsylvania assessments, rube goldberg, standardized tests

Posted at 08:00 AM ET, 03/02/2011

The Bill Gates problem in school reform
By Valerie Strauss
How our celebrity-obsessed culture affects school reform: If Bill Gates had no money, would anybody care what he has to say about how to fix public schools (especially since he lacks strong evidence to back his positions)?

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:00 AM ET, 03/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, School turnarounds/reform | Tags:  bill gates, gates foundation, gates interview, school reform, teacher evaluation teacher effectiveness

Posted at 08:30 AM ET, 03/01/2011

The fight over teaching evolution, climate change
By Valerie Strauss
A survey shows many biology teachers are afraid to teach evolution. A proposed law in Tennessee would require science educators to "teach the controversies" regarding evolution and climate change -- even though scientists don't think there is much controversy. What's going on in the world of science instruction?

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:30 AM ET, 03/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Anthony Cody, Guest Bloggers, Science | Tags:  climate change, evolution, global warming, intelligent design, science class, scopes trial, teaching climate change, teaching evolution, theory of evolution

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 03/01/2011

Ravitch: 'A moment of national insanity'
By Valerie Strauss
Education historian Diane Ravitch writes: "The reality on the ground suggests that the corporate reform movement ... will set American education back, by how many years or decades is anyone's guess."

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 03/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Diane Ravitch, Education Secretary Duncan, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, diane ravitch, gates foundation, president obama, president obama and school reform, race to the top, school reform, teachers

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 02/28/2011

Debating Michelle Rhee
By Valerie Strauss
Here's a look at the two central questions posed by "The Bee Keeper," the new book about Michelle Rhee: Why do D.C. schools perform so much worse than many other big city school districts? Was Rhee’s the right approach to improving the schools?

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:00 AM ET, 02/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Michelle Rhee, Richard Kahlenberg | Tags:  michelle rhee, richard whitmire, school reform, slate magazine, studentsfirst, teacher assessment, the bee eater

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 02/28/2011

'Brain-based' education: Run from it
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran educator explains why teachers should run from any curriculum that says it is "brain-based."

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 02/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Larry Cuban, Learning, Research | Tags:  brain research, brain-based education, daniel willingham, education and brain, larry cuban

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 02/27/2011

2 false claims that drive school reform
By Valerie Strauss
"Accountability" and "merit" are compelling concepts, especially when we are talking about adults who are charged with educating our children. But the concepts have been misused in school reform, writes an educator.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 02/27/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Accountability, Charter schools, Guest Bloggers, Performance pay, Teacher assessment | Tags:  accountability movement, charter schools, geoffrey canada, merit pay, michelle rhee, performance pay, school choice, teacher pay, teachers, waiting for superman

Posted at 09:45 AM ET, 02/03/2011

Why aren't public school parents protesting?
By Valerie Strauss
A public school parent in New York writes about money and privilege, and private and public schooling in New York City.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:45 AM ET, 02/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Avenues, Avenues The World School, Joel Klein, Mom Blog, barry diller, beccarama, manhattan private schools, new york city, new york city schools, private schools

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 02/02/2011

The Bartleby Project
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran educator writes about the country's obsession with standardized testing and what might be done about it.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 02/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  education reform, president obama, school reform, standardized test industry, standardized tests, test industry, the bartleby project

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 02/02/2011

Obstacles to better school counseling -- and what to do about it
By Valerie Strauss
School counselors know full well that they can't always be there to help students. A counseling expert says that the problem is that counselors can’t change things by themselves.

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:00 AM ET, 02/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  counselors, national school counselors week, school counselors

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 02/01/2011

'It makes no sense:' A dissection of Obama's education view
By Valerie Strauss
Here is a dissection of what President Obama said about education in his State of the Union speech, plus more.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 02/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  china and india and education, china education, chinese schools, education, education policy, education reform, indian schools, international competitiveness, obama speech, president obama, president obama school reform, public schools, race to the top, school reform, schools, state of the union, u.s. education

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 01/31/2011

The 'thinking gap' (and why teachers shouldn't keep kids busy every second)
By Valerie Strauss
A popular book on teaching rests on an unspoken assumption that children in urban schools cannot and should not sit still and think. This premise limits the kinds of teaching that can take place and the topics that can be taught.

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:00 AM ET, 01/31/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers

Posted at 05:30 AM ET, 01/28/2011

On this we should agree
By Valerie Strauss
A health expert writes that while there isn’t likely to be peace in the education world over charter schools and standardized testing, on this everyone should agree: The need to focus attention on disparities among our youth in education and in health.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:30 AM ET, 01/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  achievement gap, anxiety-related behaviors, anxiety-related disorders, effects of poverty, environment and schools, health disparities, indian suicide rates, native american suicide rates, poverty and education, public health services, suicide rates

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/27/2011

Parents as tigers and wimps: Cycles in child rearing and schooling
By Valerie Strauss
An educator explains how the media hullabaloo over Amy Chua’s 'Tiger Mom' and angry rebuttals from many parents (and grandparents) are at the root of the traditional vs. progressive cyclical conflicts that have ebbed and flowed over what reforms work best in U.S. schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/27/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  amy chua, battle hymn of the tiger mother, history of school reform, larry cuban, parenting, parenting techniques, school reform, tiger mom, tiger mother

Posted at 08:00 AM ET, 01/24/2011

Test scores and economic competitiveness
By Valerie Strauss
What does international economic competitiveness have to do with kids’ test scores? Not much.

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:00 AM ET, 01/24/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  international competitiveness, international test scores, pisa scores, test scores, u.s. economy

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/24/2011

Teacher: The worst of "best practices"
By Valerie Strauss
A teacher explains how the push to use "best practices" gets out of hand and winds up wasting time and money.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/24/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 01/22/2011

How about a 21-hour school day?
By Valerie Strauss
Educators are talking about extending the school day by a half hour or so. Just maybe, it is posited here, what we need is a 21-hour school day.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 01/22/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  extending school day, kipp, length of school day, research and school time, school day, school reform, seat time, time in school

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/21/2011

Testing the Common Core Standards
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran of the standardized testing industry sets out to discover whether the Common Core Standards are "revolutionary" or whether they look a lot like standards states already have. Here's his report.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/21/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  academic benchmarks, common core standards, common standards, content standards, national standards, standardized testing, standardized testing industry, state standards, testing industry, todd farley, todd s. farley

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/19/2011

The case against NCLB reauthorization
By Valerie Strauss
Here's an argument by someone other than Margaret Spellings against reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/19/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  edujobs, elementary and secondary education act, nclb, nclb reauthorization, no child left behind, obama and school reform, president obama, race to the top, reauthorization esea, school reforms

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/18/2011

Videotaping teachers the right way (not the Gates way)
By Valerie Strauss
A teacher describes what he says is the right way to videotape teachers to help them improve and explains why he thinks a Gates-funded videotaping project is taking the wrong approach.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/18/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  evaluating teachers, gates foundation, gates funded project, gates project and teachers, how to evaluate teachers, larry ferlazzo, teacher assessment, teachers, teachers and gates foundation, videotaping teaches

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 01/14/2011

The biggest flaw in Gates value-added study
By Valerie Strauss
Were the conclusions of a major Gates Foundation study on value-added measures to evaluate teachers predetermined?

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:00 PM ET, 01/14/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  MET project, MET study, assessing teachers, bill gates, bill gates foundation, gates foundation, teacher assessment, teacher evaluation, value-added, value-added measures

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 01/12/2011

The big 5: A teacher's translation guide for policymakers
By Valerie Strauss
Those hoping for educator buy-in on the next big education reform idea should first consult this translation guide , which explains some catchphrases and buzzwords that set off warning bells for teachers.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:00 PM ET, 01/12/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  edu-speak, education buzzwords, education policy, educational rigor, failure is not an option, paradigm shift, research-based methods, rick hess, roxanna elden, teachers

Posted at 01:00 PM ET, 01/11/2011

Ravitch: The chutzpah of rewriting Mark Twain (and how it relates to "The Wire")
By Valerie Strauss
Education historian Diane Ravitch writes about the latest effort to cleanse Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" of hurtful words.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:00 PM ET, 01/11/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  censorship, classic literature, diane ravitch, huck fin, huckleberry fin, the wire, william shakespeare, writing mark twain

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/11/2011

Joel Klein's snow job
By Valerie Strauss
A New York City teacher takes a critical look at the legacy of Joel Klein, former schools chancellor and a leader of the modern reform movement.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/11/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  joel klein, joel klein legacy, klein's legacy, michael bloomberg, new york city schools, nyc schools, school reform

Posted at 11:00 PM ET, 01/10/2011

Has American education peaked?
By Valerie Strauss
Educator Marion Brady argues that our current reform road will do nothing to fix our school system, and he offers a way to imagine real alternatives.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 PM ET, 01/10/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  21st century skills, arne duncan, marion brady, obama school reform, president obama and school reform, school curriculum, school reform

Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 01/09/2011

How to be taken seriously as a reformer (don't be an educator)
By Valerie Strauss
In the current upside-down world of education policy, there's one foolproof strategy for being taken seriously as a reformer: Make sure you're not an educator. Here, an educator writes about what counts -- and what SHOULD count -- in the school reform debate.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:30 AM ET, 01/09/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Illiinois schools, Performance Counts, bill gates, eli broad, jeb bush, mark zuckerberg, obama and schools, obama daughters and school, oprah, performance counts, president obama and daughters, school reform, sidwell and obama, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teachers

Posted at 12:02 PM ET, 01/07/2011

What really helped Florida's test scores
By Valerie Strauss
Florida, which is increasingly being looked to as a school reform model did achieve considerable improvements in student achievement during the last decade. But it is important to see when, where and why the gains occurred. The real answer, it turns out, is not the one often given.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:02 PM ET, 01/07/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  florida reform, jeb bush, jeb bush and school reform, naep scores, national assessment of educational reform, school reform

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/07/2011

What 2010 education research really shows about reform
By Valerie Strauss
A review of 2010 education research on charter schools, value-added measures and merit pay shows that the results were not great news for supporters of these reforms.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/07/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  charter schools, education research, market-based reforms, shankar blog, value-added, value-added measures

Posted at 11:15 AM ET, 01/06/2011

NCLB's 9th anniversary: 'Will there be anything we will need to remember after the test?'
By Valerie Strauss
Nine years ago this week president Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act. Take a look at what it wrought.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:15 AM ET, 01/06/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  congress and nclb, esea, esea reauthorization, national education association, nclb, nclb reauthorization, no child left behind, standardized testing, teachers unions

Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 01/05/2011

Resolutions someone should make for 2011
By Valerie Strauss
An educator offers some resolutions for the new year: That President Obama et al stop saying, "We are going to educate ourselves toward a 21st Century economy;" that people who really know about education appear on Oprah; that policy makers stop making standardized testing the gold standard of student achievement and teacher effectiveness; that we stop using corporate speak (game changer, incentivize) to talk about education. And more.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:30 PM ET, 01/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  2011 resolutions, ian hacking, mike rose, new year's resolutions, obama and education policy, oprah, oprah winfrey, president obama, standardized tests, stephen jay gould, student achievement, teacher effectiveness

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/05/2011

How technology will and won't change schools by 2020
By Valerie Strauss
Will ever newer technological devices really lead to an educational revolution and make schools unrecognizable by 2020?

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  education technology, handhelds, larry cuban, technology, technology in schools

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/24/2010

The line between sacred and secular in school
By Valerie Strauss
A music educator writes: "'Time for mistletoe and holly. Also, the perennial Music Teacher Question: What about Santa?"

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/24/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  christmas music, christmas music and school, music in school, sacred music and school, santa claus and school

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 12/23/2010

Test scores can't prove whether teacher experience matters
By Valerie Strauss
People such as Bill Gates and Arne Duncan who say teacher experience doesn't matter much are relying on standardized test scores for evidence, even though the tests fail to provide adequate evidence for drawing such a conclusion.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 12/23/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teacher evalution, teachers, test scores

Posted at 01:00 PM ET, 12/22/2010

Bring back shop class
By Valerie Strauss
An educator writes: "Reinstituting manual education just might lead to a renaissance of common sense in how we educate our children."

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:00 PM ET, 12/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  high schools, marc epstein, shop class, vocational education

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/22/2010

The lowdown on standardized tests and how they are scored
By Valerie Strauss
If you think machines score all of the standardized tests kids take, guess again. Rather, an army of low-paid, poorly trained temps score them. Test scorers tell the tale.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  common core standards, how tests are scored, no child left behind, race to the top, standardized test industry, standardized test scoring, standardized tests, test industry, test scoring

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/15/2010

Standardized snake oil -- Brady
By Valerie Strauss
Educator Marion Brady writes: "Consider as failing every school – public, charter, private, whatever – that assumes that corporately produced, standardized tests say something important about something important."

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  marion brady, standardized tests

Posted at 01:14 PM ET, 12/13/2010

What Norway (not Finland) tells us about schools
By Valerie Strauss
An educator explains what the United States can learn from Norway's education system.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:14 PM ET, 12/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  OECD, PISA, PISA results, finland education system, finland schools, norway, school reform

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/13/2010

A Felliniesque education story
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran teacher writes that if today's education debate seems Felliniesque, don’t worry; you have not lost your senses. "What is apparent, however, is that the people who run the show have."

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  david steiner, fellini, how to assess teachers, merryl tisch, new york board of education, nyc schools, releasing test scores, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teachers, test scores released

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 12/12/2010

What international test scores really tell us: Lessons buried in PISA report
By Valerie Strauss
Buried in the data report about the latest international results of PISA are lessons that show how U.S. education policy is failing.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 12/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  PISA, PISA scores, U.S. PISA scores, arne duncan, education policy, how u.s. fares in international rankings, international rankings, international test scores, obama education policy, pisa, the american dream

Posted at 08:00 AM ET, 12/11/2010

'If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging'
By Valerie Strauss
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the new PISA results are a "wake up call" for him. But is the call he is hearing the right one?

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:00 AM ET, 12/11/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  PISA scores, arne duncan, nclb, no child left behind, pisa, school reform

Posted at 03:29 PM ET, 12/08/2010

Absent teachers reserve 'crisis' created by Klein, Bloomberg, union
By Valerie Strauss
A teacher explains how all sides are responsible for the mess surrounding New York City's "absent teacher reserve: "If this self-inflicted "crisis" were given to a business management class as a case study, it's likely that they would conclude that the negotiators on both sides of the table were idiots."

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:29 PM ET, 12/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  cathie black, cathleen black, joel klein, new york city schools, nyc schools, teacher assessment, teacher tenure, teachers

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/08/2010

A primer on (and problems with) market-based reform
By Valerie Strauss
Here's a primer on market-based school reform, the vision of its proponents and why their agenda is not the best thing for children.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  andy smarick, arne duncan, checker finn, chester finn, democrats for education reform, dfer, fordham institute, geoffrey canada, green dot charter schools, harlem children's zone, jeb bush, joel klein, kipp, kipp schools, market-based reform, michael bloomberg, michelle rhee, richard barth, rick hess, rick scott, school reform, steve barr, wendy kopp, whitney tilson

Posted at 11:39 AM ET, 12/07/2010

Ravitch to Gates: Let's talk
By Valerie Strauss
Education historian Diane Ravitch invites Bill Gates to a public discussion on education reform, and explains why public schools must remain public.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:39 AM ET, 12/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  bill gates, checker finn, diane ravitch, education policy, federal control of schools, local control of schools, obama and school reform, republicans in congress, school reform, school reform policies, wall street journal

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/07/2010

Assessing teachers without fetishizing test-based reforms
By Valerie Strauss
An educator writes that policymakers are fetishizing student scores on standardized tests and using them as a crutch rather than turning to sensible solutions to improve public schools. There are better ways to assess teacher quality, he says.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  assessing teachers, los angeles times, no child left behind, race to the top, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teacher evaluation, test scores, value added

Posted at 01:52 PM ET, 12/05/2010

When teachers are their own worst enemies
By Valerie Strauss
An educator/author argues that teachers, however unwittingly, helped create the accountability movement that is now "choking" them.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:52 PM ET, 12/05/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  accountability movement, california standards test, common core standards, common standards, criterion-based tests, public schools, school reform, standardized test, standards movement, teachers

Posted at 10:11 AM ET, 12/04/2010

Meier: Partisan mindsets and teacher collegiality
By Valerie Strauss
Veteran educator Deborah Meier writes about partisan mindset in education, and she asks whether there are institutions and publications today that are built around deep respect for the intelligence and inventiveness of teachers -- and kids.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:11 AM ET, 12/04/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  collaboration, deb meier, deborah meier, diane ravitch, teach for america, teachers, teachers and collaboration

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/03/2010

Time to pay attention to a reform that works
By Valerie Strauss
There’s an education reform strategy that has 50 years of solid research behind it, with proven results that demonstrate how to improve student achievement. It’s. a solution backed by both political parties to help narrow the achievement gap, increase high school graduation rates and reduce crime and delinquency. So why don't we focus on it like a laser beam?

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/03/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  achievement gap, early childhood education, kindergarten, pre-k, pre-kindergarten

Posted at 01:30 PM ET, 12/02/2010

A system to tell how your kid is doing in school
By Valerie Strauss
Here's an assessment that can help parents figure out how well their kids are doing in school. And students can use it themselves if they are so inclined.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:30 PM ET, 12/02/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  how kids learn, learning, parents, report cards, teachers, teaching and learning

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 12/01/2010

First blame the teachers, then the parents
By Valerie Strauss
An educator warns that after teachers have been sufficiently scapegoated for the troubled public education system, parents will be next. And she offers an alternate framework for which to reform schools, one of responsibility rather than phony accountability.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 12/01/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  accountability, arne duncan, department of education, school reform, teachers

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 11/29/2010

Willingham: Why Black deserves a chance to run NYC schools
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham writes: "Understanding and actually attending to teachers’ perspectives on New York City classrooms in 2010 is probably mostly a matter of listening, and of valuing what teachers have to say." That's why, he says, Cathy Black deserves a chance to run the schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 11/29/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  cathie black, cathleen black, daniel willingham, educational leadership, new york city schools, new york city schools chancellor, nyc schools, nyc schools chancellor

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 11/29/2010

What Tom Friedman got wrong about schools and why it matters
By Valerie Strauss
The great New York Times columnist Tom Friedman wrote in a recent piece that if he were a cub reporter today, he’d want to be “covering the epicenter of national security -- but that would be the Education Department.” If Friedman the cub reporter had turned in this piece, a veteran education editor would have sent it back, asking him to back up his contentions with research. He’d have a hard time.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 11/29/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, education secretary arne duncan, performance pay, public schools, school reform, schools, standardized tests, teacher evaluation, the new york times, tom friedman

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 11/22/2010

Hannah Arendt and the point of education
By Valerie Strauss
An award-winning veteran teacher reflects on the reasons we bother to educate children, and concludes that we have forgotten or never knew, because if we did, we wouldn't do it the way we do now. "I find I am becoming increasingly radicalized as I age," he writes.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 11/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  education, guest bloggers, hannah arendt, kenneth bernstein, standardized tests

Posted at 12:46 PM ET, 11/20/2010

Why teaching experience really matters
By Valerie Strauss
Bill Gates just urged school districts and states to stop rewarding teachers for their experience in the classroom and/or advanced education degrees. Arne Duncan makes the same argument. But evidence shows that teaching experience DOES matter.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:46 PM ET, 11/20/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, bill gates, class size, does experience matter, education department, education secretary duncan, lowering class size, raising class size, research on class size, research on teaching experience, school reform, schools, shankar blog, standardized tests, teacher experience, teacher pay, teacher quality, teacher salaries, teachers, teaching experience, value added

Posted at 11:29 AM ET, 11/17/2010

Beyond the brain: Reading is a cultural activity
By Valerie Strauss
An educator writes: "Reading is a cultural activity. This statement may seem obvious, and yet in recent decades an increasing number of educators have considered reading from psychological and even neurological perspectives, as if reading were a process that happens in the agent’s mind and is ultimately regulated by brain mechanisms."

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:29 AM ET, 11/17/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  guest bloggers, reading, reading strategies, teaching reading

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 11/17/2010

The sad story of an L.A. school labeled 'failing'
By Valerie Strauss
A teacher at a Los Angeles middle school writes about why her school was just declared to be "failing" and why the designation is patently unfair: "In today’s world of testing and sanctions, best efforts are irrelevant if scores do not increase at a fast enough rate."

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 11/17/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  failing schools, la schools, los angeles unified school district, public school choice, schools, teacher assessment, teachers, value-added measurement

Posted at 12:09 PM ET, 11/15/2010

Willingham: How 'mind-wandering' affects students
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham writes about "mind-wandering" --or zoning out of what you are doing -- and how it affects students at school.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:09 PM ET, 11/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  brain research, cognitive science, daniel willingham, mind-wandering

Posted at 11:55 AM ET, 11/13/2010

Teacher: Data, my new dirty word
By Valerie Strauss
A teacher explains how an obsession with data has led to the redefinition of teaching and learning: "Teaching itself has become redefined as generating, collecting, and using data, and learning has become redefined as the curve connecting data points. This is a fundamental shift in how educators think, talk, and go about educating our children. Unfortunately, it is not a shift that serves anyone but the data-collectors very well."

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:55 AM ET, 11/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  data, education, educational data, mad math minutes, mad minutes, nclb, no child left behind, school reform, schools, teachers, teaching and learning, test data

Posted at 09:40 AM ET, 11/12/2010

What’s wrong with releasing names and scores?
By Valerie Strauss
A teacher writing about plans by the NYC Department of Education to release teachers’ names and value-added ratings to the press, says: "Is this sheer stubbornness on the part of school leaders, or do they not understand the harm this would cause?"

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:40 AM ET, 11/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  diana senechal, la times, la times teachers, new york city schools, new york times, new york times teachers, nyc doe, school reform, schools and teachers, teacher assessment, teacher evaluation, teachers, the los angeles times, value added, value added assessment

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 11/11/2010

De-legitimizing public education
By Valerie Strauss
The quality of American education is going to get worse. Count on it. And contrary to the conventional wisdom, the main reason isn’t going to be the loss of funding accompanying economic hard times. Educator Marion Brady explains why.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 11/11/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  bill gates, marion brady, public education, school reform

Posted at 02:24 PM ET, 11/09/2010

Antidote to an educator’s depression
By Valerie Strauss
An educator writes: "After spending a few weeks watching films about the proclaimed 'Crisis in American Education' -- The Lottery, The Cartel, and Waiting for Superman -- I considered calling my doctor to prescribe an anti-depressant. I also wondered if I should have pursued a different career, maybe driving a truck or making shoes.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:24 PM ET, 11/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  educational films, mark phillips, school reform, the cartel, the lottery, waiting for superman

Posted at 09:56 AM ET, 11/02/2010

What other countries are really doing in education
By Valerie Strauss
For a while education mavens keep pointing to other countries as models for education reform. Let's look at what some of them are really doing. Guess what? It's not what we're doing.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:56 AM ET, 11/02/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, education finland, education singapore, finland, finland schools, finland teachers, singapore, teachers

Posted at 11:32 AM ET, 11/01/2010

Willingham: How sugar really affects kids
By Valerie Strauss
As parents eye bags of Halloween candy, cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham writes about the real effect sugar has on kids.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:32 AM ET, 11/01/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  daniel willingham, health, sugar, sugar and health, sugar and kids, sugar and learning

Posted at 09:45 AM ET, 11/01/2010

Teacher apologizes for achievement gap: 'My fault'
By Valerie Strauss
An eighth grade Earth sciences teacher, surrounded by family and friends, tearfully admits that the achievement gap is his fault. Yes, it's fake news. You'll laugh and cry.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:45 AM ET, 11/01/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  achievement gap, fake news, teachers

Posted at 03:55 PM ET, 10/31/2010

The importance of being unprincipled
By Valerie Strauss
Teacher Larry Ferlazzo writes that sometimes, sticking to our principles isn't the right thing to do, and suggests that we sometimes aim to be "unprincipled."

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:55 PM ET, 10/31/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  larry ferlazzo, teachers, waiting for superman

Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 10/29/2010

Waiting for sanity in education reform
By Valerie Strauss
This fall brought a lot of noise in the education world: A movie, a manifesto and a mayoral election. Now comes news Now comes the news that, in light of whatever is going to happen on Nov. 2nd, the Obama administration is looking for ways to work with the next Congress and is targeting No Child Left Behind to reauthorize. George Wood says: "Yikes."

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:30 AM ET, 10/29/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  diane ravitch, george wood, jon stewart, jon stewart rally, mike rose, no child left behind, restore sanity, sanity rally, school reform, stephen colbert, stewart colbert, waiitng for superman

Posted at 02:55 PM ET, 10/28/2010

How to evaluate students: Look at their work
By Valerie Strauss
The best way to find out what students know and can do is to look at their actual work, not by the results of a standardized test. Monty Neill looks at how a local assessment system can work.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:55 PM ET, 10/28/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  fairtest, learning record, local assessment, monty neill, nclb, nclb reauthorization, no child left behind, problem solving, standardized tests

Posted at 11:14 AM ET, 10/28/2010

Do we really need an ed 'enemies list'?
By Valerie Strauss
The University Council for Educational Administration Review has published an education "enemies list." I wish it hadn't.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:14 AM ET, 10/28/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, e.d. hirsch, enemies list, rick hess, school reform

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 10/28/2010

Why are we failing in history, science education?
By Valerie Strauss
An award-winning writer of history and science textbooks writes about the importance of great textbooks and explains why so many are so terrible.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 10/28/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  history, history textbooks, joy hakim, science, science textbooks, textbook adoption, textbooks, virginia textbooks

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 10/27/2010

"Superman' tells false story about Emily's school
By Valerie Strauss
"Waiting for Superman" tells the stories of five students said to be desperate to escape their “failing” public schools. But in at least one case, that of Emily Jones, the story told isn't true.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 10/27/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  caroline grannan, davis guggenheim, emily jones, public school, waiting for superman

Posted at 03:36 PM ET, 10/24/2010

Saving public education: the 'Dolly Solution'
By Valerie Strauss
An educator proposes a new model for school reform: cloning, which, in three easy steps, is the surest route for improving public education. It makes perfect sense.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:36 PM ET, 10/24/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, cloning, dolly parton, dolly the sheep, education department, george washington, jaime escalante, led zeppelin, no child left behind, public schools, race to the top, school reform, schools, stairway to heaven, stand and deliver, teachers, ted williams

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 10/23/2010

Building teacher accountability from the ground up
By Valerie Strauss
Educator Anthony Cody spells out the practices that help improve instruction and that build teacher accountability into schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 10/23/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  accountability, anthony cody, national certified teacher, school reform, teacher assessment, teacher magazine, teachers

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 10/22/2010

Economic school integration: A response to Valerie Strauss and Jerry Weast
By Valerie Strauss
Richard D. Kahlenberg makes strong arguments as he responds to separate criticism that Montgomery County Public Schools Supt. Jerry Weast and I raised about a Century Foundation report about economic school integration in Montgomery County.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 10/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  century foundation, economic integration, economic school integration, jerry weast, mcps, montgomery county, montgomery county public schools, richard kahlenberg, school choice, socioeconomic integregation, the answer sheet, valerie strauss

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 10/22/2010

Court: Cheerleader had no 1st Amendment right to refuse to cheer for alleged assailant
By Valerie Strauss
This really happened: A federal appeals court ruled that a former Silsbee, Texas, high school cheerleader did not have a First Amendment right to refuse to cheer for a basketball player who she had accused of sexually assaulting her and who later pleaded guilty to simple assault.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 10/22/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  cheerleader, dismissed from team, first amendment rights, sexual assault, texas cheerleader, texas court

Posted at 12:27 PM ET, 10/21/2010

On school reform, by Philadelphia's mayor and superintendent
By Valerie Strauss
Philadelphia's mayor and schools superintendent write: "To read the news coming out of Washington, D.C., you’d think the only way to reform public schools is by firing teachers, closing schools, and battling it out in the media. Not so."

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:27 PM ET, 10/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arlene ackerman, engagement, michael nutter, parent involvement, philadelphia schools, school reform, teachers, teachers union

Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 10/20/2010

Threats to school reform ... are within school reform
By Valerie Strauss
Educator Mike Rose writes: "There is a crisis in American education, and it involves mostly poor children, and thus it is a moral as well as educational outrage. But it is just not accurate to characterize public education itself as being in a 30-year crisis."

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:30 PM ET, 10/20/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Harlem children's zone, KPP, Teach for America, a nation at risk, curriculum, deborah meier, how to fix our schools, joel klein, manifesto, mike rose, narrowing of curriculum, no child left behind, poverty and schools, race to the top, reform manifesto, school reform, stephen j. gould

Posted at 04:00 PM ET, 10/19/2010

Missing from reform debate: The power of caring
By Valerie Strauss
The founder of YouthBuild programs writes: "We are woefully off the mark when the conversation is all about superintendents and principals needing power to fire inept teachers and not about using their power to create a caring, learning community."

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:00 PM ET, 10/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  curriculum, harlem schools, learning process, parent involvement, school reform, teachers development, youthbuild

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 10/19/2010

Reduce standardized testing to improve accountability, school quality
By Valerie Strauss
FairTest's Monty Neill writes that reducing the amount of standardized testing, and lowering the stakes connected to the result will result in more accountability and school quality.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 10/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, quality reviews, race to the top, school-based assessments, standardized tests, teacher assessment, teacher evaluation, testing

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 10/15/2010

Are we still capable of educating for 'us-ness?'
By Valerie Strauss
Educator Marion Brady writes: Maintaining a viable democracy requires an educated citizenry willing, able, even eager, to talk about matters like these, matters having to do with who we are as a people, why we do the things we do, and where we’re headed. Those conversations require at least some understanding of the past, national character, economics, politics, government, science, religion, and so on-intellectual tools that allow us to trace the trends of our era, the curves of history, the causes and consequences of change. Those were the kinds of conversations thoughtful educators used to try to encourage ... Now, not so much."

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 10/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  common standards, gettysburg address, joel klein, marion brady, michelle rhee, ronald reagan, school reform

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 10/14/2010

Radical idea: Public schools aren't an awful mess
By Valerie Strauss
A longtime educator writes about public education: "Backed into a corner, beat up and wildly uneven in quality, yes." But an unmitigated disaster? No.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 10/14/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  ariana huffington, arne duncan, gerald bracey, guest bloggers, hurricane katrina, katrina nation, nancy flanagan, pisa, public education, school reform, teachers, waiting for superman, wendy puriefoy

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 10/12/2010

'Manifesto' should be resignation letter
By Valerie Strauss
Educator and researcher Kevin G. Welner writes that none of the reforms discussed in a "manifesto" for school reform by Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee and 14 other schools chiefs are grounded in research and are nothing more than fads and gimmicks.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 10/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  charter schools, fixing schools, joel klein, klein manifesto, klein rhee, manifesto, merit pay, michelle rhee, obama and school reform, obama and schools, president obama, reform manifest, rhee manifesto, school reform

Posted at 10:25 AM ET, 10/08/2010

Using 'School Quality Reviews' to improve schools
By Valerie Strauss
Here is the first of three articles that will describe an assessment and evaluation system for schools that its authors, Monty Neill and Gary Ratner, argue should replace No Child Left Behind's test-centric structure.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:25 AM ET, 10/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  assessing schools, evaluating schools, fairtest, monty neill, naep, nclb, no child left behind, school quality reviews, standardized tests, state tests

Posted at 09:29 AM ET, 10/08/2010

Still trying to make sense of NBC's Teacher Town Hall
By Valerie Strauss
A special education teacher who attended NBC's Teacher Town Hall is still trying to make sense out of the event, saying that it did not turn out as advertised.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:29 AM ET, 10/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  education nation, nbc, school reform, teachers

Posted at 12:03 PM ET, 10/06/2010

Down the education rabbit hole
By Valerie Strauss
David B. Cohen writes, referring to Lewis Carrol's "Alice's Adventures: "Much of the education reform debate has been down the rabbit hole for a while, but I keep expecting people to act with some common sense."

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:03 PM ET, 10/06/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  bush initiative, bush institute, education nation, newsweek, principals, school reform, teachers

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 10/01/2010

Why won't Congress admit NCLB failed?
By Valerie Strauss
Monty Neill asks and answers: Why is Congress so unwilling to recognize both research and public opinion and overhaul the most basic fact of No Child Left Behind: Its high-stakes standardized testing regime has failed?

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 10/01/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, congress, congress nclb, fairtest, finland education, finland schools, gallup poll, nclb, no child left behind, singapore education, singapore schools

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 09/27/2010

Willingham: 'Superman' is entertainment, nothing more
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham says that in its quest for movie simplicity, "Waiting for Superman" Wa

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 09/27/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  back to the future, dan willingham, michael j. fox, school reform, waiting for superman

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 09/25/2010

Season of the education film: Do they help or hurt?
By Valerie Strauss
We are in the season of the educational documentary. There has been a lot written about several films, including "Waiting for Superman," but the real question is what happens after the final credits roll. Will there be any lasting impact?

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 09/25/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  education documentaries, education films, race to nowhere, school reform, the cartel, the lottery, waiting for superman

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 09/23/2010

Schools should teach religion (now more than ever)
By Valerie Strauss
The new school year began at a moment when religion was front and center in American popular dialogue. But the one place those issues were least likely to be discussed was in public schools. A professor argues that schools have misinterpreted the concept of "separation of church and state" and says students should learn about religion.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 09/23/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  establishment clause, first amendment, lausreligion in schoreligin in, religion and school, separation of church and state, teaching religion

Posted at 12:56 PM ET, 09/21/2010

RIF study: Access to print materials helps student achievement
By Valerie Strauss
A comprehensive new study shows that children's book lending and ownership programs were shown to have positive behavioral, educational, and psychological outcomes.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:56 PM ET, 09/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  guest bloggers, reading, research

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 09/20/2010

Has education reform jumped the shark? A teacher says 'yes'
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran teacher looks at recent events in the education world and concludes that yes, indeed, education reform has jumped the shark, and the signs of its collapse are everywhere.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 09/20/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  anthony cody, arne duncan, bill gates, education nation, gates on oprah, michelle rhee, nbc education nation, oprah, race to the top, rhee on oprah, teachers and reform, teachers town hall

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 09/17/2010

Schools would be great if it weren't for the kids
By Valerie Strauss
Education author Alfie Kohn, referring to a Robert Samuelson column that blames failing schools on unmotivated students, writes: "Blaming students is the next logical step after blaming teachers. In fact, the two reflect the same general perspective on education, one in which commentators look down from their aeries and inform us that the trouble lies with the people in the classrooms rather than with the policies imposed on them."

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 09/17/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  alfie kohn, how to motivate students, motivated students, newsweek, robert samuelson, samuelson column, school reform, unmotivated students

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 09/17/2010

How the ACT caught up with the SAT
By Valerie Strauss
For more than 80 years, the SAT has been the nation’s dominant, standardized college admissions exam. This year – for the first time – as many students in the high school class of 2010 sat for the rival ACT as took the SAT. How did it happen?

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 09/17/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  act, college admissions, crossing the finish line, fairtest, sat, sat act, sat or act, sat vs. act, standardized tests, test-optional colleges, test-optional schools, writing section act, writing section sat

Posted at 02:00 PM ET, 09/15/2010

Meier: Trust and skepticism in public schools
By Valerie Strauss
Renowed school reformer Deborah Meier looks at the issue of what "well-educated" really means and how we get there.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:00 PM ET, 09/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  adrian fenty, deb meier, deborah meier, michelle rhee, school reform

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 09/13/2010

Class size DOES matter after all
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran teacher says that class size affects student performance as he takes issue with a post last week on The Answer Sheet which argued otherwise.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 09/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  STAR and class size, class size, class size and tennessee, class size matters, justin snider, larry ferlazzo

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 09/10/2010

Why we can't afford small classes anymore: One view
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran teacher says the country can no longer afford to maintain small classes, and would a bigger bang for its buck by concentrating on improving teacher quality.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 09/10/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  class sizes, florida and class size, florida and class size and referendum, research on class size, small classes, teacher quality

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 09/10/2010

An unusual introduction to Native American YA lit
By Valerie Strauss
Here's a rather unusual introduction to Native American literature for young adults, with plenty of interesting titles and surprising facts.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:00 AM ET, 09/10/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Sherman Alexie, absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian, alexie sherman, john irving, joseph bruchac, native american literature, native american young adult literature, project letters, the world according to garp, ya literature, young adult literature

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 09/10/2010

Why kids in school need to play
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran teacher asks: "Since when did the word "play" become outlawed in kindergarten?" And she explains why play is crucial for kids.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 09/10/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  benefits of play, kids and play, play and kindergarten, playtime and schools

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 09/09/2010

Rhee in D.C.: The myth of the heroic leader
By Valerie Strauss
A former superintendent and Stanford professor emeritus writes that the heroic view of superintendents breaking china in order to build a better district for students—an image loved by media and the public—is a sure-fire recipe for disappointment and cynicism over turning around failing schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 09/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  fenty and rhee, larry cuban, michelle rhee, michelle rhee and adrian fenty, rhee and d.c. schools, will rhee stay or go?

Posted at 11:46 AM ET, 09/02/2010

How much power should we give to ed data?
By Valerie Strauss
A veteran teacher writes about what gets left out in today's education world where reformers are obsessed with "data" and test scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:46 AM ET, 09/02/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  evaluating teachers, how to evaluate teachers, power of data, teacher assessment, value added, value added and teachers

Posted at 11:22 AM ET, 08/26/2010

Getting real about social, emotional learning
By Valerie Strauss
Since we know that socialization is key to student growth and achievement, why don't we do a better job of integrating social and emotional learning into school programs, standards, evaluations and assessments?

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:22 AM ET, 08/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  ascd, bullying and schools, bullying summit, sean slade, social and emotional learning

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 08/26/2010

Why the National Writing Project should be saved
By Valerie Strauss
If Arne Duncan supports classroom teachers as he says he does, then why, a highly certified teacher asks, does he want to stop funding the National Writing Project, the best professional development program this teacher has experienced in nearly 30 years of teaching?

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 08/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arne duncan, national board certified teachers, national writing project, professional development and teachers

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 08/23/2010

How to give classrooms a mission
By Valerie Strauss
As school begins, it seems appropriate to discuss how to improve schools and classroom instruction. Teacher Larry Ferlazzo does so by focusing on the cultural orientation of schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 08/23/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  classroom culture, larry ferlazzo, school and parent engagement, school culture, teaching techniques

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 08/20/2010

Where’s the rigor in U.S. schools?
By Valerie Strauss
The release of new ACT results shows that much of what U.S. schools offer is “rigorous” in name only.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 08/20/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  a nation at risk, academic rigor, common standards, curriculum and schools, hechinger report, justin snider, national standards, standards and curriculum

Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 08/19/2010

A federal focus on high schools is long overdue
By Valerie Strauss
Two Alliance for Excellent Education officials argue that the federal government has concentrated too little on high schools for years, not too much.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:30 AM ET, 08/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  alliance for excellent education, high schools, school improvement grants

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 08/19/2010

Russo: The willy-nilly nature of teacher layoffs
By Valerie Strauss
Alexander Russo writes about the case of a highly certified, tenured teacher who is being laid off.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 08/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  alexander russo, chicago schools, little village high school, teachers and layoffs

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 08/16/2010

The problem with favoring high schools in turnaround grant program
By Valerie Strauss
The Obama administration has doled out a disproportionate amount of school turnaround funds to high schools, even though no one knows exactly how to improve them.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 08/16/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Tier 1, Tier 2, obama and education policies, obama and school reform, school improvement grants, school turnaround grants, school turnarounds

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 08/13/2010

Data, testing, accountability: The wrong words for reform
By Valerie Strauss
Language matters, and Sam Chaltain writes that we need to find new words to more accurately describe the changes we seek for children. Enough with data, testing and accountability.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 08/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  accountability and data, hamlet, sam chaltain, school climate, school reform

Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 08/12/2010

Are education credit recovery programs really effective?
By Valerie Strauss
Credit recovery is an essential part of efforts to increase high school graduation rates in urban, suburban and rural schools nationwide. But are the programs really effective?

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:30 AM ET, 08/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  credit recovery, educational programs and credit recovery, hechinger report

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 08/12/2010

Dogs: An unusual guide to school reform
By Valerie Strauss
Marion Brady writes that if we want to look at how to reform schools, we should look at dogs.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 08/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  marion brady, no child left behind, race to the top, school reform

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 08/11/2010

The problem with ‘Race to the Top’ is the race
By Valerie Strauss
Diana Senechal writes that President Obama is correct when he says we need to shake things up to improve the schools. The problem is that we are shaking up the wrong things.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 08/11/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  common core standards, diana senechal, obama and race to the top, obama and school reform, race to the top

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 08/10/2010

The truth behind the get-tough success stories in school reform
By Valerie Strauss
A teacher takes apart the myths surrounding Joe Clark and his baseball bat, Michelle Rhee and her broom, and the whole notion that bullying tactics can actually improve a school long-term.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 08/10/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  joe clark, joe clark and baseball bat, michelle rhee, rhee and broom, school leadership, urban school reform

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 08/09/2010

Education Reformers vs. “New Reformers”
By Valerie Strauss
A high school teacher looks at the trouble ahead this year for schools amid the budget crisis and education reforms he doesn't believe will help.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 08/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  esea, obama and blueprint, obama's reform blueprint, race to the top

Posted at 11:13 AM ET, 08/07/2010

Why you should be skeptical about standardized test scores
By Valerie Strauss
A Columbia University teacher writes about the problems with our faith our standardized test scores: "Yes, we 'just' need better tests. But creating better tests is very hard and very expensive. And in a system as vast and complex as ours, it’ll be tempting to continue using tests that can be graded quickly and that don’t look very different from the ones we now use. But without a radically different approach to standardized testing in this country, we are unlikely to get different results."

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:13 AM ET, 08/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  in, obama and education, obama's education policies, rhe, rhee fires teachers, standardized test scores, using standardized tests for high stakes decisions

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 08/03/2010

Proficiency should mean college ready—and an acceptance letter
By Valerie Strauss
Robert Pondiscio writes about the damage done by the test proficiency bubble in New York: "Here’s the dirty little secret about proficiency. There’s not much upside in being honest."

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 08/03/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  new york and proficient, new york test scores, proficiency and test scores

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 08/02/2010

Ed policies ignore science on how/when kids learn
By Valerie Strauss
Early education expert Lisa Guernsey shows just how out of whack American public education is by looking at new science and social research.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 08/02/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Lisa Guernsey, New America Foundation, early childhood development and reading, early education, early education initiative, literacy development

Posted at 07:08 AM ET, 07/31/2010

Do we need another hero?
By Valerie Strauss
Does education reform really need more heroes?

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:08 AM ET, 07/31/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  ed week, guest bloggers, jay mathews, lean on me, michelle rhee, school reform, sousa middle school

Posted at 07:53 AM ET, 07/21/2010

Alexander Russo on Jay Mathews and Harlem Children's Zone
By Valerie Strauss
There's nothing like a good fight to spice up a hot July day, so here, Alexander Russo of "This Week in Education" takes on my esteemed colleague Jay Mathews over the Harlem Children's Zone.

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:53 AM ET, 07/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  alexander russo, brookings and harlem children's zone, brookings and hcz, criticism of harlem children's zone, geoffrey canada, harlem children's zone, hcz and hype, jay mathews, poverty and school reform, poverty and student achievement, promise academy, promise charter academies, this week in education

Posted at 07:25 AM ET, 07/21/2010

Primer for ed reformers (or, it’s the curriculum, stupid!)
By Valerie Strauss
A curriculum expert says school reformers are ignoring this truth: "I say the familiar “core curriculum” in use in America’s schools and colleges is a problem-plagued, dysfunctional,19th Century relic that fits the 21st Century about as well as the first Model T Ford fits into I-75 traffic." And here's how to fix it.

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:25 AM ET, 07/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  changing the curriculum, common core standards, curriculum reform, how to design curriculum, how to reform a school, marion brady, national standards, primer for reforms, race to the top, school reform, the answer sheet

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 07/14/2010

How we evaluate relief pitchers and teachers
By Valerie Strauss
How is it that we are better able to evaluate baseball players than we are teachers?

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 07/14/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  baseball facts, bill james, evaluating baseball players, evaluating teachers, fplay, johan santana, teachers

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 07/09/2010

The problem with linking phys ed to academics
By Valerie Strauss
Sure, physical education has been linked to academic achievement. But why should it be? Isn't being physically fit a goal unto itself?

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 07/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  benefits of physical education, guest bloggers, health, pe and academics, physical education, physical education and academics, physical education and test scores, sean slade, teaching to the whole child, the whole child

Posted at 03:30 PM ET, 07/07/2010

A tradeoff worth making for schools
By Valerie Strauss
A former longtime aide for Rep. David Obey disputes that Obey is "carrying water" for teachers unions by seeking a cut in Race to the Top to save teachers jobs.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:30 PM ET, 07/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  cutting race to the top, legislation on teachers jobs, no child left behind, obey and teachers, obey and teachers bill, race to the top, saving teachers jobs, scott lilly

Posted at 11:27 AM ET, 07/06/2010

What Gandhi would think about “The Lottery”
By Valerie Strauss
Educator Sam Chaltain writes about why he felt like he had been "punched in the gut" after watching "The Lottery."

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:27 AM ET, 07/06/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  charter schools, gandhi and buber, harlem success academy, harlem success academy and film, martin buber, sam chaltain, the lottery, the lottery and film

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 07/02/2010

Reality check on school accountability movement
By Valerie Strauss
A teacher writes about how off-base today's accountability movement has become.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 07/02/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  obama and school reform, school reform

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 06/29/2010

New analysis of achievement gap: ½ x ½ = 1½
By Valerie Strauss
David Berliner, a prominent education researcher, writes about new data and analysis showing that when it comes to student achievement, family resources are important, school resources are important and the joint effect of the social and fiscal resources found in families and schools appears to be much greater than either alone.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 06/29/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arizona state university, coleman report, coleman report and 1960s, david berliner, educational research, effects on student achievement, how much does school affect student achievement?, parental influence and student achievement, standard deviations

Posted at 01:14 PM ET, 06/28/2010

Willingham: Newsweek story on single-sex ed research misses mark
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham critiques a Newsweek article on single-sex education and how faithfully it represents research on the issue.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:14 PM ET, 06/28/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  dan willingham, daniel willingham, education research, newsweek, research and education, single-sex education, single-sex education and effectiveness.

Posted at 01:00 PM ET, 06/15/2010

Why fun is important in learning -- Part 2
By Valerie Strauss
In Part 2 of "Why fun is important in learning" Sean Slade says: I would not ask a 6th grader to play on a senior basketball team as they would too easily be overwhelmed by skill-level, teamwork required, and level of competition (not to mention height). I would also not ask a 6th grader to play on an early elementary team for the opposite reasons. They would not be pushing themselves, would not be challenged, and subsequently would not be having fun.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:00 PM ET, 06/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  fun in learning, learning, making learning fun, sean slade

Posted at 03:10 AM ET, 06/06/2010

A school that did the right thing
By Valerie Strauss
A principal writes about the gamble his Ohio public school took by taking in an 18-year-student who could have hurt the school's accountability record.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:10 AM ET, 06/06/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  george wood, school accountability

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 06/03/2010

Movies and School Reform: Lessons from ‘An Inconvenient Truth’
By Valerie Strauss
By Frederick M. Hess. I can’t recall how many times over the years I’ve heard from school reformers, "We need our own ‘An Inconvenient Truth.’ " You know, a cinematic indictment of the educational status quo jarring enough to stir a lethargic public. Well, all of a sudden, we’ve got a whole bunch of them, and we’re about to see how much they matter.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:00 PM ET, 06/03/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  documentaries on education, education movies, education reform, frederick hess, guest bloggers, movies and school reform, the cartel and movie, the lottery and movie, waiting for superman

Posted at 12:17 PM ET, 05/31/2010

Academic 'stereotype threat' is real -- Willingham
By Valerie Strauss
Boys outscore girls in standardized tests of science. For example, in the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress, boys did slightly better than girls at fourth grade, eighth grade, and twelfth grade. Quick, what’s the reason for the difference? It's not what you think. Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham looks at how gender plays into student performance.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:17 PM ET, 05/31/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  gender gap, gender stereotypes, science, stereotype threat, study on gender gap

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 05/28/2010

Even lousy summer internships can be useful
By Valerie Strauss
As the summer internship season begins, a lot of kids are going to be surprised about just how boring some seemingly exciting jobs really are. Still, says education counselor Eileen Wilkinson, every internship can teach some lessons.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 05/28/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  boring internships, great summer internships, student life, summer interns, summer internships

Posted at 12:00 PM ET, 05/24/2010

Data shows kids shouldn't multitask -- Willingham
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham looks at the data about whether kids really can effectively multi-task in the way many of them think they can.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:00 PM ET, 05/24/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  can kids multitask?, daniel willingham, data on multitasking, multitasking and kids, research on multitasking

Posted at 08:59 AM ET, 05/15/2010

Literacy kudzu
By Valerie Strauss
Will Fitzhugh, editor of The Concord Review, questions, no, savages, the way students are taught to read in school.

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:59 AM ET, 05/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  best practices and reading instruction, how to teach reading, how to teach writing, learning, literacy, reading, reading instruction, reading wars, will fitzhugh, writing

Posted at 11:43 AM ET, 05/13/2010

When test scores no longer matter
By Valerie Strauss
Jim Horn, a college instructor, writes about why, suddenly, some school reformers have decided that standardized test scores no longer matter, when they once were the holy grail.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:43 AM ET, 05/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  charles murray, charter schools, guest bloggers, jim horn, studies on charter schools

Posted at 10:59 AM ET, 05/03/2010

Willingham: About poverty and school success
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham looks at the relationship between poverty and school success--and doesn't like what he sees in the United States.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:59 AM ET, 05/03/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Daniel Willingham, equity, guest bloggers, poverty and academic achievement, poverty and schools, the achievement gap

Posted at 09:15 AM ET, 04/30/2010

Are ed reformers ignoring American values?
By Valerie Strauss
By Marion Brady. Perhaps most curious of all is the present education reform effort’s disregard for deep-seated American values. With the possible exception of Australia, no other country matches America in professed admiration for the non-standard person....Why, then, is there near-universal enthusiasm for national standards?

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:15 AM ET, 04/30/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Common Core Standards, Marion Brady, No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, american values, guest bloggers, national standards, national standards and american values, schools and american values

Posted at 04:07 AM ET, 04/12/2010

New Harvard research on teacher effectiveness
By Valerie Strauss
By Debra Viadero. A new statistical analysis from a group of researchers at Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research adds a new wrinkle to the known body of research on the effectiveness of teachers.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:07 AM ET, 04/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Debra Viadero, Harvard research, research on teachers, teacher effectiveness

Posted at 05:07 PM ET, 04/09/2010

Sorry Geoffrey Canada, but failure IS an option, a reality, and even a boon
By Valerie Strauss
By Diana Senechal. Calling for more school choice, Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, began a recent newspaper op-ed with the following: "Visitors to my public charter school often ask how the students feel about the signs on the walls that say: ’Failure is not an option.’ They are surprised to hear that the signs are really for the staff." There are two ethical problems with declaring that failure is not an option.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:07 PM ET, 04/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Diana Senechal, Harlem Children's Zone, Harlem zone, education reform, guest bloggers, hcz, reform in Harlem

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 04/08/2010

Obama ed "blueprint" will widen achievement gaps
By Valerie Strauss
By Lisa Guisbond and Monty Neill. Trapping the poorest children in NCLB’s negative cycle and somewhat freeing the rest, will only add to what Jonathan Kozol called "The Shame of the Nation," widening gaps in educational opportunity and quality.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 04/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Duncan and blueprint, Duncan and school reform, FairTest, Fairtest, No Child Left Behind, Obama and blueprint, Obama and school reform, Obama's blueprint, Race to the Top

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 04/06/2010

E.D. Hirsch Jr.: Common Core Standards could revolutionize reading instruction
By Valerie Strauss
By E.D. Hirsch, Jr. The Common Core Standards represent a fundamental and long overdue rethinking of the dominant process-approach to U.S. literacy instruction. To appreciate what a radical transformation it represents, one needs to understand how children are now schooled in literacy.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 04/06/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Common Core Standards, E.D. Hirsch, guest bloggers, reading

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 03/28/2010

Less Testing, More Learning
By Valerie Strauss
By Lisa Guisbond and Monty Neill. President Obama's blueprint for rewriting No Child Left Behind shows a deeply disappointing failure to learn from NCLB's big mistakes. For instance, it still makes standardized testing the centerpiece of the law.

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:00 AM ET, 03/28/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  FairTest, NCLB, standardized testing

Posted at 09:48 AM ET, 03/18/2010

A principal critiques Obama’s education plan
By Valerie Strauss
George Wood, principal of Federal Hocking High School in Stewart, Ohio, looks at President Obama's blueprint for rewriting No Child Left Behind. He applauds some of it but is disappointed in major parts, including a continued reliance on standardized testing.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:48 AM ET, 03/18/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  No Child Left Behind

Posted at 03:55 PM ET, 03/12/2010

Whitmire: New data on how far boys are falling behind
By Valerie Strauss
Richard Whitmire looks at a new report to be released next week that shows that males are not doing as well on state tests as females--more evidence that the Obama administration's approach to school reform must include targeted efforts at males.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:55 PM ET, 03/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Richard Whitmire, Why Boys Fail, guest bloggers

Posted at 09:33 AM ET, 03/12/2010

Why Obama should invest in teachers
By Valerie Strauss
How a professional learning community works--and why the most important investment the Obama administration can make in education is in teachers and teaching.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:33 AM ET, 03/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  George Wood, Obama, guest bloggers, teachers, teaching

Posted at 10:40 AM ET, 03/09/2010

Shalala outlines benefits of new GI Bill
By Valerie Strauss
University of Miami President Donna Shalala outlines the educational benefits that the new Post-9/11 GI Bill offers to military veterans and service members, and explains why it is good for all Americans.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:40 AM ET, 03/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  GI Bill, educational benefits for military

Posted at 01:00 PM ET, 01/27/2010

Newbery winner: How author was discovered
By Valerie Strauss
By James Blasingame. When good things happen to good people, it renews my faith in the universe, and when good things happen to two people, doubly so! The newest winner of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents Ted Hipple Award, Wendy Lamb, is definitely a deserving soul. Wendy is one of those people who lights up a room when she enters, but she is also someone who has been lighting up young readers’ minds for years, including eight years with her own imprint at Random House, Wendy Lamb Books. One of the books published by the imprint just won the prestigious Newbery Medal. How did Wendy Lamb find the author Rebecca Stead?

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:00 PM ET, 01/27/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  james blasingame, literature

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 01/12/2010

All-Day or Half-Day Kindergarten?
By Valerie Strauss
By Debra Viadero. In my Fairfax County neighborhood, there are two elementary schools within half a mile of each other. The school that my children attended has an all-day kindergarten; the other one offers kindergarten half a day. The school with the half-day program, however, has other benefits, though, such as smaller class sizes in the early grade. So, I’ve often wondered, which students were better off in the long run: the full-day program graduates or the half-day students who got more individual attention from their teachers?

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 01/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  kindergarten; guest bloggers

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 11/16/2009

Willingham: We have math standards, but now what?
By Valerie Strauss
We’ve got good standards . . . now what? . . .Students need conceptual knowledge. They need to understand why the procedures work, e.g., why “invert and multiply” yields the right answer when dividing fractions. Without conceptual knowledge, it is difficult to solve novel problems. The student can recognize that certain procedures apply to certain problem types, but if a problem is dressed up in a slightly different format, the student likely will be stumped. American students generally have adequate (not terrific) factual and procedural knowledge. Their conceptual knowledge is, on average, terrible.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 11/16/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Dan Willingham, math

Posted at 11:47 AM ET, 10/23/2009

Educator: 'Race to the Top's' 10 false assumptions
By Valerie Strauss
By Marion Brady. "Race to the Top? National standards for math, science, and other school subjects? The high-powered push to put them in place makes it clear that the politicians, business leaders, and wealthy philanthropists who’ve run America’s education show for the last two decades are as clueless about educating as they’ve always been. If they weren’t, they’d know that adopting national standards will be counterproductive, and that the "Race to the Top" will fail for the same reason "No Child Left Behind" failed—because it’s based on false assumptions.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:47 AM ET, 10/23/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Race to the Top

Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 10/13/2009

Art Expert: The Problem With School Art Programs Are Teachers Who "Can Barely Draw"
By Valerie Strauss
By David C. Levy ..."There is another reason why the arts, and visual arts in particular, are an endangered species in American K – 12 education. It has been my observation that primary and secondary school art teachers rank very low on the continuum of professional respect among their peers. And I would posit as a significant cause that they have generally not achieved a sufficient level of skill in their discipline to deserve that respect. For example, while English teachers may not be able to write The Great American Novel, the chances are pretty good that they can compose a competent essay. But many art teachers can barely draw!"

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:30 PM ET, 10/13/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  art teachers, teach training

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 09/25/2009

THE LIST: Readers Sound Off About Facebook
By Valerie Strauss
Seventeen-year-old Adam Turay was a guest on The Answer Sheet with a post on the intersection of kids and adults on Facebook. The Answer Sheet found Adam’s post delightful and funny though scores of adults who commented appeared to be less than enchanted. Here are some of The Sheet's favorite comments: 7) Sorry Kiddo. My generation built Friendster. My generation built the web browser. My generation owns most of the companies you love on the internet. And my kids want to use facebook too. Get in line, it’s ours, not yours. Posted by: bbcrock

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 09/25/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  facebook

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 09/24/2009

High School Senior Tells Adults: Get Off Facebook!
By Valerie Strauss
By Adam Turay: I was sitting on Facebook one afternoon looking through some new photos of my friend at a football game. The sequence of comments was fairly run-of-the-mill; there were some chummy remarks from his teammates, a few gushy sentiments from his girlfriend, and one excessively adulatory comment from ... HIS MOTHER? ... Though adults (and even teachers in some cases) want to maintain relationships with children, grandchildren etc., Facebook is definitely not the place to do so.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 09/24/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  Facebook, adults on Facebook, teachers