We’re a few weeks into the new school year now, and I’d be curious to hear from any of you about how Utah’s new program to allow students to take two online classes at state expense is going so far. … Continue reading»

Today’s New York Times “room for debate” features longer school days. Since this is one of the most frequently touted education reforms, I wanted to recommend this point/counterpoint discussion. Admittedly, you won’t read anything new here. Leaders of charter school … Continue reading»

The Obama administration has officially declared No Child Left Behind dead in the water, and — since Congress has not managed to reauthorize and revise the law — has decided to proceed by regulatory fiat. Just about everybody agrees that … Continue reading»

Students aren’t reading? The usual suspects have been rounded up to comment on the latest drop in SAT reading scores. Standardized tests are at fault; schools are destroying a love of reading. Poverty is at fault. Diverse test takers are … Continue reading»

Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that a “Wave of New Disabilities Swamps School Budgets.” The article features students suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. The reporter writes carefully, and respectfully, about the challenges facing students, families AND schools when students are … Continue reading»

I just read a short article in Education Week, written by a fellow history teacher who argues that “educators make bad prognosticators of the future.” He continues, “There is no shame in that. Politicians, stock-market players, CEOs, and gamblers, people … Continue reading»

Yesterday I reported on the first House of Representatives vote on the No Child Left Behind reauthorization, and the House Republicans’ strategy of breaking down the reauthorization into several smaller bills. (The first bill, which made it easier for charter … Continue reading»

Yesterday Congress passed a bill that, according to Education Week, “would allow states to tap federal funds to replicate charter school models that a proven track record of success.” The New York Times account states that the bill “tweaks an … Continue reading»

Last week I linked to a New York Times article that claimed to expose the limits of incorporating technology into the classroom. Digital education advocate Michael Horn has responded that the article “dramatically misses the point. As others have noted, … Continue reading»

Thanks for the thoughtful responses to my blog posting on the Obama administration’s new special education rules (or rather, relaxation of some of the old rules.) I found both the plea for maintaining special ed resources AND the plea for … Continue reading»