The Answer Sheet

Jeb Bush’s ‘Chiefs for Change’ attack Weingarten for something she didn’t say

Valerie Strauss — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:00:16 GMT

How’s this for a trick: Jeb Bush’s “Chiefs for Change,” a group of former and current state education superintendents, have attacked American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten for something she didn’t say — without even mentioning her name! She … Continue reading →

The college ‘preparation gap’ in a single graphic

Valerie Strauss — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:00:49 GMT

An annual national survey of school curriculum concludes that there is a “large gap” between how high school teachers perceive their graduating students’ readiness for college and what professors expect freshmen to know. While a vast majority of high school … Continue reading →

‘It’s just our job’ — teacher who saved students from tornado

Valerie Strauss — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:59:17 GMT

A CNN video: In this CNN story, second-grade teacher Tammy Glasgow talks about the Oklahoma tornado that demolished her school, Briarwood Elementary. Nobody died in the school, thanks to the efforts of the teachers. The story says in part: … Continue reading →

Quiet protest staged at Teachers College graduation

Valerie Strauss — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:13:58 GMT

Some students staged a quiet protest at Columbia University Teachers College commencement ceremonies Tuesday in New York to express their unhappiness with the choice of Merryl Tisch as a speaker and award recipient. The protesters opposed the choice of Tisch, … Continue reading →

Tornado survivor: Our teacher saved our lives

Valerie Strauss — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:00:11 GMT

Here’s a video from “Today” about how a teacher saved some children when the massive tornado struck Moore, Okla., and the transcript: Reporter: You know, there have been some amazing stories of survival that are starting to emerge from the rubble … Continue reading →

Why ability grouping in schools is a mistake

Valerie Strauss — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:00:54 GMT

Many elementary schools to create ability-group classrooms in an attempt to better prepare kids to meet the Common Core State Standards. In the following post, Joanne Yatvin explains why this is a problem. She is a past president of the … Continue reading →

Has anybody told Obama about the problems his education policies have caused?

Valerie Strauss — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:01 GMT

White House officials say they didn’t tell President Obama about an impending IRS scandal, and nobody told him the Justice Department secretly subpoenaed reporters’ phone records, and exactly what he knew when about the Benghazi controversy is unclear. This, then, … Continue reading →

‘I once thought Maryland was below me’

Valerie Strauss — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:00:52 GMT

The University of Maryland’s English Department held its commencement ceremonies on Monday and student Jamie Lee gave the following unusually honest speech in which she concedes that she once thought going to College Park was beneath her and that studying … Continue reading →

Harvard students seek probe of controversial PhD thesis on Hispanics’ IQ

Valerie Strauss — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:32:09 GMT

Harvard University students signed and delivered a petition to President Drew Faust last week demanding an investigation into how the school awarded a doctorate in 2009 based on a dissertation that claimed that Hispanics are not as smart as whites. … Continue reading →

What’s wrong with school ‘choice’? Here’s what.

Valerie Strauss — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:35 GMT

The idea of giving students a choice of where to go school — with public funds — may sound good, but there are problems attached. The following post explains some of them. It was written by David A. Pickler, president … Continue reading →

Principal: Why our new educator evaluation system is unethical

Valerie Strauss — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:24 GMT

Here’s a new post from award-winning Principal Carol Burris of South Side High School in New York about the state’s controversial new educator evaluation system. Burris has for more than a year chronicled on this blog (she calls it Star … Continue reading →

Obama’s commencement speech at Morehouse College — text

Valerie Strauss — Mon, 20 May 2013 02:00:06 GMT

Here is the text of President Obama’s speech, delivered Sunday at Morehouse College’s commencement ceremonies: THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Morehouse! (Applause.) Thank you, everybody. Please be seated. AUDIENCE MEMBER: I love you! THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Laughter.) … Continue reading →

Is it time to kiss Michelle Rhee goodbye?

Valerie Strauss — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:30:08 GMT

Is is time to kiss America’s most famous school reformer goodbye? Larry Cuban thinks so — and below he explains why. Cuban was high school social studies teacher for 14 years, a district superintendent (seven years in Arlington, VA), and … Continue reading →

Five of the best 2013 commencement speeches (so far)

Valerie Strauss — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:00:43 GMT

Leave it to Stephen Colbert to find a way to make Thomas Jefferson funny. That’s what he did when he was speaking to graduates at the University of Virginia — but he wasn’t the only commencement speaker to get the … Continue reading →

How to take a test: 1956 short film

Valerie Strauss — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:00:25 GMT

A blast from the past: a 1956 short film with tips on the right and wrong way to take a test. See what’s changed and what hasn’t.

Fiery Chicago teachers union president reelected

Valerie Strauss — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:02:30 GMT

Karen Lewis, the fiery leader of the Chicago Teachers Union who led a strike last year and became a nationally known anti-school reform figure, has been elected to another three-year term as president. Today she will lead the first of … Continue reading →

Are school vouchers losing steam?

Valerie Strauss — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:00:52 GMT

Vouchers have been at the center of the school choice movement for many reformers, but they may be in trouble. Here making that argument is Abby Rapoport of The American Prospect, where this appeared. By Abby Rapoport When news broke … Continue reading →

Three days of marches in Chicago to protest school closings

Valerie Strauss — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:29:46 GMT

The Chicago Teachers Union and education activists are planning three days of demonstrations in different city neighborhoods, starting Saturday, to protest the closing of 54 public schools this year. The closure plan by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and school district … Continue reading →

Americans: The world’s sleepiest students

Valerie Strauss — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:08 GMT

Who are the world’s sleepiest students? It’s the Americans, according to an analysis by Boston College researchers of data that was part of the 2011 international exams known as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in … Continue reading →

The revolution is here

Valerie Strauss — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:00:53 GMT

I’ve written a lot about growing resistance to high-stakes standardized testing and other corporate-driven school reforms. In the following piece, the argument is made that the revolution against the reform movement is here. It was written by Jeff Bryant, an … Continue reading →

Obama tweet gets Australian researcher big attention

Valerie Strauss — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:35:14 GMT

Correction: The original version of this post said the scientist got 31.5 million followers as a result of Obama’s tweet. I got that wrong. He potentially got that many readers for his study because that’s how many followers Obama has. … Continue reading →

Infographic: A lesson on tornadoes

Valerie Strauss — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:01:31 GMT

The following infographic comes from AccuWeather.com and explains the kind of damage expected when tornado wind speeds are at varying levels. This was released a day after tornadoes swept through North Texas, killing at least six people and injuring dozens … Continue reading →

What ‘education influentials’ think will — and won’t — happen

Valerie Strauss — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:01:31 GMT

A new report about what people called “education influentials” think will happen in the world of education says: * That 87 percent of insiders think that the No Child Left Behind law won’t be reauthorized until at least 2015. * … Continue reading →

Christian school: ‘atheist controversy’ over creationist quiz may keep academy open

Valerie Strauss — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:53 GMT

I recently published a fourth grade “science quiz” given to students at a creationist South Carolina religious school, which featured questions in which the “correct” answers were essentially a denial of science. For example: Students were told to say True … Continue reading →

How to teach history (and how not to)

Valerie Strauss — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:00:38 GMT

History is fascinating but too often kids find it boring in history class. Here Larry Cuban explains why and what to do about it. Cuban was a school social studies teacher for 14 years, a district superintendent (seven years in … Continue reading →