Great piece by the New York Times‘ Bob Herbert two days ago, in which he writes the following: “When you look at the variety of public schools that have worked well in the U.S. — in cities big and small, and in suburban and rural areas — you wonder why anyone thought it was a […]
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What the NFL Draft Can Teach School Reformers
This Thursday marks the prime-time return of the NFL Draft — an annual smorgasbord of possibility when each team fills out its roster with the best talent the college ranks have to offer. I’m a huge football fan, so I’ll be tuning in to see which players my beloved San Diego Chargers select to fill […]
Read More »BBC Walk and Talk
I spent this afternoon walking and talking with BBC reporter Kavitha Cardoza about assessment systems and what the U.S. can learn from other countries around the world. Check it out at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/8612399.stm.
Read More »Privatization or Public-ization?
There’s a lot of talk these days about the growing support for a privatization of America’s public school system, and what it augurs over the long haul. Typically, that’s as far as the conversation gets before breaking down into myopic talking points that force people to pledge allegiance to one of two camps: these days […]
Read More »Washington Post Review of American Schools
Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post published a nice review of American Schools today. Check it out at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/civics-education/how-to-build-real-american-sch.html.
Read More »MSNBC — Chaltain and . . . Sharpton
This morning I was on MSNBC’s Morning Joe talking about the national climate for school reform . . . with Reverend Al Sharpton. Check it out at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/35458319#35458319.
Read More »The Big Picture on School Performance
On Feb. 1, President Obama vowed to toss out the nation’s current school accountability system and replace it with a more balanced scorecard of school performance that looks at student growth and school progress. I love the idea. Mr. Obama and education secretary Arne Duncan have repeatedly criticized the No Child Left Behind Act for […]
Read More »Evaluating Charter Schools
This morning I appeared on WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show. With the DC region at the forefront of the national charter school movement, people want to know why, after a decade of innovation and experimentation, it’s still difficult to evaluate local charters and compare them to traditional public schools. The framing question for the hour-long show, therefore, […]
Read More »Good Review of American Schools
The prolific Ken Bernstein, aka “Teacher Ken,” just reviewed my book for Teacher Magazine. See what he has to say here.
Read More »Rethink Learning NOW
This fall, as young people across the country settle back into the rhythms and requirements of a new school year, the rest of us might want to heed the words of a former U.S. president and ask ourselves an old question: “Is our children learning?” The answer, of course, is that we can’t know for […]
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