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White House estimate spells out tough road for Washington region economy
In the Washington region, hub of the federal government, the upcoming automatic spending cuts the Obama administration detailed Sunday would strike a tough blow, with nearly 150,000 civilian Defense Department employees facing furloughs and an estimated average loss of $7,500 in pay.
Read full article >>Prize-winning Washington elementary teacher brings energy to the classroom
For Jacqueline Simms, teaching is like being on stage, mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting. But for Simms it extends beyond the classroom — even beyond the school day.
At Anne Beers Elementary School in Southeast Washington, she helped develop a student behavioral program, establish a mentoring program with a local law firm and set up a Saturday school program with volunteers.
Read full article >>Capitol Hill education consultant helps parents navigate D.C. school choice
When Capitol Hill mom E.V. Downey went into business as an education consultant, she thought she’d cater to parents angling for advice on admission to private schools.
Instead, almost all of her clients are clamoring for help getting their children into a good D.C. public school.
Read full article >>The Grammys, the Oscars and now the Bunkum Awards
February is the month of the Grammy Awards for music and the Academy Awards for movies and, now, the Bunkum Awards.
Presented by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, the awards are given for what the presenters say is bad educational research. How bad? Given that a great deal of educational research is bad, the winners have to shock the sensibilities of the awarders.
Read full article >>The big misunderstanding about MOOCs
Every day it seems there is an announcement about another school offering another MOOC, those Massive Open Online Courses that some think will revolutionize higher education. Here educator Larry Cuban explains why people misunderstand the potential of MOOCS. Cuban was superintendent of Arlington Public Schools for seven years and a former high school social studies teacher for 14 years. He is professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, where he has taught for more than 20 years. This was first published on his blog about school reform and classroom practice.
Read full article >>Does school reform perpetuate inequity?
Many critics of modern school reform say that while reform efforts are intended to close achievement gaps and provide equitable educational experiences for all students, they are having the opposite effect. Here's that argument by Paul Thomas, an associate professor of education at Furman University in South Carolina. This appeared on his blog, the becoming radical.
Gun Advocates Push for More Access on Campus
Virginia lawmakers seek to simplify school ratings with A to F grades
To simplify an ever-growing list of school rankings, Virginia lawmakers have approved a new way to rate the state’s schools, and it’s borrowed straight from teachers’ grade books: A to F letter grades.
Read full article >>Emory University President Revives Racial Concerns
Should cursive writing be required? A N.C. bill would mandate it
Are we headed to a "back to basics" movement?
A bill actually called "Back to Basics" in the North Carolina House of Representatives would make cursive writing part of the curriculum for elementary school students who are, instead, expert at texting and tweeting and doing everything else on a screen, the Charlotte Observer reported.
Read full article >>Assistant Campus Diversity Officer | University of California Santa Cruz
Dean - Social Sciences and Humanities | Northeastern University
Director Student Assessment | Oakland University
Specialist - Advisor | Michigan State University
Assistant Professor or Political Science | Colorado Christian University
Massachusetts professors protest high-stakes standardized tests
A coalition of more than 130 Massachusetts professors and researchers from some 20 schools — including Harvard, Tufts, Boston and Brandeis universities — signed a new public statement that urges officials to stop overusing high-stakes standardized tests to assess students, teachers and schools.
