ST. PETERSBURG — Florida Gov.-elect Rick Scott on Thursday blew the door wide open to the idea of a voucherlike program for all students, saying he’s working with lawmakers to allow state education dollars to follow a student to the school his or her parents choose. (more)
What if all the desperate problems in American education had already been solved? (more)
In a huge boost for the charter-school movement, President Obama is set to meet today in the Oval Office with the five kids featured in the documentary “Waiting for ‘Superman’ ” which trumpets the need to reform the country’s education system. (more)
Michiganders are welcoming a first-in-the-nation — a public charter school that trains high-schoolers for careers in the aviation industry. (more)
NORTH TEXAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ― Who needs textbooks and lesson plans? Some North Texans say children should decide what they learn, not teachers. That’s the basis of a controversial educational philosophy known as “unschooling” . It’s a movement that’s gaining traction in North Texas and is as unorthodox as its name suggests. (more)
Dr. Patrick Wolf spoke to a packed audience in the Capitol Visitors Center last Monday. (more)
Recently there has been a spate of articles in journals as diverse as Dow Jones, the New York Times, and Inside Higher Education which, when boiled down, ask about the fundamental value of a college education and raise the question of how, when we see that value, we will know what we are looking at. (more)
Laura Drews has converted a corner of her San Jose dining room into a public school. Every weekday, she guides her first-, fifth- and eighth-grade children through their class assignments, delivered through textbooks and desktop computers. (more)
A recent lengthy New York Times article on charter schools, which are deregulated publicly funded schools of choice, came to the conclusion that the record of these schools was mixed, with some charters doing better than regular public schools, while others perform about the same or worse. That’s no surprise since even supporters acknowledge that there are good and bad charters. The real story that the Times overlooked is the ability of charter schools to use their freedom in order to transform themselves if they are not performing well. (more)
Last night, I thought about Cynthia Kaplan’s wonderful book, “Why I’m Like This,” while I helped two of my sons move home again, after a year away at college. I know everyone thinks about, talks about, writes about (I have) and dissects the “moving out” experience when young people head off to college. We spend almost no time examining their “moving back” experience. Now I know why. (more)
“You should really see me when I’m pissed.” (more)
After I took my final exams, I decided to go to the beach for a few days. I wanted to feel close to God, and since I was a kid the ocean has always connected me to the divine. Growing up I spent a lot of summers at eastern shore of Maryland, about three hours from my home in Washington, D.C. The semester was over. It was time for a break—and to wrap up this diary. (more)
In the world of education, it was the equivalent of the cool kids’ table in the cafeteria. (more)
Ever heard of a union that doesn’t want to give its members the opportunity to earn more money? (more)
At the suggestion of my astounded sister (also the most logical person on the planet), but against my better judgment, I watched a television program called “Radical Parenting.” If you’re unfamilar with the term, think of it this way: living in opposite world. There. That’s it. (more)
I was wrong about my professor. (more)
ALBANY — Accountability is a mantra of the charter school movement. Students sign pledges at some schools to do their homework, and teachers owe their jobs to students’ gains on tests. (more)
On Tuesday evening, the Senate rejected an amendment to reauthorize the Opportunity Scholarships program, which provides private school tuition vouchers to 1,300 poor D.C. children. (more)
Across the United States, policymakers are increasingly adopting education policies that give families the power to choose their children’s schools. Nonetheless, the idea of providing school vouchers to allow children to attend private schools remains controversial. For instance, congressional leaders and the Obama Administration have tried to end a successful school voucher program for low-income children in Washington, D.C. (more)
