Top Stories and Commentary for Wednesday, October 31, 2007
California school fixes ahead: Proceed with caution
By Peter Schrag/Sacramento Bee
Brace yourself: California is about to get another "year of education." It will almost inevitably come with high-decibel laments about the dismal performance of California schools, excessive expectations about all the things schools can […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Tuesday, October 30, 2007
1 in 10 Schools Are ‘Dropout Factories’
By Nancy Zuckerbrod/Associated Press
It’s a nickname no principal could be proud of: "Dropout Factory," a high school where no more than 60 percent of the students who start as freshmen make it to their senior year. That […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Monday, October 29, 2007
Make ‘No Child’ honest
Although there’s much not to like about the law, it has focused attention on education. Let’s fix it. Editorial/Los Angeles Times
The No Child Left Behind Act has made an admitted mishmash of public education. Yet, like nothing before, the […]
Note: This edition includes Weekly Recap below
Top Stories and Commentary for Friday, October 26, 2007
Ideas beginning to emerge for California schools’ overhaul
By Linda Jacobson/Ed Week
An improved education data system, stronger pre-K and kindergarten programs, and school spending based more on student needs than on categories of programs are likely to be […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Thursday, October 25, 2007
Pupils start school bookless
Despite state law, two Tri-City districts begin the year with shortages By Shirley Dang and Katy Murphy/Argus
Richmond High School senior Marvin Salazar arrived in economics class this fall and immediately learned a lesson in scarcity: He had no textbook for a […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Stop the narrowing of the curriculum by ‘right-sizing’ school time
By S. Paul Reville/Ed Week
These days, the loudest rallying cry against the No Child Left Behind Act, and standards-based reform in general, is the persistent claim that the law’s reliance on testing and emphasis on […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Smart testing
Editorial/Riverside Press-Enterprise
Changes to California’s school performance measurements should improve accountability, not weaken it. That principle correctly guided Gov. Schwarzenegger’s decision last week to sign a bill improving alternative education, and veto a plan to weaken […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Monday, October 22, 2007
Bush, Democrats face education spending showdown
White House says bill costs too much but fails to fully fund initiatives. By Alyson Klein/Ed Week
President Bush and Democratic leaders in Congress are facing off over spending on federal education programs, and the renewal of the No […]
Note: This edition includes Weekly Recap below
Top Stories and Commentary for Friday, October 19, 2007
Not who but what is left behind
By Barbara M. Stock/Ed Week
Our national obsession with standardized-test scores is dangerous. The idea that there is only One Right Answer, the answer to the test question, plants the seeds […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Thursday, October 18, 2007
School struggle on the east side
Leaders of InnerCity Struggle discuss overcrowding, student mobility, charters and LAUSD.
Maria Brenes, executive director of InnerCity Struggle, stopped by the editorial offices recently to discuss the crisis in Los Angeles schools. InnerCity Struggle, which advocates on behalf of students […]