Top Stories and Commentary for Monday, June 30, 2008
Poll: Schools not properly preparing kids
By Nancy Zuckerbrod and Trevor Tompson/San Diego Tribune
It’s not much of a report card. Half of Americans say U.S. schools are doing only a fair to poor job preparing kids for college and the work force. Even more […]
Note: This edition includes Weekly Recap below
Top Stories and Commentary for Friday, June 27, 2008
Poll: Math, yes; standardized tests, maybe
By Nancy Zuckerbrod and Trevor Tompson/San Francisco Chronicle
More math, please. A large majority of Americans thinks schools are placing too much emphasis on the wrong subjects, and more than half think they’re […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Thursday, June 26, 2008
U.S. students improve in math and reading, report finds
Minorities and the poor make the most progress, narrowing the performance gap. Are federal reforms working? By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo/Christian Science Monitor
America’s schoolchildren are improving in reading and math – and minorities and those at the bottom […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Across U.S., schools feel budget pinch
Slashed funding and rising costs are forcing school districts to cut back, even close down. By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo/The Christian Science Monitor
The Fallon elementary school is a joyous place. But last week, some parents, students, and […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Education data tell a sorry story
Column by Dan Walters/Sacramento Bee
The Legislature’s budget analyst issued a report last week on the chronic problems that the state’s community colleges encounter in instilling the […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Monday, June 23, 2008
Graduation rates declining in L.A. Unified despite higher enrollment, study finds
Experts say the exit exam is having a huge effect on dropouts. The UC-led report showed that middle school experiences and teacher quality were also major factors. By Mitchell Landsberg/Los Angeles Times
The number […]
Note: This edition includes Weekly Recap below
Top Stories and Commentary for Friday, June 20, 2008
Predicting success, preventing failure
Opinion by Julian Betts and Andrew Zau/San Francisco Chronicle Julian Betts is an adjunct fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California and a professor of economics at UC San Diego. Andrew Zau […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Thursday, June 19, 2008
Testing and learning
Editorial/New York Times
To get the well-educated, highly skilled workers that the country needs, states must strengthen public school curriculums, especially in math and science. States also need to adopt high-quality tests that show how students are performing from year to […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Teacher interns ‘highly qualified’, judge says
By Bob Egelko/San Francisco Chronicle
A federal judge upheld Bush administration education rules Tuesday that classify more than 10,000 teaching interns in California, and tens of thousands more nationwide, as "highly qualified teachers" and allow them to remain in […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Students unready for community college, state analyst says
Recommends more focused work in high school, statewide standards, flexibility in budgeting By Matt Krupnick/Contra Costa Times
Community colleges need immediate help to handle their hundreds of thousands of unprepared students, the state Legislative Analyst’s Office […]