Top Stories and Commentary for Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Many students learning from ‘out-of-field’ instructors, report says
By Shirin Parsavand/Riverside Press-Enterprise
Students are getting far too much of their instruction from teachers who don’t know their subjects well, and the problem is particularly acute in math, according to a new report. The report from The Education […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Tuesday, November 25, 2008
US Education Dept. withholds $1M from Calif.
San Jose Mercury News
The U.S. Department of Education will withhold $1 million from the California Department of Education for failing to meet math-testing requirements for eighth-graders, the agency said in a letter. The state was under pressure to […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Monday, November 24, 2008
Schools feel pinch from economic woes
Officials look for the least painful trims, but many worry about their ability to close achievement gaps. By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo/Christian Science Monitor
School districts across the United States are tightening their belts in anticipation of a meager fiscal diet that […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Friday, November 21, 2008
S.F. schools chief wants higher bar for grads
By Jill Tucker/San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco schools Superintendent Carlos Garcia wants to raise the bar for earning a high school diploma - requiring every graduating senior, starting with the class of 2014, to pass all the […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Thursday, November 20, 2008
Study: Smaller schools outshine bigger ones
By George B. Sánchez/LA Daily News
Small Los Angeles Unified high schools graduate students at higher rates and prepare them better for college than bigger schools, according to a new study that supports what many educators have been saying for years. […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Wednesday, November 19, 2008
School districts fight possible midyear cuts
Officials contend such a move would harm students. By Cheri Carlson/Ventura County Star
Local schools Superintendent David Gomez flew to Sacramento last week to try to convince state officials that cutting $2.2 billion from public education halfway through the school […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Californians would pay for real education reform
Despite economic hard times, Californians from varied backgrounds would put more money into public schools–but only if it supports real, systemic reforms, according to research from Viewpoint Learning. Commentary by Steven Rosell and Isabella Furth/New America Media […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Monday, November 17, 2008
Hearings promote education as a civil right
By Annette Fuentes/New American Media
Calling education the "greatest civil rights issue of our time," San Francisco Schools Superintendent Carlos Garcia addressed a hearing on public school reform Thursday evening that focused on a persistent student achievement gap and […]
Note: This edition includes Weekly Recap below
Top Stories and Commentary for Friday, November 14, 2008
Three states eye bold high school reforms
Among the potential changes: college at 16, teacher-run schools, and state exams with assignments. By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo/Christian Science Monitor
Imagine if students could choose to leave high school as early […]
Top Stories and Commentary for Thursday, November 13, 2008
Obama and our schools
By Nicholas D. Kristof/New York Times
President-elect Barack Obama and his aides are sending signals that education may be on the back burner at the beginning of the new administration. He ranked it fifth among his priorities, and if it is being downplayed, […]