For-Profit Firm On the Ropes
Tesseract can't even afford postage.
Tesseract, formerly known as EAI, can’t even afford postage.
Wisconsin Reports on Voucher Program
Program cannot document whether academic achievement is rising for participating students.
Report notes it is impossible to determine if students are performing better in voucher schools.
Resisting Zero Tolerance
A politically popular sound-bite has morphed into a Frankenstein’s monster, destroying children in its path. It doesn’t have to be that way.
First-Class Jails, Second-Class Schools
An interview with Jesse Jackson
Society’s misplaced priorities are moving too many youths from the educational system and into the penal system.
Zero Tolerance Unfair to Blacks
African-American students are suspended or expelled from school at a rate disproportionate to their enrollment, according to a new study.
Remembering Russell
Russell was a troubled 12-year-old who needed guidance and support. His school treated him as a problem. Now he’s a 16-year-old criminal.
Bright’ Like Me?
What if we were to take seriously the idea that people can become smart?
What if we take seriously the idea that people can become smart?
Standardized Minds
Book Review
A quick look at Peter Sacks’ riveting new book on America’s obsession with testing.
Behind the Testing Juggernaut
An Interview with Peter Sacks, Author of “Standardized Minds”
High-Stakes Testing Slights Multiculturalism
Matthew Henson is out, Christopher Columbus is in.
A vivid example of how high-stakes testing is narrowing the curricula in many schools.
Chicago’s ‘No Social Promotion’ Under Attack
The much-touted policy is starting to draw fire from educators and civil rights activists.
Money Matters
For years, the Wisconsin tourism industry has pushed for a state law demanding that schools not begin until September. Backed by powerful lobbyists and a big bank account, it finally has its way.
CASE Revealed, Case Closed
Teacher George Schmidt is being sued for $1.4 million by the Chicago Public Schools, which is mad that he published questions from the city’s high-stakes CASE exams.
Standards
News items on the standards issue from around the country.
SAT + ETS = $$$
A new book shows how the company behind the SAT has not only shaped American education but has turned a tidy profit.
The Charter Conundrum
The charter school movement provides both opportunities and dangers — which is precisely why progressives should not relinquish the movement to conservatives and venture capitalists.
A Policeman’s Duty?
Why do schools increasingly call the police when students get into fights, even verbal confrontations? As a parent and teacher, I am enraged.
Bilingual and Spanish-Language Websites
As an educator, I am often concerned about whether students are gaining the technology skills they need. Because I have always taught in predominantly working-class schools, and because many of my students’ primary home language is Spanish, I have added concerns.
Merit
Teachers Grapple with Yet Another Marketplace Reform
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Girls, Worms, And Body Image
A teacher deals with gender stereotypes among her second- and third-graders
Neighborhood Schools
A policy of returning to local schools threatens to increase racial inequality.
Teaching About the WTO
A Seattle teacher reflects on his unit on global issues and the lessons his students learned first-hand during ‘The Battle in Seattle”
Teachers as Leaders
A look at an alternative to 'pay for performance,' one that addresses teacher quality but doesn't rely on test scores.
A look at an alternative to “pay-for-performance.”
Lessons from History
Proposals for merit pay are not new. History suggests that this business-oriented reform will meet resistance and fail to achieve its stated goals.
Small Classes Versus Vouchers
Rethinking Schools Editorial
Editorial Wisconsin’s experiment with small classes can document academic success, especially for African Americans. Too bad the same can’t be said for vouchers.
