How Are Teachers Measured? As we reported yesterday, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation finished its three-year, $50 million study on measuring teacher effectiveness. The researchers found that neither test scores nor observations alone will do the trick. Click here for WSJ's take, and here for another look in the Washington Post.
What Does Nate Silver think?Just as the Gates Foundation released its report, the famous New York Times wonk weighed in on the topic on Reddit: sometimes, he writes, no data is better than bad data. "There are certainly cases where applying objective measures badly is worse than not applying them at all, and education may well be one of those," says Silver.
Too Much Testing? California's education chief argues for fewer standardized tests next year. Under his plan, second graders would no longer be tested in English and math.
To Close, Or Not To Close? As New York City faces a record wave of school closures, a former Department of Education official takes to the pages of the New York Daily News to defend the controversial topic. "Critics of the school-closing strategy portray it as an assault on beleaguered teachers, parents and kids, who are struggling with inadequate funding and support," writes Eric Nadelstern, a former deputy chancellor to Joel Klein. "This is incorrect. Large, ineffective schools have resources -- but lack the personnel, culture and practices needed to use them effectively."
Ivy Diversity? An NPR report explains how elite colleges have trouble recruiting "smart, low-income kids." "If a student doesn't apply to any selective college or university, it's impossible for admissions staff to see that they are out there," Stanford economist Caroline Hoxby tells NPR.
Is Your Bachelor's Worth it? "2-Year Degree Salaries Top Many 4-year Degrees"