Lydia Dobyns

When did we decide that a four-year college education was a "must do" that had to start immediately after high school graduation? The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 68.3% of 2011 high school seniors were enrolled in college the year they graduated. Yet national college persistence and...

It's not easy trying to change the face of education. Working with public school districts, policy makers and state officials to balance stakeholder interests is messy and challenging. Changing the teaching and learning pedagogy in a system that was designed for factory-line education is tough work. Convincing school boards that...

I've yet to meet an adult involved in education who does not espouse anything other than "I'm here for the children." Regardless of the intentions, saying that student success is top priority, and taking action to assure student success, yield entirely different results.

To achieve true student success, it's...

It's time to start measuring educational success by aligning financial resources with performance expectations. "True" educational return on investment (ROI) deserves our undivided attention.

The concept of ROI is second nature in the business world -- the idea that the quantitative benefit gained from an investment of money or time...

Innovation in education has no boundaries. It's apparent that overcoming obstacles to providing an innovative and relevant curriculum that promotes trust, respect and responsibility is not limited to the U.S. We see schools overseas facing similar issues of finding the appropriate teaching method to prepare their students for life after...

The Hunger Games Trilogy Projects Keep Learning Real

What is it about reality TV? Seems we're all fixated on it. Just a quick glance at the TV listings
and magazines which abound with all sorts of "reality" shows and their stars, and we see just how much...

Thousands of students, teachers and administrators will commemorate Digital Learning Day on Feb. 1. The effective use of technology in the classroom may be reaching new levels of acceptance, but for many of us in the educational arena we live and breathe technology daily and consider its use...

My recent blog on school culture struck more than a few chords among readers eager to have the role of parents included in the education dialogue. Parents ARE critical role models for students. In a way, parents go to high school, too. But the role of the parent is complicated....

A recent visit to Cleveland's East Tech@New Tech High School stopped me in my tracks. My student ambassador, Brittany, pointed out that she had the best attendance record in the school. She showed me walls depicting what students felt made East Tech special: attendance, a photo collage highlighting...

Deeper Learning delivers the skills and knowledge students will need to succeed in a world that is changing at an unprecedented pace. Earlier this month, the Deeper Learning Community of Practice gathered to answer the question: "What do Deeper Learning teachers know and do?"

Deeper Learning teachers prepare...

Last month, I was visiting one of my daughters who attends college on the East Coast. The crispness of Fall was in the air. And while I was delighted with the early signs of the changing season, I was also very aware that it was up to me, as a...

It's time to "blow-up" our antiquated college admissions process. The archaic ritual of getting into college by SAT/ACT scores and GPAs has outlived its usefulness. We need to take drastic action if for no other reason than to recognize the crisis we have with students who score well enough on...

A critical challenge in the national discourse around education is to stop the frequent changes in direction (looking for the new, quick fix), being held to a failed national policy (No Child Left Behind) and the tendency to present choices in "either/or" terms.

The choices we face in changing education...

Timing is everything. Digesting the new No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waiver program unveiled on September 23 by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, I can't help but wonder how much closer we might be to deeper education reform in this country if Duncan had led with this waiver program...

In the Sunday, September 4, issue of the New York Times, a front page article detailed the uncertain and even negative effects of technology in classrooms ("In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores"). Yet, the premise -- that a singular investment in technology, without a deep comprehensive re-imagination of the overall...

Heroes and villains abound when it comes to considering the failings of America's schools. And sometimes they're one and the same.

Charter schools are the salvation of our education system and dangerously overhyped. Teachers are underpaid professionals making enormous personal sacrifices or a group of bad apples protected by...