Arne Duncan

Needed: People Who Quit

Susan Ohanian | Posted 01.06.2010 | Politics


Susan Ohanian

In October, 2009, former Marine officer Matthew Hoh resigned his senior Foreign Service post in Afghanistan because he feels the war is pointless and ...

My New Year's Resolution to all "At Risk" Children

Steve Larosiliere | Posted 01.06.2010 | Impact


Steve Larosiliere

As a youth advocate, nonprofit leader and mentor, I'm making new resolutions for at-risk youth. I resolve to not just help the easy children, not to give up on children, and to care about their future.

Dan, Want to Prove You're a Leader? Push Pat on Education

Paras Bhayani | Posted 01.04.2010 | Chicago


Paras Bhayani

Despite Quinn's bungling, Hynes hasn't really been able to gain much traction: he's trailing by 26 points in a recent Tribune poll. The only issues Hynes has addressed at length are budget-related.

Fix or Replace Federal Education Policy?

Tom Vander Ark | Posted 12.30.2009 | Politics


Tom Vander Ark

K-12 education is a bigger part of the American economy than defense and while federal spending is a small proportion, federal legislation increasingly frames how it operates.

Educating for Democracy

Joel Shatzky | Posted 01.05.2010 | New York


Joel Shatzky

We face the danger of a future American citizenry which is no longer equipped to analyze political issues rationally, unaware of what "democracy" even means.

10 US Education Reformers That Will Impact 2010

Tom Vander Ark | Posted 12.28.2009 | Politics


Tom Vander Ark

1. Arne Duncan is taking advantage of an unbelievably large budget and pushing a tough reform agenda targeting low-income kids and struggling schools....

The New School of Education?

Paul Miller | Posted 12.16.2009 | Los Angeles


Paul Miller

Some of the most interesting examples of urban education reform anywhere in the nation are happening here in Los Angeles. One of these reforms is in teacher training.

Raise Test Scores or Die

Susan Ohanian | Posted 12.15.2009 | Politics


Susan Ohanian

Back in 1986, in a column titled "Internal Combustion Prose," New York Times columnist Russell Baker noted the defeat of a proposal to emblazon Wisco...

Bill Gates Admits He Was Wrong (Bloomberg Doesn't)

Alan Singer | Posted 12.11.2009 | New York


Alan Singer

No, this is not a spoof headline from the satirical newspaper The Onion. In his 2009 annual letter to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gate...

True Angels in the City of Angels: The Top 5 Social Enterprises in LA

Jonathan Greenblatt | Posted 12.02.2009 | Los Angeles


Jonathan Greenblatt

Despite the negative press, LA is a vibrant hub of ethnicities and ideas, a thriving metropolis that spurs continuous innovation for the common good.

The "Achilles Heel" of Education Reform is Slashed by Michael Bloomberg

Dan Brown | Posted 11.30.2009 | Politics


Dan Brown

High-stakes testing is a bullet train barreling through education reform; you're either on the train, on the sidelines, or waving your hands in franti...

Obama, Korea and American Schools

Alan Singer | Posted 11.24.2009 | New York


Alan Singer

Our children can become the world's greatest experts on test taking, but that will not stop businesses from shipping jobs overseas to India, China and South Korea, where standards of living are lower.

Will Illinois Education 'Race to the Top'? There's Hope on the Horizon

Paras Bhayani | Posted 11.20.2009 | Chicago


Paras Bhayani

I majored in economics -- a field that entails heaps of calculus -- but the state thinks I'm not qualified to teach math. This bizarre situation is a result of the Board of Ed's certification requirements.

Schumer's Role in "Race to the Top": Is the Fix In?

Thomas W. Carroll | Posted 11.13.2009 | New York


Thomas W. Carroll

For months, rumors have circulated Chuck Schumer has received assurances from the administration that New York will receive a "round one" grant -- as much as $350 million for the cash-strapped state.

Race to the Top Officially Starts: Will NY's "Data Firewall" Hurt Its Chances?

Thomas W. Carroll | Posted 11.12.2009 | New York


Thomas W. Carroll

Given New York's fiscal troubles -- Governor David Paterson has warned that the state could run out of money as early as December -- this is not a competition the state can afford to lose.

It's the Poverty, Stupid, Not Pre-K Skills

Susan Ohanian | Posted 11.06.2009 | Politics


Susan Ohanian

Agitating for Pre-K legislation is a smokescreen, pretending that a lack of skills is the problem when the real problem is poverty.

Renaissance 2010: Huberman Plans Fewer New Charter Schools

Catalyst Chicago | Posted 11.05.2009 | Chicago


CEO Ron Huberman today announced six recommendations for new schools that he will submit to the Board of Education later this month--about a third mad...

Bad Dreams Needn't Come True

Alan Gottlieb | Posted 11.04.2009 | Denver


Alan Gottlieb

If there’s one overriding lesson from last night’s school-related elections along Colorado’s Front Range, it’s that voters in some districts are not happy with the status quo.

Turning Around Bad Schools With Blended Restarts

Tom Vander Ark | Posted 11.02.2009 | Politics


Tom Vander Ark

There are about 10,000 really bad schools in America (about 10%). The majority are elementary schools. We know how to make them better, but it takes political will and capacity to improve them.

The New York Times Bizarrely Attacks Teachers -- Why?

Dan Brown | Posted 10.29.2009 | Media


Dan Brown

The editorial page in today's New York Times takes a bizarre pot shot at teachers. Teachers are demeaned by the Times as a destructive force when it comes to developing systems that work in schools.

U Of C Study Questions Effectiveness Of Duncan's CPS Turnaround Schools

New York Times | SAM DILLON | Posted 10.29.2009 | Chicago


Secretary of Education Arne Duncan presided over the closing of dozens of failing schools when he was chief executive of the Chicago public schools fr...

"Show Me The Money"

Alan Singer | Posted 10.29.2009 | New York


Alan Singer

Is Michael Bloomberg buying votes? Will Arne Duncan bring a "revolution" to the way our schools operate? Some who responded to recent blogs wanted more evidence for my claims. Here it is.

Obama, Duncan and the Public Schools

Alan Singer | Posted 10.26.2009 | New York


Alan Singer

Despite what Duncan thinks, nothing short of experience is going to prepare middle-class aspiring teachers to work with students who have high social and academic needs.

The One Thing That Will Truly Impact Our Future

Jenifer Fox | Posted 10.25.2009 | Impact


Jenifer Fox

Our schools today will get to the top as soon as we are able to teach children to discover their vocation in life, their calling, their destiny.

The Quiet Revolution

Tom Vander Ark | Posted 10.23.2009 | Politics


Tom Vander Ark

The success of Obama's first term education agenda will be sealed with the announcement of phase 1 Race to the Top winners in March. All indications ...