Why have politicians and others decided to ignore the research and use defective systems to make major decisions about retaining teachers or determining their pay? Why are we not "minding the gap"?

This piece comes to us courtesy of EdSource, an independent education nonprofit. Alone among states, California has permitted passing a primarily m...

"Investing in high-quality teaching is the centerpiece of any successful educational system. Intelligent societies understand that teaching is the profession on which all other professions depend."

It seems to me that "magical thinking" dominates the words of the easy promisers who present the "American Dream" of the future as if it were a reality today.

Today's educators are under tremendous pressure and are facing a scrutiny unlike anything they or their predecessors have experienced in the past.

We've already created a climate where good, hard-working educators feel justifiably discouraged and unjustly maligned. The irresponsible use of value-added models will only make things worse.

If Secretary of Education Arne Duncan had had any idea what the latest Gates Foundation project would find, would he have gambled so heavily on test-driven policies in Race to the Top and his other "teacher quality" reforms?

When we talk about school choice -- which is most often associated with charter schools -- we can't let feel-good words and a glitzy campaign prevent us from providing our children with the best education possible.

Obama's educational plan not only fails according to my standards, but worse, it fails according to his own.

Take over these schools. Occupy them. Sit in. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We built these schools with our taxes, our labor, our commitment to students and communities. They are not just playthings for overfed business dilettantes.

School districts around the country are toughening standards for grading teachers. And if Antonio Villaraigosa has his way, Los Angeles could be next....

I'm convinced that unless something changes dramatically, the end of public education in America is inevitable.

Joanne Barkan demonstrates how most of the "reforms" advanced by these groups have proven to be ineffective, if not harmful, to public education.

It is surprising to me that Linda Darling-Hammond, admired by educational progressives, has accepted the "national standards" movement as a way to deal with the education "opportunity gap."

To gain insight into what Finland's doing right, I sat down with Dr. Pasi Sahlberg, Director General of the Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation in Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture.

This month, SLATE invites the public to rethink classroom design and submit ideas in a competition to build a better fifth-grad classroom.