Public Schools

An End to Name-Calling?

Joel Schwartzberg | Posted 02.27.2009 | Living


Joel Schwartzberg

Some will say "No Name-Calling Week" is more accurately called "PC Police Week." After all, an offensive term over the dinner table might be applauded in a rap song.

Texas Wrestles With Teaching "Strengths And Weaknesses" Of Scientific Theory

AP | APRIL CASTRO | Posted 02.22.2009 | Green


AUSTIN, Texas — Experts and activists concerned about the way evolution is taught in Texas' public schools made their case before the state's bo...

My School Days -- The Crazy Luck

Bill Nye | Posted 02.21.2009 | Politics


Bill Nye

It would be an audacious hope to make every school in America as good as Sidwell. It's the key to a literate and scientifically literate society that can change the world for generations to come.

Who Makes the Cut in Closing Schools?

Lorraine Forte | Posted 02.17.2009 | Chicago


Lorraine Forte

When CPS officials released the final school closings list on Friday, four that were initially slated to close or undergo the turnaround process--whic...

Obama and Education Reform

Bill Ayers | Posted 02.02.2009 | Politics


Bill Ayers

Obama is not a monarch -- Arne Duncan is not education czar -- and we are not his subjects. Educators, students, and citizens must press now for an education worthy of a democracy.

Who (Or What) Fouled Up The Education Secretary Decision?

Alexander Russo | Posted 01.15.2009 | Politics


Alexander Russo

In a transition that has overall gone relatively smoothly, the still-incomplete process of picking an Education Secretary... as turned a prolonged, openly antagonistic debacle.

Empowering Middle & High School Students

Robert Rose | Posted 01.14.2009 | Living


Robert Rose

It is important to motivate teachers whose classes are challenged to think about what it is that they do that turn kids off. The kids can't be held totally accountable.

26 Not-So-Bad Things About The Bad Economy

Pamela Redmond Satran | Posted 01.09.2009 | Style


Pamela Redmond Satran

No need to hunt down the most distinctive artisanal cheese: Your new gastronomic thrill will be finding pork at 49 cents a pound. Agonizing over whether to get divorced? Don't bother, you can't afford it.

Barack Obama, "These Kids" and Charter Public Schools

Tom Cosgrove | Posted 12.22.2008 | Politics


Tom Cosgrove

Barack Obama, in a pre-election speech, told the story of a teacher he encountered who complained of a "these kids" syndrome - the tendency to explain...

The Problem with Education

Robbie Gennet | Posted 11.27.2008 | Politics


Robbie Gennet

By raising our standards of what we expect from our students and preparing them to be globally competitive, we make our best investment in America's future.

Teachers Can't Vouch for McCain's "Voucher Plan"

Cheryl Lubin | Posted 11.27.2008 | Home


Cheryl Lubin

As a high school teacher who dips into my own wallet to buy paper and pencils for students in the second largest school district in the land, I recognize the dangers of a pro-voucher McCain administration. Vouchers are not, as Obama so succinctly put it, the panacea for failing schools.

PA High School Teacher Reportedly Showed Obsession To Students

Chris Rodda | Posted 11.17.2008 | Media


Chris Rodda

A teacher has reportedly shown the anti-Muslim propaganda film to her high school class warning the students that if Obama is elected, some of what they saw in the film would occur.

McCain Selling Discredited "Magic" of the Market as School Solution

Erika Szostak | Posted 11.14.2008 | Home


Erika Szostak

In an exclusive interview, a UCLA Graduate School of Education Professor discusses the differing educational policies of the presidential candidates. McCain stresses school choice and "educational mobility" while Obama talks about expanding the overall education budget.

S.C. Legislature: Lord's Prayer a Legal Document

Chris Rodda | Posted 10.27.2008 | Style


Chris Rodda

A recent bill contrives to add the Lord's Prayer to the list of documents to be included in "educational and informational material regarding the history and background of American law."

Candidates Agree On Education Goals, Differ On Path To Get There

Richard Riehl | Posted 10.27.2008 | Home


Richard Riehl

Obama goes into great detail about how to improve schools. McCain's message is much simpler. Public schools should be just one option of many, including home schooling.

Still Time for Schools to Help Register Seniors

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. | Posted 10.26.2008 | Politics


Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.

This election year, young people have shown great interest and excitement in our political process. We should make sure we help stimulate that interest

Education and the Election: A Crucial Constituency Raises its Voice

Dan Brown | Posted 10.10.2008 | Politics


Dan Brown

When parents organize, it's hard to ignore. Chicago-based Parents United for Responsible Education and New York City-based Class Size Matters have jum...

"Off The Bus": Inside A Parent's Head on the First Day of School

Joel Schwartzberg | Posted 10.04.2008 | Living


Joel Schwartzberg

The night before the first day of school was always the longest night of my life. I'd lie wide awake for hours, wondering about my locker location, ...

First We Kill the Teacher Unions!

Gary Stager | Posted 10.03.2008 | Politics


Gary Stager

Then What? Slate recently reported on the latest public demonstration of enmity towards public schools and their teacher. Teacher bashing is hardly n...

Exporting NYC's Education "Miracle": Buyer Beware!

Dan Brown | Posted 09.11.2008 | Politics


Dan Brown

Since his election in 2001, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made narrowing the white-minority achievement gap in New York City his signature issue. After ...

"Ninja" Sighting Shuts Down NJ School

Associated Press | Posted 09.06.2008 | Home


The Associated Press reports: BARNEGAT, N.J.--It's the case of the nonexistent ninja. Public schools in Barnegat were locked down briefly after someo...

McCain Takes Advantage Of Dems' Divide On Education

Alexander Russo | Posted 08.13.2008 | Politics


Alexander Russo

For years now, there has been a deep internal tension between two education groups. To put pressure on the candidates, both factions decided to roll out dueling manifestos during the same week in June.

Black in America on CNN: Are We There Yet?

Raymond Leon Roker | Posted 08.04.2008 | Media


Raymond Leon Roker

For blacks, it is a call to arms, a celebration of ingenuity, from the breakfast table to the church, to the classroom, to the street. For whites, Black in America has to be just as complicated to watch.

Home Economics

Jamie Lee Curtis | Posted 07.31.2008 | Living


Jamie Lee Curtis

We are Americans and we are getting an F in educating our children. Wake up and smell the global competition. We need to let our elected leaders know that education is the most important issue in this election.

Innovation Strategy: Music Service Corps

Kiff Gallagher | Posted 07.31.2008 | Entertainment


Kiff Gallagher

The critical skills a child develops when she struggles with her instrument or finds her voice in a choir are the same ones needed to succeed in the creative economy and solve our greatest future challenges.