Teaching

A few years back, I was in my room meeting parents during an open house, just days before the school year started. A woman walked in, looked up from her ph

For many educators, January is a time to return to our jobs revived and renewed after the holiday season. For teachers at Rhodes Junior High in Mesa, Arizo

On New Year’s Eve “The Nation” published an analysis by Jennifer Berkshire called “The Democrats’ School Choice Problem.” Her piece is instructive because

When their sons were told they’d have to cut their hair to continue attending the local public school, Jerry and Pat Roy began homeschooling their children

You know that iconic scene in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the original, not that abominable remake) when the narrator says, “Well, in Whoville they say

WHAT WE GOT RIGHT: In trying to capture the story of a decade in education, the temptation is to focus entirely on what can be quantified, from test scores to funding. In looking at these numbers, it can be easy to fall into the trap of focusing exclusively on what has gone wrong in schools.

WHAT WE GOT RIGHT: The spin never stops when it comes to education and it goes into overdrive with the close of a decade. Amidst all the hype of a lost decade and the need for humility from education reformers, I see a glass way more than half full.

WHAT WE GOT WRONG: When I returned to Education Post in May, my charge was to help us clarify our vision and set us in a new direction. I thought a lot about what would be the cardinal question to help us stay focused on what matters most, and that question became the headline for my weekly communications: “How are the children?”

Around the country, schools that initially impress observers with high overall test scores often lose their luster upon closer examination, when inequities