May 26, 2016
By: Beth Hawkins
Source: hechingerreport.org A few days into the eighth grade my son Corey taught himself the Pythagorean theorem. It’s not typically taught until ninth grade, but he loves baroque language and was drawn to the unit when it popped up on the self-paced math curriculum on his computer. He began by taking the […]
May 26, 2016
By: Michelle Diament
Source: disbalilityscoop.com As researchers look for ways to help parents better interact with their kids on the spectrum, a new study suggests that families may be able to boost their skills without even leaving home. In a pilot study looking at 28 families, researchers found that parents could be taught to improve […]
May 26, 2016
By: Anya Kamentz
Source: npr.org Grit has been on NPR several times recently, not to mention front and center on the national education agenda. The term expresses the idea that a crucial component of success is people’s ability to pick a goal and stick with it. That’s the main thrust of research by Angela Duckworth at the University of […]
May 26, 2016
By: Christina Samuels
Source: blogs.edweek.org There’s been a lively debate recently about funding gaps inside districts between schools with low levels of state and local aid and their wealthier counterparts. But is a major factor in intradistrict inequality being overlooked by many people? If you ask Bruce Baker, a Rutgers University professor who studies school finance, […]
May 24, 2016
By: Eric Robelen
Source: theatlantic.com With state testing season wrapping up, the decision by some families to skip the K-12 exams in protest this spring has once again sparked widespread discussion—and news coverage around the country. In San Diego, for example, teachers handed out fliers to parents earlier this month informing them of the right […]
May 24, 2016
By: Molly Zielezinski
Source: edsurge.com Despite all the celebratory rhetoric around our nation’s declining dropout rates, during a given year, nearly 20% of students expected to graduate do not. Furthermore, according to John Hopkins and Civic Enterprises, “unacceptably low levels of minority, low-income, English Language Learners, and special education students are graduating from high school.” […]
May 24, 2016
By: Shaun Heasley
Source: disabilityscoop.com With an eye toward increasing the number of school professionals prepared to serve kids with disabilities, federal officials are doling out millions of dollars to enhance training programs. The U.S. Department of Education said this week that it will distribute $13.4 million in grants to colleges and universities across the […]
May 24, 2016
By: Anya Kamentz
Source: npr.org “I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them.” In one of the many experiments cited in Paul Tough’s new book, Helping Children Succeed, a group of middle school students received this message on a Post-it note, attached to a […]
May 24, 2016
By: Alyson Klein
Source: edweek.org Three years ago, Kevin Pineda—who came to the United States from Guatemala at age 6—was failing or struggling in nearly all his classes at Fairfax High School here. He was on the verge of following his father’s advice to drop out of school and come work alongside him as an […]
May 23, 2016
By: Kirsten Clark
Source: hechingerreport.org Since Kentucky became the first state to adopt the Common Core in 2010, the achievement gap between students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers has widened slightly – despite sweeping expectations the more rigorous standards would help eliminate disparities in academic performance. Though both students with and without disabilities have […]