April 26, 2016
By: Melinda D. Anderson
Source: theatlantic.com Giving all children access to the Internet and computing became a rallying cry for educators and elected leaders in the 1990s. In March 1996, President Clinton and Vice President Gore led 20,000 volunteers in a one-day effort to connect thousands of California public schools to the “brave new world […]
April 26, 2016
By: Kirk Carapezza
Source: blogs.wgbh.org Imagine this: Not that long ago, in the 1970s and ‘80s, Massachusetts’ public schools were considered mediocre by many standards. Today, the state’s school system ranks among the best in the world. What happened? Magic. So said Republican Governor William Weld, in 1993, after he signed a landmark effort […]
April 26, 2016
By: Amy Rothschild
Source: theatlantic.com My co-teacher is stirring sugar into a pitcher of hot water. Our students, ages 4 and 5, stand around the table, watching the sugar intently. “It’s dissolving!” one student cries out. “What does that mean—dissolving?” my co-teacher probes. Another child raises his hand. “It means, like, disappearing, or disintegrating.” My […]
April 26, 2016
By: Grace Tatter
Source: chalkbeat.org For the third time this year, Tennessee’s new standardized assessment has hit a road bump, likely causing further delays in testing students in grades 3-8. As of Thursday, all districts across the state had received testing materials for high school but had yet to receive materials for testing younger grades for […]
April 26, 2016
By: Marisa Endicott
Source: disabilityscoop.com WASHINGTON — As self-driving cars move toward becoming a reality for the general public, many aging people and those with disabilities see a new opportunity for mobility approaching. Advocates are pushing manufacturers and regulators to ensure that people with disabilities are included in the planning and development of automated technology […]
April 26, 2016
By: Marcia Quackenbush
Source: edsurge.com Teens, tweens and even younger kids are on smartphones, tablets and computers a lot. Of course, tech can be a force for good. Parents, educators and youth themselves report many benefits from the presence of technology in young people’s lives—connecting with family and friends, sharing experiences with distant peers, learning, being entertained […]
April 26, 2016
By: Cory Turner
Source: npr.org This winter, Jameria Miller would often run to her high school Spanish class, though not to get a good seat. She wanted a good blanket. “The cold is definitely a distraction,” Jameria says of her classroom’s uninsulated, metal walls. Her teacher provided the blankets. First come, first served. Such is […]
April 26, 2016
By: Jill Barshay
Source: hechingerreport.org Alarm bells are sounding about teacher shortages across the country. I’ve been reading a steady drumbeat of articles on the topic for at least a year. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, warned in the Huffington Post this month that teachers shortages could soon become a crisis. At least a […]
April 26, 2016
By: Allison Master, Sapna Cheryan, and Andrew N. Meltzoff
Source: washingtonpost.com Despite valiant efforts to recruit more women, the gender gap in the fields collectively known as STEM — science, technology, engineering, and math — is not getting any better. The gaps in computer science and engineering are the largest of any major STEM discipline. […]
April 26, 2016
By: Katherine Stevens
Source: hechingerreport.org Pre-K for all” sounds great. America’s public schools are the engine of equal opportunity and giving kids the chance to get an early start by expanding public pre-K seems like a sensible idea that anyone who cares about kids would support. Indeed, states across the country are getting on board. […]