Fiscal cliff talks: One lousy civics lesson for students
(Charles Dharapak – AP)
The parties to the “fiscal cliff” negotiations — namely Congress and the Obama administration — have presented U.S. students with one lousy lesson in civics while violating the principles of cooperative learning and failing to follow good work/study habits.
One or both of the parties have procrastinated, blown deadlines, failed to set a timetable for getting their work done, engaged in name calling and scare tactics, refused to compromise for the good of the country, exaggerated or outright lied, blown their budget, failed to be transparent and show their work, and thoughtlessly ruined everybody’s holiday vacation.
Grade: F
Florida's real school reform record
Florida is in the education news again with the appointment of Tony Bennett as the Sunshine State's new education commissioner, this after the voters of Indiana decided they didn't want him to be in charge of their public schools anymore. Florida, of course, is home to Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor who launched school reforms more than a decade ago that have had influence across the country. Hailed as a "miracle," the reforms have not lived up to their hype. Here is a look at Florida's education reform record, by Julian Vasquez Heilig, an award-winning researcher and Associate Professor of Educational Policy and Planning at the University of Texas at Austin. A version of this appeared on his Education and Public Policy blog.
Read full article >>
Are exhausted students learning in school?
Encouraged by parents who want their teenagers to get more sleep, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr is assembling a work group to study whether it makes educational and practical sense to push back the start of school.
Read full article >>
