A dozen problems with charter schools
School reformers keep talking about charter schools as if they were the answer to public education’s problems, when there is a great deal of evidence that shows big problems with the charter sector. For example, a report on Pennsylvania’s charter schools recently released by a state legislator found that only one in six of the […]
A different way to implement Common Core
Critics of the critics of high-stakes standardized testing and the Common Core State Standards often say that the attackers don’t provide alternatives but just complain. That has never been true of many of the critics of these school reforms, and it still isn’t. Here is a piece about what a different accountability system could look […]
Florida legislator: Common Core advocates are trying to make ‘your children’ gay
Whether you support the Common Core State Standards or don’t, it’s important to recognize when critics are going off the rails in their dissent. Here’s a newly publicized example: A Republican Florida state legislator, Charles Van Zant, told an audience at a conference in Orlando that the organization that has won a $220 million contract […]
5-19-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Haverford commencement speaker calls some students ‘immature’ and arrogant’The commencement address at Haverford College in Pennsylvania wasn’t your typical commencement address on Sunday. One of the speeches at the event was delivered by William G. Bowen, the former president of Princeton University, who was chosen after the first choice for speaker, Robert J. Birgeneau, became