Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, July 28, 2012

This Week's Answer Sheet 7-28-12 - School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post



The Answer Sheet - School Survival Guide for parents (and everyone else). - The Washington Post:

Answer Sheet

Randi Weingarten calls for ‘new approach to unionism’ and support for Obama

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 21 hours ago
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten is calling today for a new brand of unionism that focuses not only on helping members but also the communities in which they work and live. The union’s annual convention starts today in Detroit, where more than than 3,000 delegates have gathered at a time when teachers and their unions have come under attack from school reformers. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

How well does Khan Academy teach?

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 23 hours ago
Update: Fixing links Here *is a new critique of the Khan Academy, the subject of a widely read post I published Monday about the hype and reality of the academy. You can find that post here. And you can find a response to that post from the founder of the Khan Academy, Sal Khan, by clicking here.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Some scary training for teachers

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago
This *was written by Carol Corbett Burris, principal of South Side High School in New York. She was named the 2010 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State. You can follow her on Twitter @carolburris.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

How well does Khan Academy teach?

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 1 day ago
Here *is a new critique of the Khan Academy, the subject of a widely read post I published Monday about the hype and reality of the academy. You can find that post here. And you can find a response to that post from the founder of the Khan Academy, Sal Khan, by clicking here.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Sal Khan responds to critic

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago
A guest post I published Monday critiquing the Khan Academy received a great deal of response, including the following e-mail from Salman Khan, founder of the academy. As math was not my subject in school, I don't know who is right but would love to hear from mathematicians out there. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

How Common Core will change testing in schools

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 2 days ago
This *was written by Stephen Krashen, professor of linguistics at the University of Southern California (emeritus), to explain how the adoption of the Common Core State Standards will change testing in the nation’s schools. This first appeared on Diane Ravitch’s blog.* Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

A strange ‘parent trigger’ court ruling

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 3 days ago
How’s this for logic? “Parent trigger” laws are supposedly about empowering parents to decide how to improve ailing schools. But now a California judge has ruled that parents who signed a petition to convert a traditional public school into a public charter are not allowed to change their minds and rescind their signatures. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

The Answer Sheet - 3 days ago

What’s missing from congressional hearing on teachers

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 4 days ago
Congressional hearings are supposed to provide lawmakers wth information they need to make policy and legislative decisions. But sometimes, when you look at the witness lists, it is hard to figure out why legislators bother to hold them. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Merit pay and ‘loss aversion:’ Nonsense studies

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 4 days ago
This *was written by * * Larry Ferlazzo, a high-school teacher in Sacramento who writes a blog for educators and a teacher advice column for Education Week Teacher. He also has authored four books on education, his latest being The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide. * Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Florida gives incorrect grades to hundreds of its public schools

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 4 days ago
The state of Florida, famous for leading the reform movement that uses student standardized test scores to “grade” individual public schools, miscalculated the grades for hundreds of schools and is now changing them. Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Khan Academy: The hype and the reality

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 4 days ago
This* was written by Karim Kai Ani, a former middle school teacher and math coach, and the founder of Mathalicious, which is rewriting the middle school math curriculum around real-world topics.* * You can find a response to this post from Sal Khan* * by clicking here * * . * Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]

Khan Academy: The hype and the reality

Valerie Strauss at The Answer Sheet - 5 days ago
This* was written by Karim Kai Ani, a former middle school teacher and math coach, and the founder of Mathalicious, which is rewriting the middle school math curriculum around real-world topics.* By Karim Kai Ani Read full article >> [image: Add to Facebook] [image: Add to Twitter] [image: Add to Reddit] [image: Add to StumbleUpon]