As many new governors and state school officers prepare to take the helm in 2015, state leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to lay out a bold vision for ensuring that all students – regardless of zip code and background – have equitable access to great teachers and leaders. Today, the Department of Education released Frequently Asked Questions about requirements states must follow to submit formal plans for solving this enduring problem. This is not the first time states have been asked to address “equitable distribution,” but research shows that equity gaps still persist. This time, we need to produce better results.

Tackling [...]Continue Reading »

This blog post is based on an Oct. 14 AIR response to a National Journal Education Insiders blog.

Of all the talks that parents should have with their children, a frank conversation about college costs and debt should be the least uncomfortable. But after years of dropping not-so-subtle hints about college’s importance, many parents are hesitant to admit they didn’t mean “any” college—they meant an affordable one.

First, students should be aware of the financial reality of their academic choices before taking on school debt. Arming students with new information on earnings by college major shouldn’t divert them from pursuing careers they [...]Continue Reading »

Education reforms, an unstoppable phenomenon of the elementary and secondary education world, invariably come with strengths and weaknesses. Too often, those strengths are undermined and weaknesses accentuated by cracks in the teaching link of the chain that pulls successful learning.

I saw that link snap too often in my experience as a secondary math teacher and department chair in California and in my many years since researching math teaching and learning.

From the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) reforms that I started my career with more than twenty years ago to the current Common Core State Standards implementation, forging what [...]Continue Reading »

As many new governors and state school officers prepare to take the helm in 2015, state leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to lay out a bold vision for ensuring that all students – regardless of zip code and background – have equitable access to great teachers and leaders. Today, the Department of Education released Frequently Asked Questions about requirements states must follow to submit formal plans for solving this enduring problem. This is not the first time states have been asked to address “equitable distribution,” but research shows that equity gaps still persist. This time, we need to produce better results.

Tackling [...]Continue Reading »

This blog post is based on an Oct. 14 AIR response to a National Journal Education Insiders blog.

Of all the talks that parents should have with their children, a frank conversation about college costs and debt should be the least uncomfortable. But after years of dropping not-so-subtle hints about college’s importance, many parents are hesitant to admit they didn’t mean “any” college—they meant an affordable one.

First, students should be aware of the financial reality of their academic choices before taking on school debt. Arming students with new information on earnings by college major shouldn’t divert them from pursuing careers they [...]Continue Reading »

No matter what side you’re on in the battle over standards, testing, school choice, or teacher tenure, everybody agrees that kids must leave high school ready for college and careers.

State leaders are giving this commitment a lot of thought and are working to define what “college and career ready” means for their students. So far, 36 states and the District of Columbia have working definitions. While many vary only slightly from the mainstay, “A college-and career-ready student is prepared to succeed in college and postsecondary workforce training programs,” some states have incorporated refreshingly robust thinking about the overarching purpose of [...]Continue Reading »

Flipping the classroom. A Detroit high school was one of the lowest performing schools in Michigan until they decided to flip the classroom. By recording lessons online for students to watch at home, teachers have more time in the classroom to work through problems. (YouTube)

An epidemic. Cheating has become very common in schools, with cheating making the headlines in some of the country’s most prestigious schools. These students speak about why they cheat and the pressure of being a student. (Teen Vogue)

Twelve Days of Christmas. This student gets into the holiday spirit by turning all-nighters and mental breakdowns into a [...]Continue Reading »