It’s old news, but, if I were an advocate for teacher unionism, I’d be highlighting this incident till the cows come home as an example of why teachers need protection against capricious firings. Is it any wonder our children don’t know anything about Ancient Greece, Rome and the roots of Western culture? I mean, what better than the profusion of nekkid statues to get kids interested in these subjects?
Better Benefits: Reforming Teacher Pensions for a Changing Work Force
Forty-seven states have unfunded pension liabilities, and collectively the gap between what states owe to current and future retirees and what they have saved totals almost $500 billion. But the problems with teacher pensions are not just financial, and they do not just affect individual teachers and retirees, argue Chad Aldeman and Andrew J. Rotherham in this new Education Sector report. The way pension plans are structured can negatively influence the teaching work force as a whole, they say.
The Course of Innovation: Using Technology to Transform Higher Education
The National Center for Academic Transformation has helped a number of colleges redesign courses to both improve student learning and save costs. With higher education facing its worst fiscal environment in a generation, it would seem that all institutions would adopt these proven reforms. But this is not the case. In this new Education Sector report, Policy Analyst Ben Miller highlights successful redesign models as well as the barriers to innovation in higher education.
09/03/10 | Kris Amundson gives Virginia policymakers a true/false quiz on the condition of K-12 public education in the state.
09/02/10 | Elena Silva compares two proposals for the next generation of computer-based assessments funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
09/01/10 | Forrest Hinton explains why consumer choice and market forces are currently weak influences on higher education quality. 
09/01/10 | Chad Aldeman's and Kevin Carey's thoughts on value-added teacher evaluations are featured in The Atlantic