How much attention will education get in tonight’s State of the Union? In President Obama’s past addresses, education has totaled 4 percent (in 2010) to 17 percent (in 2011) of the entire text. (American Enterprise Institute)

Gaming the system. When a professor at Johns Hopkins University said he would grade students on a curve (the highest score on the final would receive a 100 percent,Continue Reading »

It’s testing season. Lisa Nielsen, a top NYC education department official, uses her personal blog to encourage parents and children to opt out of standardized tests. She also provides a list of seven ideas (including sleeping) for teachers who must entertain, er, occupy these “opt-out” students during test time. (The Innovative Educator, h/t New York Post)

Changing demographics. For theContinue Reading »

Don’t mock the jocks. They’re cashing in on their degrees in exercise science. (Wall Street Journal)

“So where is Waldo, really?” This and other offbeat questions are popping up on college applications this year, as admissions officers try to get a better sense of students’ personalities. (Los Angeles Times)

Take it or lose it. New York City schools stand to lose $250 million in sContinue Reading »

It’s that time of the year again. High school seniors and their parents are eagerly, nervously, awaiting emails and envelops letting them know their college destinies. Has University X said “yes” or “no?” Which school’s magnet will go on the fridge? Which team will I cheer for in the 2012 NCAA Tournament? Today’s edition of Quick Hits features dContinue Reading »

From Title I-Derland on the “restart” option for turning around low-performing schools: “ED says that only 5 percent of all schools receiving SIG dollars in the 2010-11 school year elected to ‘restart’ the school under the control of an education management organization (EMO) or as a charter school. Just 5 percent of the lowest-performing schools in the nation dContinue Reading »

The New York Times has an article today with a pile of anecdotes and a small amount of data suggesting that many high school students are now applying to as many 20 elite colleges, in some cases just for fun. Predictably, it’s already up on their list of most emailed articles. Why? Because this is a bread-and-butter education piece that neatly feeds the status anxieties of upper middle clContinue Reading »