Report urges new vision for teaching and learning

The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future has put out a call to action for schools to shift to a new system that gives teachers more agency and creates shared accountability.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 7, 2016

Chronic absenteeism plagues more than poor urban districts

Some districts saw more than half of students chronically absent in the 2013-14 school year, according to federal data.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 7, 2016

Focusing on teacher improvement over firing could spur greater success

An op-ed for the Los Angeles Times argues the majority of teachers in U.S. schools are good, but not great, and districts would get a greater reward for making them better than firing their colleagues.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 7, 2016

Harlem all-girls school created early example of excellence

The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem opened in 1996 and quickly drew a civil rights complaint for its single-gender admission requirement, but it pressed on and set a precedent.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 7, 2016

Administrators should consult experts for security guidance

Schools don’t have the internal expertise to develop high-quality security plans, but experts in banking and retail have been protecting businesses for decades and can be good resources.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 7, 2016

Clinton would boost pre-K, but hurdles likely

Throughout her career, Hillary Clinton has focused on issues relating to child health and education, her fully formed ideas about what is best could hurt her efforts if elected.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 6, 2016

California counties hire juvenile detention transition specialists

These specialists help students get into the right classes and transition successfully to some type of educational placement once they are released, whether that is a traditional or alternative school.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 6, 2016

Stanford summer program brings girls into tech

The Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory’s Outreach Summer program offers a two-week day camp for 10th grade girls, focusing on real-world applications of AI.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 6, 2016

STEMIE Coalition sets sights on invention, entrepreneurship

The coalition hopes to link 600 youth groups around the country, facilitating the sharing of best practices and serving as a clearinghouse for national data about 'STEM+I+E' education.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 6, 2016

Foreign language education provides diplomatic benefits, more

The United States has moved away from a commitment to foreign language acquisition in recent decades, but employers care about bilingualism and research shows it has positive effects.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 6, 2016

DC schools' celebrated PE policy goes largely ignored

Only 10 of more than 200 public schools are in compliance with the DC Healthy Schools Act's requirements, according to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 2, 2016

Mental health disorders common among students, but support is limited

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate as many as one in five kids experience a mental disorder in a given year, but school staffs are swamped.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 2, 2016

Lead contamination presents uncontroversial ed opportunity for private donors

Ryan Cooper, a national correspondent for The Week, suggests lead abatement could be an uncontroversial school reform strategy that is likely to improve student performance.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 2, 2016

Bay Area schools use corporate donors to expand math, science

The philanthropic arm of cloud-computing firm Salesforce pledged $2.5 million for the Oakland Unified School District and $6 million for San Francisco schools.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 2, 2016

Education experts recommend team teaching approach

In its latest installment about school in a perfect world, The Atlantic asked educators and policy experts to describe ideal teaching arrangements.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 2, 2016

Mississippi judge cracks down on school-to-prison pipeline

Jackson County Youth Court Judge Sharon Sigalas sends letters to the four local school districts in her region every year, outlining the limited criteria schools should use to refer students to her.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 1, 2016

E-Rate made faster internet possible for Louisiana district

The Lafayette Parish School System’s former internet service was too weak to open up streaming to all teachers, but an upgrade funded almost entirely by the FCC discount program changed everything.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 1, 2016

Top-rated Chicago elementary principal resigns in public letter to Emanuel

Troy LaRaviere, a vocal critic of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s education policies, published a letter of resignation this week, surrendering to a coordinated ouster by the mayor’s administration.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 1, 2016

SmartAsset ranking identifies best places to be a teacher

The personal finance technology company has issued its second annual ranking of the 140 largest metro areas based on how good teachers have it, and those in Pennsylvania and Ohio rise to the top.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 1, 2016

Ed Dept releases 'supplement not supplant' rules

The U.S. Department of Education outlined draft regulations for how school districts can allocate Title I dollars, and the criticism was quick and fierce from educators and lawmakers.

By Tara García Mathewson • Sept. 1, 2016

Where mindfulness education fits in schools

Researchers are collecting data about a range of student outcomes in 16 Chicago schools that have implemented a suite of mindfulness techniques for elementary schoolers.

By Tara García Mathewson • Aug. 31, 2016

Poll shows split in perception of public ed's purpose

Phi Delta Kappa International’s 48th annual public poll about education revealed a lack of consensus over the role of public schools and perspectives that do not align with policy.

By Tara García Mathewson • Aug. 31, 2016

Former superintendent details district's blended learning transformation

As schools and teachers consider 21st century learning models, blended options give students a combination of face-to-face and computer-based instruction.

By Tara García Mathewson • Aug. 31, 2016

Data mining, other tactics help administrators tackle absenteeism

An initial review of attendance data can help administrators figure out which students are chronically absent, or on their way to that designation, and take steps to get them to class.

By Tara García Mathewson • Aug. 31, 2016

NLRB says two charters are private, not public

The National Labor Relations Board decided cases involving charter schools in New York and Pennsylvania last week, concluding both are private corporations for the purposes of labor law.

By Tara García Mathewson • Aug. 31, 2016