Study Shows Charter Schools Are Better, And Boston Wants More

by Mike Smith

Published September 22, 2009 @ 05:15PM PT

A Stanford University study shows that in tests, those educated in charters schools outperform their public school peers. Critics respond saying its because students who go to charter schools are simply more motivated. Better that the test results demonstrate success than failure, though right?

Hundreds turned up for a hearing at the State House in Boston keen to hear Governor Deval Patrick’s proposal to expand the number of charter schools. He is hoping to double the provision for charter schools, allowing school districts to set up twice as many schools, seeing the creation of charter schools as the best way to improve learning. As well as supporters, unions turned up in force too; the president of the Boston Teachers Union said, "the solution to better schools lies with working with us and not against us.’’

[Photo credit: James Trosh]

Al Sharpton and RAW Team-up To Wrestle With Achievement Gap

by Mike Smith

Published September 21, 2009 @ 10:49AM PT

Last week it was Bill Gates and MTV teaming up to produce a show to encourage kids to stay in school. Now, it's being reported that Reverend Al Sharpton will host a Monday night's RAW. He'll be doing it to promote the Achievement Gap tour, but it's unclear whether touring partners Newt Gringrich and Arne Duncan will be joining him in the ring in an unusual teaming-up.

The Achievement Gap tour, announced last month, will hit four cities and explain how the Obama administration will reform public education, as well as discussing some of the challenges facing America's school system. Sharpton explained, "I agree with President Obama that we must use new methods to close the achievement gap so we do not continue to fail our children."  Gringrich is doing his part, speaking with the Washington Post earlier this year he said "I know it's possible to educate every child from every background."

[Photo credit: snerkie]

Learning Styles Theory Is Bunk

by Mike Smith

Published September 20, 2009 @ 11:52AM PT

Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham explains in a Washington Post blog post that according to data about learning styles, the idea there are visual learners, auditory learners, kinesthetic learners is untrue. He explains that "the lesson clicks or doesn’t because of the knowledge the child brought to the lesson, his interests, or other factors." He further explains that requiring teachers to cater to the whole variety of learning styles isn't entirely helpful, challenging Michelle Rhee's vision of a good teacher being someone who can target multiple learning styles.

Willingham explains that education professionals and leaders of public schools systems are getting bad data about what makes for good teaching, subsequently making a teachers job unnecessarily difficult. The question of bad data seems to indicate a problem that's about more than just learning styles.

[Photo credit: eriwst]

From Testing To Computer Games: Two Ends of the Spectrum

by Mike Smith

Published September 18, 2009 @ 04:31AM PT

Standardized testing as a yardstick for educational success threatens to undermine U.S. kids' creativity and strengths of innovation writes Yong Zhao, a Michigan State Univestiy Scholar, in a new book. Zhao explains that "standards and high-stakes testing run the risk of ruining the advantages and great tradition of the system." Zhao has personal experience of the problems of testing, having pulled his son out of public school after his son explained that the best strategy to do well at the tests to stop being creative and innovative.

Meanwhile, some public schools are trying to reset this balance through video games — "parents and teachers recognize a kind of engagement children have with games and digital media that could lead to a new way of learning" explains the director of the Institute of Play. They quite simply want to create an atmosphere where kids love learning — and hope everything else follows.

[Photo credit: Popofatticus]

$3 Trillion Of Reasons to Be Pessismistic, One Reason to be Optimistic

by Mike Smith

Published September 16, 2009 @ 10:42AM PT

The U.S education acheivement gap is costing the country almost $3 trillion a year. But we have reason to be optimistic. Democracy, "A Journal of Ideas," have a long piece about the neccessity of innovation, diving in immediately to explain that the international achievement gap costs the U.S. economy between $1.3 and $2.3 trillion annually, whilst the domestic acheivement gap between low and high income kids cost us around $500 billion a year. Hardly a reason for optimism, but the new chance at reform is making people very optimistic reports Kevin Huffman.

Huffman argues in favor of local innovation and attempts to veer away from traditional education delivery, explaining that there has never been a more innovative time in education.

As the president and education secretary have made clear, maintaining the status quo is not a real option. The stakes are too high for the country to continue propping up a mediocre public education system.

The whole article (free registration required) is a must read on innovation.

[Photo credit: Change.gov]

Is Intra-Party Fighting Over Who's the Biggest Ed Reformer Inevitable?

by Mike Smith

Published September 15, 2009 @ 09:12AM PT

Where's the common ground on Democrat education policy? Do you stand for big changes or just demand more money and agree that incremental change is enough? JS Online asks where Democrats differ, and where problems may appear in future years: "Use of student performance data in evaluating teachers is almost sure to be a hot issue in the fall session of the Legislature. It's a good bet Doyle will be on one side and the teachers unions on the other. Again, all Democrats."

So can we make brave changes and avoid relentless intra-party fighting? Alan J. Borsuk contends that mayoral control of public schools is key to making important changes happen, but first you've just got to convince everyone that you're the person most in favor of reform.

[Photo credit: davef3138]

Man Who Saved A Billion Lives Educated Thanks To Stimulus Investment

by Mike Smith

Published September 14, 2009 @ 09:00AM PT

Norman Borlaug died on Saturday, having committed his whole life to ending world hunger, saving millions (and perhaps up to a billion) lives through his work with plants and biotechnology. And where did his education begin? The Guardian newspaper wrote a piece in praise of the Nobel Prize winner: "He was a farmer's son from Iowa who got an education with help from New Deal programmes."

It's important to remember exactly what cuurent education reform programs like the Race To The Top and various turnaround strategies, and NASA's work to inspire kids can achieve, and what amazing students they can produce — incredible citizens working for the greater good. Not so abstract when you see someone like Borlaug emerge out the education system thanks to of a wave of investment for economic revitalization.

A few of crazy people feared socialist indoctrination when President Obama spoke to his kids at the start of the school term. The reality is hilarious, he was simply saying that if you work hard then you can succeed — with parents, teachers, and government programs playing a crucial part in helping youngsters reach their potential, just as Borlaug did.

[Photo credit: IRRI]