“Many students — even A students — used to consider one great thing about being accepted to college that they would never have to study math again. That possibility is disappearing at a growing number of institutions. Some colleges are refusing to let a student cross the stage without some math on the brain, even […]
“House lawmakers scuttled a bill that would have required public school students to be told that evolution is not empirically proven — the latest setback for critics of evolution. The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Sen. Chris Buttars, had said it was time to rein in teachers who were teaching that man descended from apes and […]
“Six months ago, Ed Swan feared that his teaching career would end before it started, merely because his ideology differed from that of his professors at Washington State University (WSU). Today, thanks to a campaign of public exposure by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), WSU has completely repealed the criteria it used […]
“I’m not a fan of Black History Month. That’s no secret. I think the history of black people should be explored, taught and learned throughout the year. So, I tend to lay low during February, saying little about my people’s history, and resurfacing in March to give examples of black ingenuity the rest of the […]
“Up to 30 percent of families with a disabled child fail to claim one or more tax benefits available to them. Many of these fall into the category of medical-expense deductions. The IRS allows guardians of children with learning disabilities, which may include parents, grandparents and other non-relative caretakers, to deduct the following medical expenses […]
“More than a million high school students took AP tests in May, double the number who took them 10 years ago. And the Bush administration has proposed funds for training 70,000 new AP science and math teachers. Now, a series of competing, sometimes contradictory studies have begun to look at the effectiveness of AP and […]
“The AFL-CIO said the National Education Assn., with 2.8 million members, would allow local affiliates to join the labor federation, which was hurt when major unions defected last year. Reg Weaver, president of the nation’s largest teachers union, said the partnership would give educators more muscle when they campaigned for candidates for local political office […]
“During my seven years as a curriculum specialist designing professional development in Portland Public Schools, I wanted teachers to see themselves as curriculum producers, as creative intellectuals rather than technicians serving out daily portions of someone else’s packaged or downloaded materials. I attempted to create spaces where teachers could work together to develop their own […]
“Government-owned and operated schools not only exist in all developed and developing nations, but are predominant. Only in the Netherlands do a majority of both elementary and secondary students attend nongovernmental schools. This creates enormous inertia and vested interests to maintain the system. In general terms, challengers of government-dominated education are found in two broad […]
“The Earth’s temperature could rise under the impact of global warming to levels far higher than previously predicted, according to the United Nations’ team of climate experts. A draft of the next influential Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report will tell politicians that scientists are now unable to place a reliable upper limit on […]
