“School boards often deal with controversy. That’s part of the job. But their predominant duty is to establish policies that serve as administrators’ guides for the day-to-day management of schools. Most of school board decisions are not controversial or inflammatory, and few of them are reported in the news. As a result, the public often […]
“Classroom enrollment is up in most parts of the country and so is the demand for public school teachers. But many states report that fewer people are choosing to become teachers — a trend that could lead to a national teacher shortage crisis, especially if baby boomers, who make up the largest age group in […]
“While once it was uncommon to see special-needs students heading off to college, sweeping changes in civil rights laws since the 1970s and more recent medical advances have combined to open the gates of higher education, according to the US Department of Education. Over the past two decades, the percentage of college-bound young adults with […]
“Whether or not all participants in the private voucher, charter and religious school movement realize it – their path is not only educational, but profoundly political. To deny this is hypocritical. ‘But it’s for the children!’ Yeah, like popsicles. At the onset, they thought they could succeed on the pure merits of their ‘marketplace’ privatization […]
“In the basement of his parents’ home in Wellesley, Aashish Sharma is brushing up on high school chemistry, with help from George Mathew, a tutor with a master’s degree in the subject. Mathew works for a US firm, but does his tutoring while seated at a computer in the southern Indian city of Cochin. Thanks […]
“The Senate narrowly rejected a bill Monday to allow creation of publicly funded charter schools in Maine. Following extensive debate, senators rejected the bill, 18-16. The bill would have allowed the creation of as many as 20 charter schools in Maine that would offer alternative education for students at risk of dropping or failing out […]
“Reports from screenings are often misleading and inaccurate. Inaccuracies arise from several sources. Any test or assessment inevitably reflects the values, background, and experience of its creators. Members of ethnic minorities and people who have chosen values different from the dominant culture are unfairly handicapped when assessed by mainstream standards. Is it really fair or […]
“Once considered the domain of home-schooled students, K-12 online learning is a fast-growing option for public school students in rural, urban, and suburban areas. Michigan lawmakers are likely to pass legislation soon that will require high school students to take one course online before they graduate. … Enrollment in online programs has been growing for […]
“A World Bank-funded anti-pollution project in Egypt is likely to have a limited effect on one of the world’s most polluted countries, say local environmentalists, though some consider it an important step in a wider effort to reduce air pollution. On 23 March, the World Bank approved a US $20-million loan to finance the Second […]
“In the first major speech on environmental policy of the gubernatorial campaign, State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer denounced President George Bush’s ’systematic assault on the environment’ and called for the closing of the Indian Point nuclear power plant. ‘We need to stand up to protect New York against those who would harm its environment,’ Spitzer […]
