Private firms are lining up with parent groups to run the Conservatives' flagship "free schools" in England. Parents set up free schools but others may run them. These are the new schools that Education Secretary Michael Gove wants parent or teacher groups to set up and run with public funds. Some education firms are already [...]
Pressure for quick fixes can outweigh research evidence when ministers set schools policy, according to a study of three decades of education initiatives. Frost/Morris: Do ministers respond to media pressure more than evidence?. Media pressure and political expediency are more likely to influence decision making, says a report from the CfBT education charity. The report [...]
It wasn’t that long ago I began my high school teaching career. Fairly early on, I worked with one teacher who epitomized the mindset of many secondary school colleagues.
Source: Peter Gray / 'Freedom to Learn' blog In an experiment, children who were taught less learned more. In 1929, the superintendent of schools in Ithaca, New York, sent out a challenge to his colleagues in other cities. "What," he asked, "can we drop from the elementary school curriculum?" He complained that over the years [...]
by Thomas on Open Education blog One of the most firmly entrenched academic practices centers upon the use of textbooks as the fundamental drivers of curricula. Ultra-expensive, these items represent one of the largest costs for public school systems as well as those attending college. As the digital age continues to work its way into [...]
ScienceDaily (Jan. 22, 2010) — A dozen years into the "1 to 1" computing movement's push to pair every schoolchild and teacher with a laptop, studies show the students in these programs outperformed their peers in traditional classrooms, according to researchers. Students who have participated in 1:1 computing report higher achievement and increased engagement, according [...]
From Home Education Magazine The title of an article from December caught my eye, “Race to the Top” a short run to failure. But the subtitle piqued my interest, Obama’s new education plan is inherently flawed in its ignorance of reality and the factors influencing the lackluster performance of our schools. So, food for thought [...]
Employers and career experts see a growing problem in American society – an abundance of college graduates, many burdened with tuition-loan debt, heading into the work world with a degree that doesn’t mean much anymore. In this Monday, Nov. 2, 2009 photo, Mario Rodas of Chelsea, Mass., poses at one of the gates to Harvard [...]
For those in the business of setting educational policy, Teaching for a Living: How Teachers See the Profession Today by Jean Johnson, Andrew Yarrow, Jonathan Rochkind and Amber Ott reveals some remarkable insights from current practitioners. Conducted by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan and nonprofit agency that seeks to bridge “the gap between American leaders and [...]
ScienceDaily (Nov. 5, 2009) — Two findings from a new national study reveal the power of mentors, particularly those in the teaching profession: For all teen students, having an adult mentor meant a 50 percent greater likelihood of attending college. For disadvantaged students, mentorship by a teacher nearly doubled the odds of attending college. "Potential [...]
A.L.O. is about alternatives to compulsory schooling.
