Education

Obama Brings Budget Plan to Captive Audience of Middle Schoolers

Staff / Truthdig Feb 15, 2011 President Obama may have picked one of the only places in the country where delivering a speech about his new budget plan would be met with enthusiasm by visiting the Parkville Middle School and Center for Technology in Baltimore . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste—Except in Ohio

Marcia Alesan Dawkins / Truthdig Jan 30, 2011 Kelly Williams-Bolar, an aspiring teacher and mother of two, was sentenced to 10 days in jail for sending her children to school outside her district. But in this time of economic crisis, it is hard to believe that a single mother such as Williams-Bolar is a criminal. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Taking ‘Superman’ to School

Marcia Alesan Dawkins / Truthdig Oct 17, 2010 This depiction of our nation’s teachers is typical of those who promote a particular reform agenda calling for charter schools, anti-unionism and merit pay based on high-stakes test scores While it’s fine to promote this agenda, it’s also ethical to provide a balanced critique. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

A Back-to-School Pep Talk From President Obama

Staff / Truthdig Sep 15, 2010 It's hard to believe that it has already been a year since President Obama's last back-to-school speech -- the one that got certain detractors in a tizzy about his purported plans to brainwash America's youth with dangerous socialist messages. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Schooling Scholars on Classroom Success

Moshe Adler / Truthdig Aug 21, 2010 There is of course no doubt that our public education system is broken. There is also no doubt that wages are too low. But blaming “bad teachers” is not the answer to either. These days everyone seems to think teachers need improving -- even people who uncover evidence to the contrary. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Picking the Wrong Education Fight

Ruth Marcus / Truthdig Aug 2, 2010 It's galling that civil rights groups would oppose Obama administration initiatives to improve failing schools -- initiatives that hold the greatest promise for minority students. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

A Teachable Moment From an Esteemed Teacher

BLANK Jul 12, 2010 At a time when our country's educational system is sliding down our government's priority list, it takes reminders like this one, by noted California educator Jim Mamer, to set us straight and offer some much-needed inspiration.Educator Jim Mamer offers some much-needed inspiration and a timely reminder about the need to keep our nation's educational priorities straight. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

The Texas Textbook Massacre

Staff / Truthdig May 28, 2010 Our friends at Brave New Films sent us this update on the Texas Board of Education's partisan rewriting of American history. If you haven't been angry enough today, hop past the jump and give it a gander. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Meryl Streep Gives Barnard Grads a Royal Sendoff

Staff / Truthdig May 20, 2010 At least you know when you ask an Oscar-winning actress to be your commencement speaker that she probably won't botch her lines, but will she actually have anything of value to say, or will she just spend 90 minutes exploring the nuances of her "craft"? (continued) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Arizona Superintendent Gets Taken to School

Staff / Truthdig May 14, 2010 CNN is rarely the forum where we hear thoughtful points of view, but Georgetown professor Michael Eric Dyson breaks the mold as he rips apart the befuddled superintendent of Arizona public schools, Tom Horne, over Arizona's decision to ban ethnic studies. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Education

The Questions Education Reformers Aren’t Asking

Mike Rose / Truthdig Mar 19, 2010 Mike Rose notes that no one in power is asking fundamental questions about the purpose of education and whether much-hyped reforms might do more harm than good.No one in power is asking fundamental questions about the purpose of education and whether much-hyped reforms might do more harm than good. Dig deeper ( 17 Min. Read )

Race to the Top of What? Education Is About More Than Jobs

Mike Rose / Truthdig Feb 19, 2010 We need to reclaim a broader vision, for we have terribly narrowed our thinking about school. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )