Education

Ivy League Musical: Yale Edition

Staff / Truthdig Jan 20, 2010 What would-be matriculators at Yale University might think of this lengthy and cringeworthy musical promotional video, cooked up by a group of the Ivy League school's current undergraduates and recent alumni, is unclear, but we'd like to point out the obvious after enduring a brief run-through of their efforts: Some people have been watching a little too much "Glee." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

21st Century Skills: Education’s New Cliché

Mike Rose / Truthdig Dec 8, 2009 What’s new about them? They sound like the skills one would have gotten from a good 20th century education -- or from a lot further back than that.They sound like the skills one would have gotten from a good 20th century education -- or from a lot further back than that. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Age Trumps Youth in UC Tuition Dispute

Yasha Levine / Truthdig Nov 25, 2009 Student protesters may think they are simply battling a wasteful, callous government bureaucracy that is more concerned about bailing out Wall Street banks than supporting a frivolous thing like education. But really the fight is about something much more basic and widespread: It is a fight between the young and the old, between California's baby boomer pensioners and everyone under 49.The fight over the 32 percent tuition hike on University of California campuses is about something much more basic and widespread than student protesters may realize. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Books, Not Bombs

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Nov 25, 2009 With President Barack Obama's Afghanistan war strategy soon to be announced, the juxtaposition of education cuts and military increases is incensing many, and helping to build a movement. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Despite Subsidies, Class Sizes Rise in California Schools

Staff / Truthdig Nov 20, 2009 Most of California's largest school districts are increasing class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, eroding the most expensive education reform in the state’s history. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

White House Releases Obama’s School Speech

Staff / Truthdig Sep 8, 2009 With some parents still reluctant to send their children to school Tuesday for fear that President Obama will indoctrinate them with his scary socialist ideals, the White House has attempted to ease the hysteria by releasing the full text of his speech a day early. Now doubters can do a close textual analysis for objectionable content. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Education ‘Miracles’ Don’t Survive Scrutiny

Mike Rose / Truthdig Aug 13, 2009 What miracle talk and magic-bullet solutions share is the reduction of complexity, of the many levels of hard, creative work necessary to make schooling successful in the United States.Miracle talk ignores the many levels of hard, creative work necessary to make schooling successful in the United States. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

The Silent Education Crisis

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Jul 16, 2009 The problems we face from kindergarten to 12th grade get regular, if still insufficient, attention. But we rarely confront how badly we're faring when it comes to educating our people after high school. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Some Educational Action Items for Obama

Paul Cummins / Truthdig May 15, 2009 So, with the economy in the proverbial toilet and the D word (depression) hovering on the periphery, what is the Obama administration supposed to do about education? What can it do? Will additional and new funding be necessary to address his main concerns? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Rebirth of Education

Paul Cummins / Truthdig Mar 3, 2009 A friend of mine, J.M. Zimmerman, once stated that to revitalize our schools, engage our children and ultimately save our planet will require “the death of education and its rebirth.” Sometimes systems are so flawed that they need to be scrapped and replaced rather than fiddled with or fixed. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Best and the Brightest Led America Off a Cliff

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Dec 8, 2008 The multiple failures that beset the country can be laid at the feet of our elite universities. Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford, along with most other elite schools, do a poor job educating students to think. They focus instead on creating hordes of competent systems managers. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

No Child Left Behind Fails Us All

BLANK Oct 21, 2008 Truthdig asked Demitrious C. Sinor, an inspirational educator, to sound off on the state of our schools. He warns that unless the No Child Left Behind regime ends soon, America's classrooms could unravel. It's a reality that neither presidential candidate seems to fully understand, but one he sees every day, from where he sits. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )