National education

PROTESTS are flaring up in pockets of the country against the proliferation of standardized tests. For many parents and teachers, school has become little more than a series of workout sessions for the assessment du jour.

A decade ago, the debate about Washington D.C.’s public schools turned on school vouchers. How many students in the city’s beleaguered schools should get a lifeline out and how many national Democrats would break ranks and support vouchers?

Potential 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush stood before a packed hall Thursday morning and rallied his education troops, encouraging the crowd to keep fighting the “government-run, unionized and politicized monopolies who trap good teachers, administrators and struggling students in a system nobody can escape.”

Annette “Polly” Williams, a longtime state representative from Milwaukee’s north side who died Nov. 9, was sometimes called the “mother of school choice.” But even that tag doesn’t do her justice.

There’s a difference between expressing opinions, and making things up that simply aren’t true. Take Friday’s post in the state’s preeminent education blog, Get Schooled.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan may have reshaped his rhetoric on testing—and applauded states and school districts for taking a hard look at the number of tests they require—but it appears he'd like to see annual state assessments remain at the core of any reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind.

"Trust me-there aren't going to be any 7th grade English-language learners next year."

More of the District’s students are enrolled in high-performing public charter schools this year, according to ratings that the D.C. Public Charter School Board plans to release Friday.

The head of Parent Revolution said today that LA Unified has reversed course, lifting the ban on using the “Parent Trigger” law this year to overhaul failing district schools.

Equity. The concept has been a bit of a football lately in public discourse around deeper learning, assessment, and accountability; and by first appearances, civil rights advocates seem to have formed two distinct teams: those for standardization, and those for personalization. Some equity proponents carry their reasoning down the field toward high-quality standardized assessments for all. 

Click here to read more.