Posted on April 10th, 2011 by Mary Lord
British naturalist Charles Darwin knew his theory of natural selection was controversial. Still, even he might be nonplussed at the uproar over teaching evolution. Last week, Tennessee’s House of Representatives approved a bill that encourages science teachers to explore controversial topics without fear of reprisal. Critics contend the measure will let K-12 teachers present intelligent design and creationism as acceptable alternatives to evolution.
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Tags: Education Policy, Evolution, Public Policy
Posted on April 10th, 2011 by Mary Lord
More than 1 million K-12 students take online courses. Advocates say Web-based make-up classes and other offerings allow students to take a richer menu of electives and Advanced Placement courses. Critics call them an effort by school districts to shave costs on buildings and teachers.
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Tags: Education Policy, Technology for Learning
Posted on April 3rd, 2011 by Mary Lord
Civil rights, business, and education advocates are urging Congress and the Obama administration not to undermine a key portion of the No Child Left Behind Act in their quest to make the law more flexible—a move they fear will shortchange minority students and other historically overlooked groups in the process.
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Tags: Education Policy, Minority Group Students, Public Policy, Research on Learning
Posted on April 3rd, 2011 by Mary Lord
School districts nationwide are bracing for potentially deep cuts in their teaching ranks. While many may fare better than projected, each layoff causes a chaotic ripple of staff reshuffling as senior educators “bump” more junior teachers from their classrooms, forcing thousands to change schools, grades, or subjects.
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Tags: Education Policy, Public Policy, Teachers
Posted on April 3rd, 2011 by Mary Lord
Many students consider Algebra II a complex course with scant real-world value. Yet, of all of the classes offered in high school, it is the leading predictor of college and work success. In recent years, 20 states and the District of Columbia have raised graduation requirements to include Algebra II. Now, researchers wonder if that’s such smart policy.
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Tags: Education Policy, Grades 9-12, Math, Mathematics, Research on Learning
Posted on March 27th, 2011 by Mary Lord
The number of U.S. schools with such poor graduation rates that they are known as “dropout factories” fell by 6.4 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to a report released at the Building a Grad Nation Summit in Washington, D.C., March 22. The report also included recommendations to help ensure a high school graduation rate of 90 percent for the class of 2020–today’s third graders.
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Tags: Education Policy, Outreach for Schools, Public Policy, Research on Learning
Posted on March 27th, 2011 by ASEE
In response to cheating, many states and school districts are tightening test security, USA Today reports. Texas distributes 14 steps staff must follow during test administration and warns that state investigators will ferret out cheaters. In other places, educators are experimenting with different ways to test what kids learn.
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Tags: Education Policy, Public Policy, Teachers, Testing
Posted on March 23rd, 2011 by Mary Lord
Skyline High School in Boulder, Colo., showed Interior Secretary Ken Salazar what a high quality program looks like when he visited the STEM Academy March 21. Students must earn 28 credits for a STEM certificate, instead of the 24.5 needed for a regular high school diploma, and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA. Graduates are guaranteed acceptance in the University of Colorado’s engineering program.
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Tags: Aerospace, Education Policy, Science
Posted on March 20th, 2011 by Mary Lord
With the stakes for educators growing ever higher — and the majority of American schools somewhere on the “failing” list — USA Today examined years’ worth of individual student test results from six states and the District of Columbia to investigate the incidence of cheating. The results were disheartening.
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Tags: Education Policy, Research on Learning, Testing