In+the+News


 * In the News**


 * Please feel free to comment on any of these articles in the Discussion Section.**

Wow, I've fallen off the wagon a bit here (have we all been busy?) -- but this one caught my eye. Who would you fire from the Great Books list? See Slate.com's "Overrated" []
 * August 2011**

A fascinating and sobering new series from NPR on teenagers dropping out of high school. []
 * July 2011**

Abstinence Only Sex Ed -- from Governor Rick Perry. Read it/listen to it and weep! []

Bard President Leon Botstein has often expressed dismay about the popular belief that charter schools can serve as a magic bullet in the battle to improve public education. Here he finds supporters as charters seek to infiltrate, not the "neediest", but the most affluent districts. []

Knowing you were starting summer school, the Times printed this discussion on how to improve it. []

Randi Weingarten (Former president of the AFT) weighs in on reformers (interesting w.r.t. our discussion on professionalism). []

And finally, Paul Tough, the self-appointed champion of Geoffrey Canada, weighs in. Worth reading. Worth thinking critically about. []
 * It was a very busy education weekend in this week's New York Times. Here's the highlights of July 9/10:**

Does Rousmainerie's "Intensification" of the curriculum ring any bells here? "School Counselors Fear They will Bear Burden of Budget Cuts and New Exams" (which begs me to ask about the disconnect between the Brooks/Ravitch conversation -- below -- and the conversation at the state legislator's office...) []

Ravitch and NYT reader''s reply to David Brooks' column (see below) the previous week: []

Technical/Vocational Education -- finances cut making those left behind in the "everyone MUST go to college" category with even fewer options []

__

The NEA's new position on Teacher evaluations and the role of testing: []

David Brooks critiques the ever-present Diane Ravitch for addressing the wrong issues in schools, testing, and leadership [] ...and Diane Ravitch's rebuttal. []

Eugenics -- we've discussed this briefly in class. Today in North Carolina, the court is deciding about how to compensate victims of North Carolina's Eugenics program (sterilizing poor, mostly African American women) which ended only in 1977. [] See also: []
 * June 2011**

New York City's graduation rate rises -- to 61% (yayyyy?) []

Albany's graduation rate, you ask...? (hold onto your hats...) []

From earlier this year -- comparing NYC's graduation rate with its college-readiness rate []

For New York overall -- lots of stats, including graduation rates. Click on the county map for more detailed figures. []

My hero -- Gail Collins -- on for-profit teacher certification []

The Homework Debate []

Arne Duncan -- dismissing "No Child"? []

Teaching and Layoffs []

On the need for higher education (and lots else about tenure...) []

A very thoughtful article on community colleges, asking why we think everyone should go to college. []

New York City names a new School's Chancellor: Dennis Walcott Dennis Walcott Timeline
 * April 2011**