The Answer Sheet: student achievement


Posted at 05:01 AM ET, 05/09/2013

Poverty and student achievement: Are we comparing the wrong groups?
By Valerie Strauss
Many impoverished students succeed academically every day. Why do some make it and others don't?

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:01 AM ET, 05/09/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  'Looking for Answers', Blaming The Parents?, Student Achievement and Poverty

Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 01/05/2011

Resolutions someone should make for 2011
By Valerie Strauss
An educator offers some resolutions for the new year: That President Obama et al stop saying, "We are going to educate ourselves toward a 21st Century economy;" that people who really know about education appear on Oprah; that policy makers stop making standardized testing the gold standard of student achievement and teacher effectiveness; that we stop using corporate speak (game changer, incentivize) to talk about education. And more.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:30 PM ET, 01/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  2011 resolutions, ian hacking, mike rose, new year's resolutions, obama and education policy, oprah, oprah winfrey, president obama, standardized tests, stephen jay gould, student achievement, teacher effectiveness

Posted at 01:24 PM ET, 10/21/2010

Afterschool programs in funding jeopardy
By Valerie Strauss
Thousands of afterschool programs are in danger of losing their funding because of a proposal that would allow federal money now used to support these programs to instead pay for longer school days. That may sound like it makes sense, but it doesn't.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:24 PM ET, 10/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Learning, Learning | Tags:  afterschool alliance, afterschool funds, afterschool programs, arne duncan, extending school day, lights on afterschool, longer school day, president obama, quality afterschool, school reform, student achievement

Posted at 11:25 AM ET, 10/18/2010

Willingham: Should teachers be so important?
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham writes: "Teacher quality is the most important in-school factor that influences kids’ schooling. I’m not so sure that’s a good thing."

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:25 AM ET, 10/18/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham | Tags:  daniel willingham, education, school reform, schools, student achievement, teachers

Posted at 12:11 PM ET, 10/05/2010

Report: Schools, teacher ed programs ignore how kids really learn
By Valerie Strauss
James Comer and Robert Pianta write about a new report that says: "Despite big advances in our understanding of how children and adolescents grow and learn, little of that knowledge has found its way into schools or educator preparation programs."

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:11 PM ET, 10/05/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Research, Research, Research | Tags:  achievement gap, education research, james comer, research, robert pianita, student achievement, teacher education, teacher evaluation, teacher quality

Posted at 02:41 PM ET, 09/27/2010

The elephant that Obama and Lauer ignored: Poverty and student achievement
By Valerie Strauss
When President Obama sat down for an interview about school reform with NBC's Matt Lauer, they walked right up to the link between poverty and student achievement, but wound up ignoring the elephant in the room. And that tells you what you need to know about the Obama administration's school reform policy.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:41 PM ET, 09/27/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Race to the Top, Race to the Top, Race to the Top | Tags:  arne duncan, education nation, obama, obama nbc, obama school reform, obama schools, president obama, president obama; obama interview; obama lauer interview; obama education interview; student achievement poverty; poverty and schools, race to the top

Posted at 07:53 AM ET, 07/21/2010

Alexander Russo on Jay Mathews and Harlem Children's Zone
By Valerie Strauss
There's nothing like a good fight to spice up a hot July day, so here, Alexander Russo of "This Week in Education" takes on my esteemed colleague Jay Mathews over the Harlem Children's Zone.

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:53 AM ET, 07/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  alexander russo, brookings and harlem children's zone, brookings and hcz, criticism of harlem children's zone, geoffrey canada, harlem children's zone, hcz and hype, jay mathews, poverty and school reform, poverty and student achievement, promise academy, promise charter academies, this week in education

Posted at 11:30 AM ET, 07/12/2010

Teacher accountability schemes let teens off the hook -- Willingham
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham talks about students, their attitudes and whether teachers can be held solely or even primarily responsible for their academic achievement.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:30 AM ET, 07/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham | Tags:  attitudes and students, daniel willingham, factors in student achievement, main factor in student achievement, teachers and student achievement, teenagers and behavior, who is responsible for student achievement

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 06/29/2010

Two new studies on charter schools

By Valerie Strauss
Two new studies are released today on charter schools, one on financing and the other on student achievement. Neither is especially good news for charter schools.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:00 AM ET, 06/29/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Charter schools, Charter schools | Tags:  charter school financing, charter school movement, charter schools, mathematica research, research on charter schools, student achievement and charter schools

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 06/29/2010

New analysis of achievement gap: ½ x ½ = 1½
By Valerie Strauss
David Berliner, a prominent education researcher, writes about new data and analysis showing that when it comes to student achievement, family resources are important, school resources are important and the joint effect of the social and fiscal resources found in families and schools appears to be much greater than either alone.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 06/29/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  arizona state university, coleman report, coleman report and 1960s, david berliner, educational research, effects on student achievement, how much does school affect student achievement?, parental influence and student achievement, standard deviations

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 06/26/2010

Scary things in U.S. report on school vouchers

By Valerie Strauss
A new government report on a voucher program in Washington, D.C., is remarkable for what it says about things other than vouchers.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 06/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  d.c. voucher program, private school voucher program, standardized tests and student achievement, voucher program

Posted at 04:15 PM ET, 05/18/2010

Report looks at role of poverty, parents in student success
By Valerie Strauss
A new report by the Casey Foundation shows the close link between poverty and student success in reading, and makes recommendations for schools and community members.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:15 PM ET, 05/18/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Reading, Reading, Reading | Tags:  Casey Foundation, Casey Foundation report on reading, achievement gap, achievement gap in reading, new report on reading, parental involvement, parental responsibility in school, poverty and student achievement, reading research