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Class Struggle: October, 2011

Posted at 01:29 PM ET, 10/01/2011

More ‘ideal school’ ideas
By Jay Mathews
I add to the list of goals to shoot for in making our schools better, as submitted by readers. Some emphasize parental involvement. Others say data is the key.

By Jay Mathews  |  01:29 PM ET, 10/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:45 PM ET, 09/29/2011

Tending grandsons and schools
By Jay Mathews
President Obama says he will grant waivers to states that want to break out of the hold of the No Child Left Behind law.

By Jay Mathews  |  12:45 PM ET, 09/29/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 01:51 AM ET, 09/28/2011

Is the SAT losing its edge?
By Jay Mathews
SAT scores are going down. But more important, America’s once more feared test is losing ground to its rival, the ACT. It also has less influence with very selective colleges. There remain just two ways the SAT can still help you.

By Jay Mathews  |  01:51 AM ET, 09/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Admissions 101

Posted at 02:41 PM ET, 09/25/2011

6 wild ideas for ideal schools
By Jay Mathews
A month ago I sought fresh, maybe even unsettling, ideas for new school models. Many readers responded.

By Jay Mathews  |  02:41 PM ET, 09/25/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 03:30 PM ET, 09/23/2011

Me vs. the movement to opt students out of tests
By Jay Mathews
I debate Towson University Professor Shaun Johnson on the movement to persuade parents to opt their children out of standardized tests to measure schools.

By Jay Mathews  |  03:30 PM ET, 09/23/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:53 PM ET, 09/20/2011

Gaithersburg school says no homework — just free reading
By Jay Mathews
I suggested a couple of years ago that elementary schools junk homework in favor of free reading, since the research shows homework does little good for that age group. Now a local elementary school has done it.

By Jay Mathews  |  04:53 PM ET, 09/20/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 09/18/2011

How sports can help high schools
By Jay Mathews
Much to my surprise, a new survey shows that high school sports participation has increased every year for the last 22 years, despite two major recessions. Research shows it helps students gain leadership skills that enrich their lives. Why not have even more after-school activity?

By Jay Mathews  |  05:00 AM ET, 09/18/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 04:35 PM ET, 09/14/2011

Students say: ‘Pressure? What pressure?’
By Jay Mathews
A new survey by Hart Associates challenges the view that American high school students are being crushed by the weight of their schoolwork.

By Jay Mathews  |  04:35 PM ET, 09/14/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 03:45 PM ET, 09/13/2011

Only 20 states check test-tampering
By Jay Mathews
USA Today, which has led the reporting on cheating by school administrators in several states, reveals that only 20 states and the District bother to check for unusual numbers of wrong-to-right erasures. It is a further sign of how many school officials want this issue to go away.

By Jay Mathews  |  03:45 PM ET, 09/13/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 09/13/2011

Can you name successful parent coup?
By Jay Mathews
Education expert Joseph Hawkins challenges anyone to cite an instance in which parents took over a school and made it better.

By Jay Mathews  |  11:00 AM ET, 09/13/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 09/11/2011

Judging schools by advanced scores
By Jay Mathews
Usually we rate schools by what percentage of students score proficient or above on annual tests. But what if we looked at a higher standard?

By Jay Mathews  |  05:00 AM ET, 09/11/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:03 PM ET, 09/08/2011

Where community colleges go wrong
By Jay Mathews
Susan Headden’s new piece exposes the harmful over-reliance of community colleges on quick placement tests to see who gets to enroll in credit courses.

By Jay Mathews  |  12:03 PM ET, 09/08/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 09/07/2011

Don’t just blame teacher expectations
By Jay Mathews
Guest blogger John Thompson, an Oklahoma City educator and author, has heard the refrain that teachers expect too little from students. He explains why it is more complicated than that.

By Jay Mathews  |  05:00 AM ET, 09/07/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:30 PM ET, 09/04/2011

Good riddance to new national standards
By Jay Mathews
More than 40 states have vowed to create new national standards. Dream on, say I and a few cynical critics like Jay P. Green of the University of Arkansas.

By Jay Mathews  |  12:30 PM ET, 09/04/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 03:36 PM ET, 09/01/2011

Jay’s live chat on how to handle parent worries
By Jay Mathews
I answered questions this morning about how to survive the new school year. Take a look and tell me where I went wrong.

By Jay Mathews  |  03:36 PM ET, 09/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 09/01/2011

8 back-to-school worries
By Jay Mathews
Back to school challenges are common. I asked the experts how to deal with eight of them. Let me know if their solutions make sense.

By Jay Mathews  |  05:00 AM ET, 09/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

 

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