With the proliferation of unreliable “news”—and the danger it poses to the democratic process—it’s more important than ever for schools to cultivate students’ ability to think critically. That can be done, but there’s no quick fix. Continue reading the rest of my post on Forbes.com. … [Read more...]

Arne Duncan, secretary of education in the Obama administration, has a book out titled How Schools Work. But if you want to know how schools really work—and how Duncan’s reform efforts have played out on the ground—try reading a new satirical novel called Adequate Yearly Progress, set in a high-poverty urban school. Click here to read the rest of my post at Forbes.com. … [Read more...]

Every few weeks brings fresh evidence that many Americans don’t know basic facts about their country, usually followed by urgent calls for more civics education. But the basic problem is educators’ lack of accurate information about how and when to teach history. Continue reading my post on Forbes.com. … [Read more...]

There’s been a lot of handwringing lately about the lack of rigor in high school courses, and critics have blamed educators’ “low expectations.” But they’ve overlooked one powerful strategy that could boost both expectations and performance: teaching students to write about what they’re learning. Read the rest of my post on Forbes.com. … [Read more...]

Low-income minority students benefit from having teachers who look like them, studies show. But qualified minority teachers are in short supply, leading some to advocate relaxing the qualifications. The problem is, that risks putting disadvantaged kids even further behind. Continue reading the rest of my post at Forbes.com. … [Read more...]

Many teachers have never learned how to teach reading using the method that science has determined to be effective, as an important new radio documentary explains. Others simply reject the evidence. But the documentary shows that in some places, things are at last beginning to change. Continue reading my latest post at Forbes.com, and listen to the radio documentary from APM Reports here. … [Read more...]