NewsTrust - Education Reform - Most Recent Stories: Opinion (Mainstream)

Why We're Failing Math and Science

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Wall Street Journal - Oct. 26 (Interview) - The U.S. lags far behind other developed countries at the K-12 level in terms of measured performance in math and science courses. What can be done to change that?

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The New Untouchables

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Thomas L. Friedman - Oct. 21 (Opinion) - Those who create services, opportunities and ways to recruit work can compete on the world market. That is the key to understanding our education challenge today.

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Democrats should take Obama's lead and push harder for education reform

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Seattle Times - By Nicholas D. Kristof - Oct. 16 (Opinion) - Good schools constitute a far more potent weapon against poverty than welfare, food stamps or housing subsidies. Yet Democrats have too often resisted reform as disadvantaged children have been cemented into an underclass by third-rate schools.

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Big Food vs. Big Insurance

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Michael Pollan - Sep. 09 (Opinion) - The American way of eating has become the elephant in the room in the debate over health care.

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Dan Walters: Voc ed bill on right track, but facing uphill battle - Sacramento Politics - California Politics

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Sacramento Bee - By Dan Walters - Aug. 17 (Opinion) - Not only does the decline in what's now called "career technical education" or CTE, exacerbate the state's dropout crisis (at least a quarter of kids don't finish high school), but it ill serves the larger societal interest in having skilled workers...It's problematic, however, whether a decree from Sacramento, even one that's logical and fair, would succeed in restoring vocational education to the honorable position it deserves, since the education establishment seems bent on strangling or co-opting it.

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For U.S. Education Dollars, States Must Buy In to the President's Reform Plan

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - Jul. 30 (Editorial) - PRESIDENT OBAMA is unabashed in his demand that any state wanting extra educational dollars share in his administration's reform agenda. That means tougher standards, more charter schools and holding teachers accountable. It's encouraging that even before a penny has been doled out, this aggressive stance is forcing states to rethink traditional approaches to education.

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The underworked American

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Economist - Jun. 11 (Opinion) - American schoolchildren are unlikely to end up working as hard as the French, let alone the South Koreans, any time soon. There are institutional reasons for this. The federal government has only a limited influence over the school system. Powerful interest groups, most notably the teachers’ unions, but also the summer-camp industry, have a vested interest in the status quo. But reformers are also up against powerful cultural forces.

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Don't abandon public schools

Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Philadelphia Inquirer - May. 11 (Editorial) - Vouchers are not the answer to what's wrong with America's public schools. But a pilot program for District of Columbia children deserved better than the shoddy treatment it received from Congress. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was created by Congress in 2004 for families who wanted to escape abysmal, unsafe schools. But last month, when it came time to reauthorize the voucher program in the federal omnibus spending bill, Congress left out the $14 million program.

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Education paths

Sun, 10 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Denver Post - By Michael P. Mazenko - May. 10 (Opinion) - "Too many people are going to college." This blasphemy from controversial social critic Charles Murray in his book "Real Education" should not be immediately dismissed, but hotly debated as Colorado evaluates school reform. Considering three-quarters of high school students go on to college, but less than one-third of Americans currently has a bachelor's degree, Murray may be right about our focus on four-year colleges.

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Why Colorado's "Race" will end at starting line

Sun, 10 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Denver Post - By Dick Hilker - May. 10 (Opinion) - If you're waiting for some true Obama-style public education reform to come to Colorado, you likely will be disappointed. Our new president issued some tough words on schools right after he took office. Foremost, he called for merit pay for the best teachers, getting rid of teachers who are in the wrong profession, and making it easier for districts to create charter schools.

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Invest in education, reform loan program - Editorials

Fri, 08 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Miami Herald - May. 08 (Editorial) - With the cost of a college education soaring all over the country, including in Florida, reforming college-loan plans is taking on a new urgency. Fortunately, there is a proposal on the table that won't be a burden on taxpayers and could ease the staggering debt load for young people entering the workplace. This should be a no-brainer for Congress. When it comes to legislation, though, nothing is ever easy.

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Direct Federal Students Loans: a Better Option Than Relying on Private Lenders

Fri, 08 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - May. 08 (Editorial) - We see little compelling reason to continue propping up private lenders. Sallie Mae, the largest private lender, agrees. Its compromise proposal would also allow private firms to originate loans and then pass them on to the Treasury in return for fees.

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Fix public education

Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Seattle Times - By Donald P. Nielsen - May. 07 (Editorial) - In other words, if only 20 percent of our children receive the education needed, then 80 percent of our children will not be adequately prepared for the world in which they will live.

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No child left to move ahead

Thu, 07 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

San Francisco Chronicle - By Matt Levinson - May. 07 (Opinion) - Several years ago, when I taught Advanced Placement U.S. history, I had a student who grossly underperformed during the school year, yet somehow managed to score a 5 on the AP exam. When I asked him how he managed to accomplish this feat, he said, "I spent two weeks straight studying, reading, and reviewing, and that's all I needed."

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Discovering what the Founders knew

Wed, 06 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Hill - By Edward M. Kennedy - May. 06 (Opinion) - To start, we must recognize that early childhood sets the course for future learning, and that focusing on children during their first years is one of the best education investments our government can make. High-quality early learning opportunities increase preparedness for school, reduce placements in special education, and in many cases improve parenting as well. That’s why I look forward to working with the president to help states create more and better early-childhood education opportunities through early learning challenge grants.

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Obama administration takes on school reform

Tue, 05 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

San Francisco Chronicle - May. 05 (Editorial) - More spending, however, does not necessarily translate into better schools. Duncan's challenge is to spend the money quickly and strategically while ratcheting up accountability measures for both teachers and students.

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Secretary Arne Duncan has $5 billion for transformation. What should he do?

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Chicago Tribune - By Jeb Bush, James B. Hunt Jr. - May. 04 (Opinion) - As former governors from different political parties who remain passionate about the quality of education in America, we agree that Arne Duncan is one lucky guy. As part of the $787 billion spending package passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in February, the new education secretary gets $5 billion to spend on projects that will transform America's education system. Called the "Race to the Top Fund," the money is to meant to pay for innovations that improve student achievement and ultimately revolutionize our economy and workforce for the 21st Century.

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Backward on School Reform

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - May. 04 (Editorial) - THE D.C. COUNCIL gave the mayor control of public schools because it rightly believed that vesting responsibility and accountability in one person was the only way to reverse decades of divided management and failed leadership. So it is curious that just two years into the reform efforts the council is proposing changes that would erode Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's control over the schools. The council needs to come to its senses and not retreat from a system that offers the children of this city the last, best chance for a better education.

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Rising Scores Show Why We Can't Retreat From 'No Child Left Behind'

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Margaret Spellings - May. 04 (Opinion) - Student achievement results from the "nation's report card" published last week show that we are on the right track. Since enactment of the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act, which called for all students to be on grade level in reading and math by 2014, students have been making progress in reading and math in elementary and middle school. Improvement has been greatest for African American and Hispanic students and those students who are lowest-achieving.

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World Class Schools in Iowa

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Des Moines Register - By Linda Fandel - May. 04 (Editorial) - Linda has been researching and blogging about education reform, since June of 2008. She also sends out email updates for those who want to sign up.

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Base education reform on realistic solutions

Sun, 03 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Arizona Republic - By Gregory Wyman - May. 03 (Opinion) - Arizona's public education system needs some reforms. This isn't a radical idea, but a near-consensus. Proposed reforms need to be based on an accurate understanding of how the current system works. They need to contain realistic solutions, not slogans. Under the banner of ImagineArizona, former Arizona education officials are promoting a package of changes (detailed in an April 14 op-ed piece, "Reforms are needed to improve education in Arizona") that fails to hit those targets.

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School reformer's ideas are a start

Sun, 03 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Indianapolis Star - By Matthew Tully - May. 03 (Opinion) - So how can Indianapolis improve the quality of its public education system? No more important question faces the city. And while there are neither easy answers nor quick fixes, there also is no doubt about the need to put that daunting question at the center of an intense and long-term public discussion. Advertisement The road to better schools is filled with monumental social, financial and institutional obstacles. There's no guaranteed route. But a good starting point would be to follow the lead of reformers such as David Harris.

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Government vs. the Private Sector: Health Care and Student Loans

Sat, 02 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

New York Times - By Uwe E. Reinhardt - May. 02 (Opinion) - Sometime during the late summer we shall witness a High Noon moment on the issue of student loans. Who goes down in the shootout — the president or the private loan industry — may be an augury for the many shootouts yet to come in health reform.

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Interview: Arne Duncan

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

NOW on PBS - By David Brancaccio - May. 01 (Interview) - Arne Duncan has a reputation for being one of the leading reformers of low-performing schools during his seven years as chief executive of Chicago's public school system. Widely known for his implementation of the radical "turnaround program"—in which some of Chicago's failing schools were shut down and reopened with an entirely new staff—Duncan became the Secretary of Education in January.

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Commentary: Let's take 'all children forward'

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

CNN - By Arne Duncan - May. 01 (Opinion) - In our first 100 days, the Obama administration has presented a comprehensive education agenda -- from the cradle through college -- that protects children and jobs in the short term and invests in the long term by advancing education reform. We are using the power of transparency to expose the good, the bad and the ugly about American education as a first step toward raising standards, improving teacher quality and turning around low-performing schools. To push our reform agenda, the president has challenged states, districts, unions and other stakeholders to eliminate bureaucratic hurdles to improvement, set aside ideologies and do what's right for children.

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