May 27 Why failure is crucial for a student’s success By John Merrow Students need to know that adults try and fail and fail and fail -- and keep on trying. Continue reading
May 26 Watch 7:15 What galvanized standardized testing’s opt-out movement By PBS News Hour As the school year draws to a close, many students are taking standardized tests tied to the Common Core. But in some communities there has been a strong backlash, with parents deciding to opt out of having their children participate. Continue watching
May 21 These groups of Asian-Americans rarely attend college, but California is trying to change that By Matt Krupnick, The Hechinger Report As one group of Asians who don’t go to college in large numbers, the Hmong help illustrate the complex changing demographics of students arriving at American universities and colleges: increasingly nonwhite, low-income, and first-generation. Continue reading
May 18 Watch What’s the legacy of Head Start 50 years on? By PBS News Hour Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson announced the creation of Head Start, the early education program designed to support the needs of low-income children and get them ready for elementary school. The NewsHour’s April Brown explores the legacy and efficacy… Continue watching
May 09 Watch 3:25 As the city prospers around them, Austin teachers may miss out By PBS News Hour Even though Austin, Texas, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation and a magnet for the technology and arts industries, not every sector is enjoying the good times. Many students live below the poverty line, and some of… Continue watching
May 08 ACT to expand computer-based testing By Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press WASHINGTON — ACT test takers take note: The No. 2 pencil is losing its cachet. Greater numbers of high school students will be able to take the college entrance exam on a computer next year. Continue reading
Apr 29 Watch 7:18 ‘World’s best teacher’ does not believe in tests and quizzes By PBS News Hour For 25 years, Nancie Atwell has run a small, independent K-8 school in Maine, where the goal is not just teaching young students, but also teachers. At the Center for Teaching and Learning, the school day is driven by a… Continue watching
Apr 21 Watch 8:04 Does Ohio’s third grade reading test miss its goal? By PBS News Hour A growing number of states are promising to hold back students who cannot read by the end of third grade. Two years ago, Ohio passed legislation to put up a barrier to fourth grade for those who failed the state's… Continue watching
Apr 18 Thousands of students opt out of Common Core tests in protest By Christina A. Cassidy, Associated Press Thousands of students are opting out of new standardized tests aligned to the Common Core standards, defying the latest attempt by states to improve academic performance. Continue reading
Apr 06 Want more women in science and math? Pay attention to group projects, study suggests By Laura Santhanam Group projects may hold the key to getting more girls and women to enter science, technology, engineering and math or fields that men otherwise dominate. Continue reading