“Spending money more effectively…on the right things”
Tom Toch is co-founder and co-director of Education Sector, a Washington D.C. based education think tank and policy center.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
“Galvanize the American spirit”
Marc Lampkin is the Executive Director of Strong American Schools, a national campaign aimed at making education a top domestic priority during the 2008 presidential election and beyond.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Return the Teaching Profession to the Teaching Professionals
Historically, the federal government has played two distinct roles in public education: supporting people to go to college or to work and supporting students who live in poverty by providing funding for additional services. Both are considered as positive and supportive.
What teachers have experienced from the federal government since NCLB was enacted has been the opposite of support. Since 2002 we have been told that we cannot use our professional judgment. We have been told that we must teach with fidelity to programs, that we are not allowed to modify these programs by using our professional knowledge and the methods and materials we have at our disposal. [Read more...]
Reauthorize the Education Sciences Act and Fund IES
Reauthorize The Education Sciences Reform Act and fund the Institute for Education Science. Our teachers need usable knowledge about how children learn and how to teach them better. Should a teacher give homework to first graders and if so, what type? Do grades enhance learning, increase effort, or motivate students? When and under what conditions should a teacher praise students’ work? What are the best strategies for introducing fractions to fourth graders or teaching high school students who failed to learn fractions earlier? How can we help hyperactive children pay attention? Teachers make decisions about such issues daily and we need research [Read more...]
