If US charter schools have inspired Tory reforms, academic excellence can't be the reason United Kingdom 01 September 2010
The hard truth is that, the more you look at the US charter school movement, the more the glow fades. Stanford University found that fewer than one in five charter schools were outperforming comparable state schools; about half were performing at a similar level; and 37% were doing 'significantly worse'.
[full story] |
Triumph fades on racial gap in city schools United States 17 August 2010
Two years ago, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and his schools chancellor, Joel I. Klein, testified before Congress about the city's impressive progress in closing the gulf in performance between minority and white children. The gains were historic, all but unheard of in recent decades. [full story] |
Pupils do better at school if teachers are not fixated on test results United Kingdom 17 August 2010
Pupils show greater motivation, are better behaved and are more likely to be independent and strategic thinkers when teachers are not obsessed by grades, the study by the Institute of Education found. [full story] |
The truth behind the get-tough success stories in school reform United States 13 August 2010
When it comes to these get-tough tales, the stories can depart pretty significantly from reality. Some of the changes these kinds of leaders produce have turned out to be pure illusion. [full story] |
Science results 'suggest pupils drilled' United Kingdom 12 August 2010
Primary science results in England - which for the first time used a sample of schools - suggest pupils have been drilled to pass tests in past years. [full story] |
Special needs would lose out in academies plan United Kingdom 22 July 2010
Children with special educational needs could lose out under government plans to allow all schools to become academies, Labour has claimed. [full story] |
School buildings 'not fit' for learning, say teachers United Kingdom 21 July 2010
Some 26% of teachers do not think their school buildings are an effective learning environment, a poll suggests. The survey found teachers thought good ventilation, lighting, classroom layout and acoustics were all vital in helping with teaching and learning.
[full story] |
Principal removed to obtain extra funding United States 21 July 2010
Under the Obama administration rules, for a district to qualify, schools with very low test scores must do one of the following: close down; be replaced by a charters; remove the principal and half the staff; or remove the principal and transform the school.
[full story] |
Teachers out of pocket for classroom essentials Canada 19 July 2010
A survey carried out by the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) has discovered that in the 2008-09 school year each Canadian teacher paid out from their own pocket an average of $453 for essential classroom materials or class-related activities. [full story] |
Teachers' union shuns Obama aides at convention United States 05 July 2010
In a sign of the Obama administration's strained relations with two of its most powerful political allies, no federal official was scheduled to speak at either convention this month, partly because union officials feared that administration speakers would face heckling.
[full story] |
Academies' success questioned over vocational subjects United Kingdom 05 July 2010
It has long been suspected that some academies have used vocational qualifications to get less able pupils achieving and that these can give an impression that they improving at a fast rate. [full story] |
Parents haven't time to run free schools United Kingdom 04 July 2010
Asking parents to take over the education system is a bit like asking the prime minister if he's got time to run France as well.
[full story] |
Online bullies pull schools into the fray United States 29 June 2010
Schools these days are confronted with complex questions on whether and how to deal with cyberbullying, an imprecise label for online activities ranging from barrages of teasing texts to sexually harassing group sites. [full story] |
When test scores matter United States 29 June 2010
In today's education world, achievement apparently only means an improvement in test scores.
Except when it doesn't. When is that? That's when today's 'school reformers,' the ones who use standardized test scores as the central and often sole measure for student and now, increasingly, teacher, achievement, learn that their pet projects don't actually produce higher results.
[full story] |
Education spending faces 25% cut United Kingdom 24 June 2010
Education spending in England could be cut by as much as 25% over the next four years, the Chancellor has said.
[full story] |
Fifty colleges in England face closure - report United Kingdom 11 June 2010
A 'significant number' of England's further education colleges will struggle to remain viable in the next three years, a report warns.
[full story] |
Under pressure, teachers tamper with test scores United States 11 June 2010
Of all the forms of academic cheating, none may be as startling as educators tampering with children's standardized tests. But investigations in Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, Virginia and elsewhere this year have pointed to cheating by educators. [full story] |
Teachers sacked for joining political party Korea 25 May 2010
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology announced Sunday it was moving to sack 134 public school teachers, who reportedly signed up for the membership of the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party, and suspend four others. [full story] |
Execution of a trade unionist Iran 11 May 2010
The International Trade Union Confederation is deeply shocked and has strongly condemned the recent execution of the teacher and trade unionist Farzad Kamangar, together with four other prisoners on Sunday 9 May. [full story] |
Tests 'damaging' to school system United Kingdom 04 May 2010
The national testing system in English schools is being misused to the detriment of children's education, says a report from a committee of MPs. [full story] |
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