May 2011 Issue
The Manufactured Crisis Revisited
David Berliner, Regents Professor of Education at Arizona State University and author of the bestseller, The Manufactured Crisis, joins us this month for a provocative interview in which he reviews the latest test score data and challenges the common beliefs that student test scores are falling, American students do very poorly in international comparisons, charter schools are the answer to improving academic achievement, and high stakes testing is necessary for accountability. Continue
Teacher and Leader Effectiveness in High-Performing Education Systems
What lessons can we learn from three of the highest-performing education systems in the world? Robert Rothman from the Alliance for Excellent Education joins us to discuss the key findings of their new report exploring teacher and leader effectiveness in Finland, Singapore and Ontario, Canada. Continue
May 2011 Article Summaries
Article summaries for May 2011 include a game plan for overcoming resistance to change in schools from bestselling authors Chip and Dan Heath, and why school districts should be tracking their high school graduates' successes and failures in higher education. Continue
May 2011 Discussion Points
In our May 2011 Discussion Points we take a look at possible test score manipulation around the country, a survey exploring the needs of diverse learners, and a new report on the economic and social consequences to our states of high drop-out rates. Continue
A Look Back at the First in the World Consortium
When we compare the best U.S. students with those in other countries, U.S. students always do well. Paul Kimmelman looks back and reviews the conclusions of his group, the First in the World Consortium, one of the first to analyze TIMSS results for American schools. Continue
Encouraging College Success for Low Income and Minority Students
The St. Louis Regional College Access Pipeline (CAP) Project is explored in this month's Learning Point. A local initiative, the CAP Project is aimed at increasing both the number of low-income and minority students who go on to college and their subsequent success in graduating from college. Continue