Moderated by Maureen Downey
Today’s page offers a provocative lineup, starting with a discussion with Erroll B. Davis, who, upon retiring from the job of running Georgia’s colleges, took on the task of revitalizing Atlanta Public Schools. A guest columnist attacks the notion that children who do not complete their homework are lazy, urging a rethinking of how much homework is assigned.
Moderated by Maureen Downey
To mark PTA Teacher Appreciation Week, I recall the wonderful teachers in my life and my children’s lives and what they shared in common. (It wasn’t raising test scores.)
In a whimsical essay on stealing a piglet, a guest columnist revisits a universal truth revealed to an angry sow: A teenage boy is a wild creature.
Moderated by Maureen Downey
On the eve of the deadline for college decisions, three educators write that high school students should just as seriously consider the challenge of getting the best out of college as they did the challenge of getting into the best college.
In another guest column, a director of undergraduate studies at Georgia State University considers the question: Why not just teach to the test? Finally, on our Get Schooled blog, more than 100 parents recently commented on escalating prom costs.
Continue reading 4/30: College decisions; teaching to the test »
By the AJC Editorial Board
Under a new, national measurement tool for graduation rates, Georgia’s numbers are shocking in the short-term — dropping from 81 percent to 67 percent — but they reinforce that we need to keep pushing.
There’s value in the 50 states measuring graduation rates using a common formula — a move that had been recommended by the National Governors Association. Doing so will help Georgians more accurately assess how we’re doing in comparison to other states.
Read the rest of what the AJC Editorial Board has to say, along with commentary by state school superintendent John Barge and former Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin. Then tell us what you think.
Moderated by Maureen Downey
Anyone starving for good news in education ought to read today’s guest column about the state’s incredible STAR students, who, along with their teacher mentors, are being honored tonight.
In my weekly column, I write about digital education and whether schools are moving too quickly or slowly into this new era of learning.
Moderated by Maureen Downey
A voice often missing or ignored in education discussions in Georgia is that of our teachers. Today, we give teachers the floor.
A Georgia teacher who taught in the Middle East shares her experiences, good and bad, while a UGA education professor talks about the pressures on classroom teachers from irrational policies that impose one-size-fits-all requirements.
Moderated by Maureen Downey
We devote today’s topic to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s unprecedented analysis of 1.6 million student records from nearly 70,000 schools, an analysis that reveals improbable test-score swings similar to what the AJC found in Atlanta in 2008.
The series has sparked a range of responses, including one today from an official of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.
By the AJC Editorial Board
“We trust the media and public will focus on the main findings of the report that there is no orchestrated cheating in Atlanta Public Schools.”
— Beverly Hall, August 2010, summing up an investigation solicited by the district.
Atlantans know what came next, after truth’s chisel crumbled walls of denial.
Scores of communities from Maine to California may find themselves enduring a similarly traumatic experience, based on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Cheating our children” series, which found that test scores in nearly 200 school districts resemble those that drew Atlanta into the biggest cheating scandal in American history.
Thus, national attention has once again turned toward Atlanta. Unlike when the cheating scandal first surfaced, Atlanta can now provide an instructive example of how to address a civic tragedy.
Read the rest of what the AJC editorial board has to say, along with commentary by Leslie Hiner, vice …
Moderated by Maureen Downey
It seems everyone has a game plan on how to improve education, and today we explore several ideas. An outstanding DeKalb graduate points to more engaged students as the key to enhancing education. And I examine the growing sentiment that schools should step outside the box — or should I say step into the box — and consider the possibilities offered by computer-based or virtual learning.
What do you think?
Moderated by Maureen Downey
The crowning of valedictorians is growing more complex as students take different routes and courses to diplomas. Last year, Cherokee’s Etowah High learned how complex the process can be. As I discuss today, Gainesville High is learning it this year.
In a guest column, a UGA professor recommends that teachers incorporate pop culture phenomenons such as “The Hunger Games” into their classrooms.
Read what we have to say and comment below.
Continue reading 3/19: Rancor in ranks; pop culture in classrooms »
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