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Subcategory: Opinions / Editorials
Why Johnny Can't Hypothesize: A Discussion about Math and Science Education
Nov 5 2009 - Scientific American
A panel of experts, moderated by The Wall Street Journal's managing editor gathered recently to discuss some of the challenges behind improving K-12 math and science education across the country.
What Do Students Want from Their Schools?
Mar 26 2009 - eSchool News
Looking for ideas on how to spend federal stimulus dollars to enhance educational technology? Project Tomorrow has a suggestion: Listen to what students say they'd like to see in their schools.
Challenging Conventional Wisdom on STEM Supply
Sep 18 2008 - Inside Higher Ed
A demographer at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has identified five "mysteries" of the STEM work force issue. For example, why do employers claim a shortage of qualified STEM graduates while prospects for Ph.D.s remain "poor"? Why do retention and completion rates for STEM fields remain low compared with students' aspirations?
Principals Must Be Better Leaders, Educators State
Jul 21 2008 - Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Three of Arkansas' past and present education chiefs said that the role of a school principal must evolve from building manager to instructional leader if student achievement is to climb.
Opinion: The Science Education Myth
Oct 31 2007 - Business Week
Educators, lawmakers, technology experts and others have noted for years that the U.S. is falling behind its counterparts in math and science education. But the author of this editorial cites a new report that proves otherwise. The Urban Institute study shows math, science, and reading test scores at the primary and secondary levels have increased during the past two decades. American students are also near the top of international rankings. The report also found that the U.S. education system actually produces more science and engineering graduates than the market demands.
Opinion: Single-Sex Schools Help Children Thrive
Sep 20 2007 - Christian Science Monitor
The time has come to support experimental options for single-sex classes, writes Michael Gilbert. Gilbert, author of The Disposable Male and a senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California, explains that males and females "appear to thrive when spared the competition and social pressures in co-ed classrooms." Discipline problems also diminish. Gilbert notes that promising efforts for single-sex schools have taken place in many states and should continue.
Opinion: How to Innovate into the Future
Aug 10 2007 - San Francisco Chronicle (California)
One of the nation’s greatest strengths, innovation, received some support on August 9 when President Bush signed a bipartisan bill to boost science, research, and teaching, writes the author of this editorial. The bill provides $17 billion for the Energy Department. It allows for $22 billion for the National Science Foundation for basic research, and will also provide grants to help attract math and science teachers. “Overall, the package should be a powerful spur to risk-taking research that can pay off for the country,” the author notes.
Opinion: Lack of Funding Results in Fewer Scientists
Jul 24 2007 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
The Bush administration’s efforts to not adequately fund budgets for the National Institutes of Health will discourage future scientists, according to the author of this editorial. Gene Sperling, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, writes “this strategy of implicitly discouraging homegrown scientists could not be more illogical for our economic future, especially as more of the foreign-born scientists we have traditionally relied on are returning to their countries.”
Opinion: New Center to Engage Students in Science
Jul 16 2007 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
America is falling behind in the global competition to produce and educate scientists, according to the author of this editorial. The author notes, however, that the reopening of the Liberty Science Center will enable scientists to use their work to spark a new enthusiasm in students who might lack an interest in science.
Opinion: The Wrecking of British Science
May 22 2007 - The Guardian (United Kingdom)
If the world's future lies in scientists' hands, the answers are unlikely to come from the United Kingdom unless we reverse decades of political neglect, argues Nobel laureate Harry Kroto
Opinion: The Power of U.S. Universities
Mar 13 2007 - Indianapolis Star (Indiana)
When people think about American power in the world, they usually list the country’s forbidding arsenal of bombers, aircraft carriers, and troops. Yet America’s greatest strategic asset these days might not be its guns, but its universities, writes the author of this editorial.
Opinion: Texas Must Attract More Students to Science, Math
Mar 11 2007 - Houston Chronicle (Requires free registration)
The landmark 2005 report for Congress, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, warns that the United States stands to lose its scientific and technological superiority in the coming century unless we can persuade a greater proportion of young Americans to choose science, engineering, or mathematics as careers. The problem is especially acute in Texas, according to the authors of this editorial.
Opinion: Aztecs Versus Greeks
Jan 18 2007 - Wall Street Journal
Charles Murray, the W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, concludes his three-part commentary by suggesting the future of the nation depends on how schools respond to the educational needs of the intellectually gifted.
Opinion: What's Wrong With Vocational School?
Jan 17 2007 - Wall Street Journal
In part two of an editorial series, Charles Murray, the W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, argues why too many students with intelligent quotients of 100 or higher or going to four year colleges.
Opinion: Intelligence in the Classroom
Jan 16 2007 - Wall Street Journal
Education is becoming the preferred method for diagnosing and attacking a wide range of problems in American life, argues Charles Murray, the W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Murray says the No Child Left Behind Act is one prominent example. Another is the recent volley of articles that blame rising income inequality on the increasing economic premium for advanced education. Crime, drugs, extramarital births, unemployment--you name the problem, and Murray says he will show you a stack of claims that education is to blame, or at least implicated.
Opinion: An Education in the Lab
Oct 24 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Gerry Wheeler, NSTA’s executive director, explains in this editorial the association's position on how computer simulations can be valuable, but should not be substitutions for laboratory activities.
Opinion: Learning and Gender
Oct 13 2006 - American School Board Journal
Biology leads girls and boys to process information and behave differently, which means teachers need to adjust their classroom management and instruction techniques accordingly, contend The Minds of Boys co-authors Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens. Teachers trained in how male and female brains work, the authors say, learn how to craft assignments so that students of both genders stay engaged and achieve.
'Evolution' of Ohio's School Board
Sep 25 2006 - The Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Candidates vying for the five open seats in the upcoming Ohio Board of Education election continue to argue over the teaching of creationism in schools, even though the Ohio school board decided earlier this year to fully support the teaching of evolution, notes this Cincinnati Enquirer editorial. Rather than continue to waste time debating the issue, the newspaper says, it's time for the board to tackle school funding and other more pressing concerns.
Opinion: No Teacher Left Behind
Sep 22 2006 - Wall Street Journal
A new report from the Education Schools Project that blasted teacher training in the United States merits notice for its careful methodology and its release at a time when the nation is facing a shortage of almost 200,000 teachers, according to the writer of this editorial. The author notes the report's many recommendations will not work until all states collect data to determine what kind of training produces the most effective teachers.
Opinion: Why We Need a National School Test
Sep 21 2006 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
In this editorial, former Education Secretaries Rod Paige and William J. Bennett share their thoughts about why we need a national school test.
Opinion: Teaching Math, Singapore Style
Sep 18 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Until the U.S. bites the bullet on math and science education reform, the author of this editorial writes, “we will continue to lose ground to the countries with whom we must compete in the global information economy.”
As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It
Sep 12 2006 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
The controversy over homework that has raged for more than a century in U.S. education is reheating with new research by educators and authors about homework's purpose and design. The nation's best–known researcher on homework has taken a new look at the subject. Click on the link above to read what Duke University professor Harris Cooper has to say.
Opinion: Engineering a Curriculum
Aug 15 2006 - Boston Globe (Requires free registration)
School systems are pressed for time and money to squeeze all required instruction into the school year. However, a $20 million gift from Bernard Gordon, an entrepreneur and engineer who wants to engage more young people in science to solve real–world problems might help. The gift will enable the Museum of Science in Boston to create new exhibits, build a permanent headquarters for the center, and establish an endowment to guarantee its long–term success.
Opinion: Creating Equitable Public Education in the U.S.
Aug 11 2006 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
Education analyst Elena Rocha argues that a weighted student formula that lets funding follow children from school to school could radically overhaul how school systems serve disadvantaged children. This "grand idea" and other intriguing proposals can affect powerful change if individuals and organizations of all types commit to work together, Rocha says.
Opinion: Teaching Profession Deserves More Respect
Aug 7 2006 - Lawrence Journal-World (Kansas)
A member of the College Board’s Center for Innovative Thought, which recently released a list of recommendations to improve teaching, says the profession must become a preferred one. Gene A. Budig says the teaching profession needs improved working conditions along with the implementation of career ladders and communities of learning within schools and districts. Budig adds that students deserve teachers who know their subjects and have developed the skills to make learning come alive. The United States must also increase its talent pool by improving K–12 math and science education.
Opinion: How to Keep Our Scientific Edge
Aug 2 2006 - San Francisco Chronicle
Education policy expert Dennis M. Bartels argues that America can strengthen its competitiveness by improving math and science education in K–12 schools, rather than focusing its time on churning out more doctoral candidates. Bartels is calling for the nation to invest in community colleges and in intensive, residency–style, training programs for new math and science teachers, among other strategies.
Podcasts Divide Educators
Jul 13 2006 - Detroit News
Educators are voicing mixed reaction on the use of podcasts. Supporters say that podcasts can help students study better and reinforce material previously learned. Critics question whether podcasting lectures will contribute to learning. Some professors say that students might be tempted to skip class and the discussion that can flow after a lecture if podcasts are allowed. Other professors worry that many educators are turning to podcasts simply because they are a popular technology tool.
Colleges Chase as Cheats Shift to Higher Tech
May 18 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
College students are using a variety of electronic gadgets to cheat on tests. In a survey of nearly 62,000 undergraduates on 96 campuses in the past four years, two-thirds of students admitted to cheating. Some students say cheating these days is more of a product of the mind-set and not the tools at hand. College officials have tried to combat the problem by cutting off Internet access from laptops or making students turn in their cellphones before an exam, but note the battle is wearing them out.
Opinion: Evolution's Bottom Line
May 12 2006 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
The usefulness of scientific theories, like those on gravity, relativity, and evolution, is to make predictions. When theories make practicable foresight possible, they are widely accepted and used to make all of the new things that we enjoy. Creationists who oppose the teaching of evolution as the predominant theory of biology contend that alternatives should be part of the curriculum because evolution is “just a theory,” but they never attack mere theories of gravity and relativity in the same way, writes Holden Thorp, chairman of the chemistry department at the University of North Carolina. Thorp notes both sides say they are fighting for lofty goals and defending the truth. But Thorp explains that lost in all this truth-defending are more pragmatic issues that have to do with students whose educations are at stake and the fact that creationism has no commercial application, but evolution does.
Opinion: Yes, It Does Take a Rocket Scientist
Feb 8 2006 - Christian Science Monitor
President Bush has proposed several measures to boost math and science education. Examples of these proposals include asking Congress to commit funding to both subjects over the next 10 years and allowing 30,000 professionals to become math and science teachers. Bush also wants to make permanent a tax credit for research and development in industry and double funding for research in basic areas like nanotechnology. The author of this editorial writes that Bush must work as closely with Democrats in passing these measures as he did to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, noting “politics is not rocket science, but rocket scientists and their colleagues need politicians to keep the United States aloft in science.”
Commentary: Give Math a Chance
Dec 12 2005 - Press Citizen (Iowa City, Iowa)
Columnist Rose Rennekamp asks the following question: what was your least favorite subject in school? Nearly four in 10 adults responding to a recent AP–AOL News poll identified math as their least favorite subject. Rennekamp explains the lack of math and science skills in students has business leaders concerned about where they will find future employees. She also provides suggestions on how parents can encourage their children to give math and science a chance.
What's the Return on Education?
Dec 11 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Socrates once said that the more he learned, the more he became convinced of his own ignorance. It's a familiar feeling for anyone who tries to make sense of the American education system. This academic year, the better part of $1 trillion will be spent on education in the United States. That is an awful lot of spending, approaching 10% of the overall economy. But what exactly is the return on all that money? While the costs are fairly simple to calculate, the benefits of education are harder to sum up.
Opinion: Why the United States Should Look to Japan for Better Schools
Nov 21 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
The author of this New York Times editorial explains the United States will become a second-rate economic power unless it can match the educational performance of its rivals abroad and get more of its students to achieve at the highest levels in math, science and literacy. Virtually every politician, business leader, and educator understands this, yet the country has no national plan for reaching the goal.
Commentary: Are Schools Passing or Failing? Now There's a Third Choice...Both
Nov 2 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Columnist Michael Winerip writes that leaders in Washington and the state capitals have not trusted teachers, principals and superintendents to grade and assess their own students rigorously. And so, over the last decade, politicians have enacted many new testing and rating systems - most notably the federal No Child Left Behind Law in 2002 - to ensure that there is an accurate and scientific measure of how students and schools perform. Unfortunately, according to Winerip, it may be that the more we test and the more rating we do, the less we know.
Opinion: Disinterest Equals Math, Science Deficiencies
Oct 25 2005 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Padmini Jambulapati, a University of Georgia student, discusses the growing lack of interest in math and science by American students in this editorial. Jambulapati explains that Americans can no longer ignore their mediocre performance in math and science. “Our leadership and standing in a globalized world depend on nuclear technology, telecommunications, medical research, and other science and technology-based industries. Our businesses demand young people better trained in math and science or they'll go overseas,” Jambulapati argues.
Opinion: Link Teacher Pay, Student Gains
Oct 14 2005 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Requires free registration)
If schools could keep teachers a few years longer and push bad ones out the door a few years earlier you would start a revolution, writes Eric A. Hanushek in this editorial. The education policy expert explains that Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney may be “planting the seeds of that revolution with his controversial new plan to institute merit and incentive pay for teachers.” Hanushek notes, however, that some governors, including Georgia’s prefer to reward teachers based on experience and seniority. Teachers argue there are no reliable gauges to effective teaching. Yet, Hanushek concludes, that parents, teachers, and administrators, armed with student portfolios and test results, can define who is an effective teacher.
Commentary: Tenure, Turnover and the Quality of Teaching
Sep 22 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Teacher quality has become a highly politicized issue writes Hal R. Varian in this editorial. Varian, a professor of business, economics, and information management at the University of California, Berkeley, notes that Californians will vote on a measure in November that will weaken tenure rules for K–12 teachers. Republicans and Democrats are lined up on opposite sides of the issue with debate focusing on the impact of the proposition on teacher quality. But Varian asks what is teacher quality? How can one measure it reliably? How does it relate to student learning? What can be done to improve it? Varian attempts to answer these questions by sharing findings from a study called The Market for Teacher Quality.
Bush Evolution Remarks Generate Wide Media Coverage
Aug 3 2005 - NSTA - Cindy Workosky
Remarks made by President Bush on August 1 that "intelligent design" should be taught along side evolution in the nation's public schools generated a ground swell of media coverage across the country. The news articles below detail Bush's remarks and explore the sharp criticism from the scientific and education communities.
Wanted: 6,000 Teachers
Aug 1 2005 - Baltimore Sun (Requires free registration)
Like many states, Maryland is busy hiring new teachers before school starts in a few weeks. An estimated 6,000 new teachers are needed, especially in the areas of math, science, foreign languages, and special education. The author of this editorial notes the hunt for new teachers has become more intense nationwide because the No Child Left Behind Act requires a highly qualified teacher in key subject areas by 2006.
Opinion: In the Evolution Debate, Stick with Science
Jun 13 2005 - The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Although this summer marks the 80th anniversary of the Scopes “Monkey Trial” in Dayton, Tennessee, a national debate continues between two views of human origins. These views include intelligent design and Darwinian evolution. Neither side has much hope of convincing the other of the ultimate validity of their own position, according to James Evans, director of Clinical Cancer Genetics and the Bryson Program in Human Genetics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Evans says arguments regarding who, at the deepest level, is right are probably futile. But he notes that clarity can be brought to this debate by addressing a much simpler question: what is science? The answer to the question will clarify what belongs in a science curriculum, according to Evans.
Opinion: Teaching Students to be 'Competent Jurors' on Evolution
May 31 2005 - Christian Science Monitor
High school biology teacher Doug Cowan explains in this editorial that he uses an unusual teaching method in the classroom. Cowan teaches his students more than they have to know about evolution. “I push them to behave like competent jurors—not just to swallow what some authority figure tells them to believe—not even me—but to critically analyze, with an open mind, the evidence set before them.”
Opinion: Education Trends Explain 'Where The Boys Are'
May 18 2005 - USA Today
Although much attention has been placed on improving the academic performance of females, the author of this editorial says the problem is with men, not women. A Yale University report released this week shows boys being expelled from preschools at more than four times the rate girls are. In elementary school, boys fall behind girls, especially in verbal skills. The verbal gap doubles in size in middle school. And boys are a third more likely to drop out of high school. The author notes that “fixing the missing-male problem will take effort, something akin to the effort undertaken by parents and educators to make girls more successful in the classroom.”
Opinion: Fight for Evolution
Apr 11 2005 - Financial Times (United Kingdom)
The revival of creationism and to include it as part of science lessons on evolution continues to be an issue across the globe, according to the author of this editorial. The author explains that readers should reject arguments by creationists’ that evolution and intelligent design are alternative scientific theories that should be given equal attention.
Opinion: Teachers the Key to Science Success
Apr 5 2005 - Boston Herald
The Massachusetts Board of Education wants to hear public comment on its plan to require passage of a science exam by the class of 2010 for high school graduation. This requirement, however, could turn into a fiasco without better teachers, according to authors of this editorial.
Education Statistics Difficult to Interpret
Apr 5 2005 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
Columnist Jay Matthews explains the difficulty behind interpreting education statistics in this article. Matthews notes several newspapers have published a “disheartening” set of graduation rate estimates compiled by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. These statistics include for every 100 students who enter the ninth grade, 67 will graduate high school and 38 will enter college. But Matthews explains researchers at the U.S. Department of Education have responded with more optimistic data. Education statisticians say they want to develop electronic records for all students so progress can be more easily followed.
Opinion: Censorship in the Science Museums
Mar 28 2005 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Big screen Imax theaters typically offer lavish visual spectacles with bland and uplifting scripts. The films are seldom the stuff of controversy, writes the author of this editorial. Several Imax theaters, primarily in the South, however have been shying away from science documentaries that might offend Christian fundamentalists. Some of those theaters are located in science centers or museums. The author notes the danger in self-censorship by museums is that it will reduce the “already tiny world of Imax theaters available for big-screen science documentaries.”
Who's Afraid of Intelligent Design?
Mar 23 2005 - Washington Post (Requires free registration)
Columnist Jay Matthews questions whether keeping intelligent design out of the science classroom is a good idea in this piece. Matthews describes how his favorite high school teacher conducted an American history class—like an extended version of “Meet the Press.” Nothing, Matthews writes, not even the textbooks other teachers treated as Holy Writ, was safe from attack. Matthews biology class, however, was another story. Students had to listen to and memorize principles of Darwinism. Matthews argues that critiques of modern biology “could be one of the best things to happen to high school science.” But many education experts and scientists say intelligent design should be kept out of the science classroom.
Opinion: An Obstacle to Teaching Science
Feb 10 2005 - The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC)
Teaching intelligent design in science class threatens the integrity of scientific discovery, argues the author of this editorial. Gale Kerbaugh, a member of the National Center for Science Education, writes that scientists search for natural explanations to describe events in our world rather than resorting to supernatural causes. Moreover, scientists are always willing to reevaluate their conclusions, based on new information derived from further study. These basic tenets of science distinguish it from the claims of intelligent design proponents, Kerbaugh notes.
Opinion: A Trip to the Outdoors Opens Children's Minds
Nov 2 2004 - The Christian Science Monitor
Childhood obesity rates are up. Scores on science exams are down. Teachers and parents worry that students lack empathy for others and the planet. While there is no panacea for these contemporary problems, introducing students to the natural world can help them be physically active, pique curiosity, foster empathy, and encourage stewardship, argues Seth Shteir in this editorial. Shteir is vice president of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society in California and a teacher at the Children’s Community School in Van Nuys, Calif.
Commentary: Online Learning--A Smart Way to Nurture Gifted Kids
Sep 28 2004 - USA Today
Online learning can be a beneficial way to nurture the talents of gifted students, argues Laura Vanderkam in this editorial. Vanderkam, an author and member of USA Today’s board of contributors, explains that online learning can enable gifted students to take classes local schools can’t offer and learn at their own frenetic pace. “Maintaining America’s scientific edge means nurturing top talent wherever the student resides,” said Vanderkam. She adds that schools already have the technology to make virtual learning a reality.
High-Tech School Daze
Sep 13 2004 - ABC News
Do computers and electronic gadgets such as cell phones and PDA’s help or hurt today’s students? Do these tools make students smarter? And is having an electronic gadget a benefit, or a hidden obstacle for teachers worried about students looking to cheat? Those are a few of the questions that Lance Ulanoff of PC Magazine attempts to answer in this commentary.
Opinion: Science and Schools
Jul 11 2004 - Star-Telegram Fort Worth, TX (Requires free registration)
Although it can be a challenge to find issues educators and business leaders agree on, there is one topic, according to the author of this editorial. The issue: teach more science in the country’s public schools. Click on the link above to learn more.
Science Project Fires Up Parents-and Their Sons
May 30 2004 - The Seattle Times
Seattle Times columnist Jerry Large explains the importance of giving everyone a good foundation in science by reflecting on his experience helping two 12-year-old boys complete a science project. “Americans need to know something about science to navigate daily life and make good public-policy decisions,” Large writes.
Opinion: Science is a Social Enterprise
May 13 2004 - The Chronicle of Higher Education
Although an objective of science education in America is to produce scientifically literate citizens, the current trend “reflects the biases of science itself with regard to race, class, and gender,” Muriel Lederman, associate professor of molecular and cellular biology at Virginia Tech, argues in this editorial. Lederman says to fix this situation, scientists need to work with non-scientists to develop better methods for novices to learn science in higher education or earlier. A reformed science education would teach students that science, like any other discipline, is a social enterprise, writes Lederman.
Lines Drawn in Fight on NSF Financing
Apr 14 2004 - New York Times (Requires free registration)
Columnist Michael Winerip describes a battle between members of Congress and the Bush administration in this article. According to Winerip, Republican Representatives Vernon J. Ehlers and Sherwood L. Boehlert believe the administration is attempting to remove funds from the National Science Foundation to pay for remedial math efforts under the No Child Left Behind Act. Ehlers and Boehlert say they believe in the goals of the law, but will not sacrifice the science program for this effort. Susan Sclafani, an Education Department assistant secretary, argues math is more of a priority. “If they don’t get the math background before Algebra I, they won’t have the mathematics to do math or science in high school.”
Opinion: Avoiding Science 'Lite'
Jan 14 2004 - Education Week
States need to improve their science assessments, argue three science educators in this editorial. The teachers claim existing tests contain unclear standards, items that don’t require scientific knowledge, technical design flaws, and other problems. To improve science standards and assessments, the trio of educators suggest that states consider carefully reviewing the clarity of their science standards and associated learning objectives, demanding higher standards of technical quality from testing contractors and assessment writers, and testing students on several difficult items.
Opinion: Intelligent Design Doesn't Belong in Science Class
Nov 9 2003 - Minneapolis Star-Tribune
The teaching of intelligent design does not belong in K–12 science classrooms, argues Jamie Crannell in this editorial. Crannell, a high school teacher who serves on the Minnesota Academic Standards Committee for grades 9–12, explains that a vocal minority of Minnesotans is determined to have the theory of intelligent design offered as an alternative view to the teaching of biological evolution. Crannell notes, however, that intelligent design is not a scientific theory and the “science that underlies biological evolution should not be minimized to appease this group.”
Opinion: State Cuts Hinder Reforms More Than U.S. Shortfall
Oct 27 2003 - USA Today
State cuts to education have jeopardized the mandate to meet new requirements in the No Child Left Behind Act, not inadequate federal funding, argues the author of this editorial. Eleven states have reduced K–12 funding. The author notes that some budget decisions are unavoidable, but that state politicians and educators choose cuts that compromise the goals of raising student achievement. Instead of looking for people to blame in the nation’s capital, the author observes states should reevaluate “their commitment to education goals and ensure they are met in good times and bad.”
Opinion: Both Extremes Wrong in Evolution Debate
Oct 17 2003 - Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN)
While some schools only teach Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, others believe any evidence to contradict this theory should not be allowed as part of a curriculum. Both views reflect poor science, claims Jean Swenson, a Minnesota resident with degrees in elementary education and counseling psychology and a minor in science. Swenson argues that students should be allowed to question and analyze scientific evidence, noting that “history has revealed how much suppression of data actually hinders science, while honest inquiry promotes it.”
Opinion: National School Law Leaves No Illusion Behind
Sep 30 2003 - The Detroit News
Why are educators nationwide not screaming and yelling about the No Child Left Behind Act? That’s the question Jerry Parks attempts to answer in this editorial. Parks, a teacher and administrator in elementary and secondary schools for 32 years, argues that the requirements mandated by the federal law will generate increasing amounts of fear, anger, and unjust blame as one year’s unrealistic goals give way to the following year.
NSTA WebNews Analysis: Teaching Evolution
Sep 26 2003 - NSTA - Kristin Collins
The subject of how to teach evolution and whether alternative views should be presented to the theory have been controversial topics debated for many years. The month of September proved to be no different. Teachers, scientists, and religious leaders in Texas, for example, voiced mixed reactions Sept. 10 over how students should learn evolution through biology textbooks. Michigan lawmakers and religious leaders are also debating creationism and the theory of evolution. School board members in California's Roseville Joint Union High School District agreed Sept. 2 to let each school decide how to teach evolution instead of forming a districtwide policy.
Opinion: The Kids Left Behind
Aug 28 2003 - The New York Times (Requires free registration)
President Bush was going to be the education president and look out for students, but it was all smoke, argues the author of this editorial. Education supporters say more bad news is on the way for students and teachers. The author explains that the education budget proposed for next year by the White House and Senate Republicans contains a measure to cut $200 million from the president’s No Child Left Behind Act. The Senate is scheduled to discuss the budget next week.
Opinion: Step Up Science Education
Aug 9 2003 - The Kansas City Star
An effort to make Kansas City a national life sciences research center is moving forward. Accomplishing this goal, however, will be a challenge unless the state gives more funding to area universities, according to this editorial. The author also notes that the biotechnology field needs more scientists to conduct research and development.
Opinion: Letting Teachers Pack Guns Will Make America's Schools Safer
Jul 17 2003 - The Salt Lake Tribune
Most teachers might believe that banning guns from schools would be a way to keep students safe. A new law in Utah, however, goes against that belief and has become a subject of debate across the nation, John R. Lott, Jr., a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, argues in this editorial. Utah’s new law enables educators and public employees to carry concealed guns on school property. Thirty-five other states have similar laws.
Opinion: Don't Stop with Creationism; Teach Flat Earth Theory, Too
Jul 7 2003 - Herald-Leader (Lexington, KY)
The Flat Earth Society is demanding more attention from the media. The organization says the spotlight should be put on its efforts in presenting alternative theories to the established view that the Earth is round. “If nothing else, we want views about a round Earth treated as the theories that they really are and not established fact,” the organization noted.
Opinion: Why Testing Can't Fail
Jun 30 2003 - The New York Times (Requires free registration)
While no student should be penalized for performing poorly on a defective test, periodic problems with tests are not a reason to scrap the whole testing process, according to this editorial. The author notes that the problem with standardized tests lies with “states that impose them and then fail to invest the necessary money and attention to make sure that students in poor districts have qualified teachers and decent schools.”
Opinion: States Make Diplomas Count by Sticking with Senior Tests
Jun 20 2003 - USA TODAY
Parents might complain about news reports that describe how high school seniors are denied diplomas because they have failed mandatory exit exams in order to graduate. Experts note, however, that when exit exams are administered properly, they can be a “powerful tool for school reform,” and can enable students to receive a diploma that recognizes real achievements.
Opinion: Federal Help for Crumbling Schools
May 16 2003 - The New York Times (Requires free registration)
Political leaders in Washington need to pay more attention to the nation’s deteriorating schools, according to this editorial. The author’s explain that two bills introduced to Congress this year would have helped states receive construction funding to revamp school buildings. The bills, however, failed to receive support because lawmakers viewed the measures as too costly.
Commentary: Wider Doors for Teaching
Apr 21 2003 - The Christian Science Monitor
There’s good and bad news in the world of teaching. The good news: The nation’s economic softening combined with an increase in teacher salaries and aggressive recruitment tactics, has attracted more people to the teaching profession. The bad news: America still faces a short supply of math and science teachers. The attrition rate for new teachers also remains high. Schools also face the challenge of recruiting enough teachers to teach in rural and inner-city classrooms.
Commentary: Lest Science Be Left Behind
Apr 2 2003 - Education Week
Judith Opert Sandler, vice president of the Education Development Center (EDC), Inc., in Newton, Massachusetts, and director of the organization’s Center for Science Education, urges state and district school leaders in this commentary to avoid the “no time for science” mentality. According to Sandler, states and school districts may be tempted to put science, especially in the early grades, on the back burner due to the way the No Child Left Behind Act is written. The federal education reform bill mandates that students not be tested in science until the 2007–2008 school year.
Space Exploration Inspires Needed Mental Exploration
Mar 6 2003 - The Christian Science Monitor
Eric Spina, an associate professor and dean at Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, argues in this editorial that taxpayers should consider the impact of space travel on students while debating the future of the country’s space program. Spina refers to an ant experiment conducted by teachers and students at Fowler High School in New York that was sent into orbit on the space shuttle Columbia. Though the shuttle didn’t return safely to Earth, Spina observed the experiment “should serve as a reminder that the value of the space program goes well beyond the scientific advances gained on any particular flight.”
Opinion: Nation Must Invest in Young Scientists
Feb 10 2003 - The Seattle Times
A “steady flow of the best, most creative minds” is needed to make scientific progress, William Zumeta, an education professor and associate dean of the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs, argues in this editorial. Zumeta notes, however, there are troubling signs Americans may be avoiding careers in science. Zumeta says the federal government should help solve this challenge by creating a new program of highly selective research assistant professor positions for young scientists.
How to Get Inside a Student's Head
Jan 31 2003 - The New York Times (Requires free registration)
Studying the physical composition of the brain and the ways the brain acquires knowledge could open new doors in education reform, according to Steven Pinker, professor of cognitive science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Pinker also notes in this editorial that students should be instructed in disciplines such as statistics and economics, subjects which could provide sharper cognitive tools to understand the world.
A Plea to Trust Schools – Not Just Tests
Sep 17 2002 - Christian Science Monitor
In this interview, a leading education reformer and author swims against the surging current of "high-stakes testing." According to Deborah Meier, whose firsthand experience includes a successful stint in an East Harlem school in New York City, testing only lowers standards by emphasizing breadth over depth, and makes schools accountable for the wrong things. Ultimately, Meier wants schools that parents can trust. But this trust, as she notes in her most recent book, "is not based on blind faith. It is a hard-won, democratic trust in each other, tempered by healthy, active skepticism and a demand that trust be continually earned." (See also this subsequent story in the Washington Post.)
Editorial: States Too Slow To Part With Corporal Punishment
Aug 23 2002 - USA Today
"The time to ban spanking from all public classrooms is long overdue," argues the above editorial, which notes that 23 states still allow spanking in schools. It also cites federal statistics showing that there were 360,000 spanking incidents in the 1997-98 school year. "What supporters of corporal punishment fail to recognize," the editorial continues, "is that spanking creates more problems than it solves and sends kids the wrong message -- that physical abuse is acceptable under certain circumstances." Read more...
Commentary: Advanced Placement Program Should Be Applauded
Aug 8 2002 - Education Week
Advanced Placement courses do not deserve the criticism they have endured over the last year, contends education writer Jay Mathews. While Mathews concedes that the AP program may be going through some growing pains (about 1.5 million AP tests were taken this past spring, the most ever), he writes: "If anyone can think of an academic program in the last decade that has had as positive an impact on American public high schools as AP, I would like to hear what it is." Rather than eliminating AP courses, he says, the real challenge is figuring out how to expand their reach and academic benefits to as many students as possible.
Dueling Editorials Take Up Class Size Debate
Aug 2 2002 - USA Today
Do smaller classes bolster student learning? Two editorials in today's USA Today examine that question. The lead editorial, by the newspaper, casts doubt on the link between smaller classes and achievement, arguing that scarce resources should instead be spent on improving teacher quality. In the opposing view, Princeton Professor Alan Krueger concedes that raising teacher quality is a crucial component of education reform. Still, he says, smaller classes can and should be a part of the solution too, particularly if reductions are targeted at disadvantaged students.
Commentary: A Bogus Bonus?
Jul 10 2002 - Education Week
"The practice of giving teachers cash bonuses based on their students' performance on normative tests is not needed and unjustified," an elementary school teacher writes in the above opinion piece, noting that a preoccupation with testing tends to divert attention away from science, social studies, and other vital subject matter. Instead, "a truly meaningful bottom line for teachers should be based on objective measures of their classroom-delivery prowess," such as the assessments used for NBPTS-certification.
Opinion: Raising School Standards and Cutting Budget -- Huh?
Jul 10 2002 - New York Times (requires free registration)
With almost every state in a budget crisis, and with many education programs on the chopping block, federal and state policymakers "have not squarely faced the contradiction of wanting higher standards while states cut the dollars needed to meet them," writes New York Times columnist Richard Rothstein. "Higher standards and adequate finances cannot be separated," he adds. "Without more money or lower standards, student failures are bound to increase."
Commentary: A Matter of Money
Apr 30 2002 - Washington Post
The gap between the reality of budget cuts and Washington rhetoric to leave no child behind is "alarmingly large," writes Washington Post reporter David Broder. As a result, despite a recent poll (see previous story in Education Week)
showing that education is a high priority among voters, "America is in serious danger of backsliding on the promise to improve its schools." Click above for the full commentary...
Commentary: Assessment for Learning
Mar 15 2002 - Education Week
In this era of standards and accountability, we rely on assessments of learning to tell us if schools are delivering results, the author of the above op-ed writes. But, he says, "there is another way in which assessments can contribute to the development of effective schools, one that has been largely ignored...assessments for learning." Such assessments are aimed at advancing, not merely checking on, student progress -- and if used properly, can "yield unprecedented achievement gains." The problem is, few teachers have been given the training to use assessments for learning effectively, a situation that must change. Click above for the full op-ed...
The Best Thing About Reform: It Won't Matter
Feb 19 2002 - The Washington Post
If history is any indicator, the greatest effect of the sweeping education law recently passed by Congress will be a new outburst of "creative noncompliance." That and the infusion of federal money into public education, which is good, this commentator says. "I have spent too much time watching effective teachers and principals struggle with clumsy federal and state rules to fret about lax enforcement. Schools are not going to succeed unless good people inside them do what works, and they will have to be as sly about rule-breaking as they have been in the past if the good intentions of No Child Left Behind are to be realized."
Opinion: International Comparisons Are An Excuse To Avoid Meaningful Educational Reform
Jan 29 2002 - Education Week
International exams, such as TIMSS and the recent PISA (see previous news item), often provoke howls of woe from education leaders, many of whom cite such tests as evidence that the American public school system is broken. But such laments miss the point, researcher Gerald W. Bracey argues in the above op-ed. "We don't have a 'public school system as we know it.' We have two. One is for poor and minority students; the other is for the rest of us." Furthermore, Bracey writes, as long as "scandalous conditions" are allowed to persist in high-poverty schools, slogans like "no child left behind" will amount to nothing more than "hypocritical blather." Read the full op-ed...
Intel CEO Makes Case for Greater Investment in Science Education
Jan 10 2002 - Sacramento Bee
In the above op-ed, Intel CEO Craig Barrett makes the case for why the nation, and California especially, should invest more in science education. A scientifically proficient citizenry is crucial to maintaining a secure nation and strong economy, he argues, yet recent NAEP science results show that California "ranks at the bottom of a national heap that is itself deplorable." One solution, he argues, is to improve science teaching according to the recommendations made by the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century. Click the link above to read the full op-ed, or click here to read a similar op-ed by Barrett (and former Sen. John Glenn) that was published two weeks ago in the Arizona Republic.
Intel Chief Criticizes U.S. Math and Science Education
Nov 19 2001 - USA Today
In a Q & A with USA Today, Intel CEO Craig R. Barrett argues that while the future of the U.S. economy depends on the ability of public schools to produce graduates who can compete internationally in math and science, most U.S. graduates are not up to snuff. "This is something you wouldn't tolerate in any other situation," he says. Click here to read Barrett's full comments. Then, click here to participate in NSTA's discussion forum: Do you agree with Barrett that U.S. public schools are failing to produce graduates with adequate math and science skills?
Opinion: Science Museums Should Be Bigger Part of Education Reform
Sep 20 2001 - Education Week
As training grounds for teachers and places of learning for students, informal science institutions have increasingly positioned themselves as significant support systems to K-12 schools. Now, according to the author of this piece, it's time to give these institutions the support and resources they need to play an even large role in reform efforts.
Opinion: Why Controversy Belongs in the Science Classroom
Sep 17 2001 - Harvard Education Letter
Contrary to conventional wisdom, controversy is an important part of scientific practice, the author of this opinion piece writes. And in the classroom particularly, controversy can be a good method for sparking student interest in scientific topics.
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