Getting the Free Press to Teach Civics
This week we celebrate the sacrifices, risks, and achievements our founding fathers undertook so that we could skip work, drink beer, and set off fireworks. Actually, we don't dishonor their memory by...
View ArticleDuncan Can't Explain Why He's Dissing Texas
Why is Arne Duncan messing with Texas? I asked the Secretary of Education about this a few hours after he injected himself into the presidential-election scrum. Policy wonks like me had woken up to...
View ArticleGrading the GOP Candidates on Education
Given how preoccupied everyone is with the economy, education is even less of an issue in this presidential campaign than usual. Most of the Republican candidates do not even include education...
View ArticleGo Occupy the Teachers' Union Headquarters
It’s easy to get angry at banks and CEOs, especially as more Americans slip below the poverty line while the rich keep getting richer. But if the goal of Occupy Wall Street is improving social mobility...
View ArticleGeorge W. Bush: Let's Not Weaken NCLB
No Child Left Behind turned 10 this week, and former President George W. Bush, who led the effort to enact the landmark federal education law, marked the anniversary with an exclusive interview with...
View ArticleRomney Wades Into the Education Debate
The long rumored Mitt Romney education doomsday weapon was revealed today. And it’s basically President George W. Bush’s education policy – but without the accountability.Let’s take the major parts...
View ArticleWhy the Wisconsin Recall Sets a Bad Precedent
Next Tuesday, voters in Wisconsin decide whether to recall their governor -- Republican Scott Walker. A successful recall petition earlier this year gives them a choice between the incumbent and...
View ArticleThe Unions' Biggest Loss Was in California
Bad news for teachers and other public-sector employees: America is more than ready to cut your pensions and benefits. While most politicos had been focusing this week on the Wisconsin recall, an...
View ArticleNo Child Left Behind Isn't the Problem. We Are
Everyone not chattering about the job numbers is chattering about this morningâs New York Times article on No Child Left Behind and the waivers that are increasingly freeing states from its...
View ArticleWhy the Chicago Talks Must Be Made Public
Spoiler alert: when Maggie Gyllenhaal’s new feature film, Won’t Back Down, hits theaters later this month, its plot hinges on the forcing of school officials to make big decisions in front of parents...
View Article"Won't Back Down": Why This Movie Matters
When the journalist Mickey Kaus reviewed cars, he would sometimes ask if they passed the âSaturday night testââmeaning regardless of how well they drove, would he want to pick a date up in one?...
View ArticleJeb Bush Wants to Talk About Education
Last week was my first time at Jebfest. That’s how some insiders have started referring to the annual education-reform summit Jeb Bush organizes. For five years now, Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in...
View ArticleSportsman's View: An Alternative to the NRA
I used to live in the country and go to a gun club for the skeet and trap shooting. I went there on Sundays because that was the only day the club was open to non-members. Like many shooting clubs,...
View ArticlePoll Finds Teacher Satisfaction, but Reports Skew Results
At last, some good education news. A new survey of public school teachers in the United States finds that 82 percent pronounce themselves “somewhat satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their jobs. Just...
View ArticleMatt Damon's Peculiar School Choice
Oscar winner Matt Damon has earned millions successfully playing a super spy, tortured genius, rugby icon, and poker player. Yet a new role is turning out to be a challenge for the actor and activist:...
View ArticleIntroducing RealClearEducation
The education debate is loud, strident, and often confusing as a result. Yet every day there are important news stories and thoughtful analyses and commentaries produced by major media outlets, niche...
View ArticleWhy the Nationwide Ad Haters Are Wrong
During last night’s Super Bowl Nationwide Insurance ran an ad as part of its #makesafehappen campaign. It definitely was not puppies and horses. Instead, Nationwide portrayed all the life events a...
View Article"Opting Out" Into School Choice
What’s in this spring in public education? Apparently it’s students opting out of state standardized tests.If you just read hysterical press accounts you might think parents are refusing state...
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