Teacher

July 11, 2017

American students: Raw material or individual persons?

The quality of K-12 education in America is a major concern. This is largely because, despite marginally high spending per student, the United States does not compete very well against other countries on standardized tests. Continue Reading...

May 30, 2014

Maya Angelou And Her Lessons On Living A Life That Matters

Like many people, I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Maya Angelou this week. Her voice – both her speaking voice and her literary one – were unique, rich and resonant. Continue Reading...

May 30, 2014

The Most Important Court Case You’ve Never Heard Of?

Nine California kids are suing their state over substandard teaching at their public schools. Campbell Brown explains why this case—which few people have ever heard of—may have a huge impact on education: Win or lose, these students are reminding us of the activism that is born out of the inaction of our leaders and the frustration driven by inequity in education. Continue Reading...

December 03, 2013

Celebrating the Work of Mothers

In a stunning new video, Matt Bieler strings together beautiful images and a few simple words to celebrate the work of three stay-at-home moms from three different regions of the country. Continue Reading...

May 15, 2013

Free primary education is a fundamental good. Isn’t it?

Private schools are for the privileged and those willing to pay high costs for education; everyone else attends public school or seeks alternate options: this is the accepted wisdom. In the United States, the vast majority of students at the primary and secondary level attend public school, funded by the government. Continue Reading...

November 19, 2012

Why Can’t We Fire Bad Teachers?

Timothy Dalrymple wonders whether education reform should be one of the great objectives for American Christians in the twenty-first century. Taking up that cause will require overcoming the intransigence of the teachers’ unions: Try firing an ineffective teacher. Continue Reading...

August 14, 2012

Education and Incentives

I have written on several recent occasions about the role of incentives in education, both for teachers and for students (see here, here, and here). Yesterday, David Burkus, editor of LDRLB, wrote about a recent study by Harvard University economic researchers on the role of incentives in teacher performance. Continue Reading...

August 10, 2012

Cincinnati’s Promising Teacher Evaluation Method

Last week, I commented on Grand Rapids Public Schools’ new attendance policy and Michigan’s tenure reform bill. To summarize, while applauding GR Public’s new policy as effectively incentivizing students to show up to class and take their studies more seriously, I was skeptical about MI’s new bill which ties teacher evaluations to student performance. Continue Reading...