While test scores in DC are inching up at lower grade levels, high-poverty high schools continue to post abysmal results despite a decade of education reform. Some are pinning the blame on poverty and racism. But many DC schools have yet to try instructional approaches that could not only raise test scores but also improve the chances of long-term success for low-income students. Continue reading the rest of my first post on DC's new local news and opinion website, The DC Line. … [Read more...]

Educators and reformers are mounting an effort to build students’ “grit” and teach them they can boost their intelligence through hard work. But they’re overlooking the damage done every day by a pervasive instructional approach that makes many kids feel like failures. Continue reading my latest post on Forbes.com. … [Read more...]

A new report casts doubt on whether the Common Core is improving education as intended, and critics of education reform aren’t surprised. But some teachers are demonstrating that the standards can spur fundamental—and positive—change. Continue reading my latest post at Forbes.com.   … [Read more...]

As the nation approaches its 242nd birthday, there are signs our schools are failing to equip citizens to play the vital role the founders anticipated. For democracy to continue working, teachers need to ensure students understand and can write analytically about key factual information, starting in elementary school. Continue reading my latest post at Forbes.com. … [Read more...]

Health professionals warn that the thousands of migrant children now being separated from their parents are suffering toxic levels of stress. But millions of kids in the U.S. experience toxic stress every day because of their home environments. One solution is to provide them with an alternative home. Continue reading the rest of this post at Forbes.com. … [Read more...]

In the wake of a series of scandals that have cast doubt on the success of education reform, Democratic candidates for key positions on the DC Council unanimously endorsed the idea of an independent entity that would analyze data on the performance of public schools. But they disagreed on how much to tinker with the current system of mayoral control, with some warning against “going back” to a time when schools were even more dysfunctional. The two candidates for Council chair—incumbent Phil … [Read more...]