Bill Gates has described himself as a technocrat, so perhaps it is natural that he would fixate on some piece of technology as the missing element. But the real things that are missing are the time that teachers need to work together, and the understanding that this time will be most fruitful when teachers are given the autonomy to tackle the challenges they face, rather than micromanaged and driven by test score data. Read Full Post >
I recently had a fascinating exchange with a smart journalist. He wrote, "I'm looking into the major donors from across the country who tried to influence school board races. Critics have questioned the[ir] motives...To what extent are they sincere in advancing reforms they believe in?" I was str... Read Full Post >
Akhtar Badshah talked about Microsoft's YouthSpark program and how technology is changing education in the U.S. Read Full Post >
An analysis shows that philanthropic investments in programs and services specifically for English-learners don't come close to matching the magnitude of the population. Read Full Post >
Rhee has not been alone, however, in foisting high-stakes testing on the entire nation. She has done so with the financing of billionaires and Duncan's D.O.Ed. So all three groups of accountability hawks should be held accountable. Rhee and her team in D.C. should all be subpoenaed. Corporate funders should demand an accounting of Rhee's StudentsFirst. Above all, they should reveal the what factual basis, if any, the organization has for its teacher-bashing soundbites. Read Full Post >
The Alliance for Early Success plans a focus from birth to age 8, says its executive director. Read Full Post >
But let's imagine we could turn the tables on Mr. Gates and evaluate his performance as a philanthropist. Might we establish some goals to which we could hold our billionaires accountable? We do not have any measurable indicators such as test scores to use, but since I do not find these to be of great value in any case, I will offer a more qualitative metric, based on my knowledge of the subject's work. Since he has spoken glowingly of the salutary effect of feedback on teachers, surely he will welcome this feedback, even though it is unsolicited. Read Full Post >
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Facebook are inviting developers to build prototypes for apps supporting college attendance, social learning, and out-of-school study. Read Full Post >
The foundation is increasing its investment in the parent-oriented school-rating website GreatSchools, to expand the reviews offered online. Read Full Post >
Prominent researcher Sugata Mitra has won an award to design a "cloud-based" school, in India, that would emphasize student-centered learning. Read Full Post >
