Leadership Blog

OpEducation

OpEducation was a roundtable opinion blog featuring the views of a wide variety of education thought leaders on timely questions related to K-12 learning practices and concepts. The blog invited readers to reflect on the opinions they find here and to respond with their own, building a conversation on the most-important education questions of the day. This blog is no longer being updated.

Federal Opinion ESSA Offers Opportunity to Combat School Pushout
Senior Education Policy Counsel Janel George argues that ESSA will not succeed if states ignore the "school pushout" that unfairly disciplines disadvantaged students.
Janel George, January 8, 2016
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2 min read
Student Well-Being Opinion School Leaders: Amid Tragedy, Take Care to Teach Moral Courage
To think of tragic events as merely historical lessons is a gross misrepresentation, but to discard them as too emotionally charged to serve as a catalyst for introspection, discussion, a new focus, and action is a mistake, writes school leader Andrew Niblock.
Andrew Niblock, December 15, 2015
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2 min read
Student Well-Being Opinion When Tragedy Strikes, Internet Resources Can Enrich 'Teachable Moments'
Teachers can access a myriad of resources to can guide "teachable moments" that might otherwise pass into history, writes connected educator Steven P. D'Ascoli.
Steven D'Ascoli, December 15, 2015
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2 min read
Student Well-Being Opinion Our Responsibility to Muslim Students
Following recent national and global tragedies, educators must be cognizant how their own implicit biases could affect Muslim students, writes social studies teacher Christopher Nelson.
Christopher Nelson, December 14, 2015
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2 min read
Student Well-Being Opinion Let the Past Inform Our Understanding of the Present
Recently, it has been easy to see the parallels between current events and our not-so-distant past, writes history professor Christine Adams, making a liberal arts education more important than ever.
Christine Adams, December 14, 2015
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2 min read
Assessment Opinion It's Not Just About Tests, It's About Valuing Children
The problems in education lie not just with the tests, but how we use those tests to devalue our children and our democracy, write Kenneth S. Goodman and Yetta M. Goodman.
Kenneth S. Goodman & Yetta M. Goodman, November 13, 2015
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2 min read
Assessment Opinion Standardized Test Scores Do Not Predict Student Success
Standardized tests are not only a poor predictor of student success, but can also damage students' love of learning, writes the dean of enrollment at Hampshire College, which doesn't accept test scores in admissions.
Meredith Twombly, November 13, 2015
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3 min read
Assessment Opinion Political Leadership, Not Overtesting, Is Our Real Challenge
Scaling back testing is only the first step in restoring the dignity of the teaching profession, writes retired educator Joseph A. Ricciotti.
Joseph A. Ricciotti, November 13, 2015
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2 min read
Assessment Opinion It's Time to Kill the Department of Education
Stagnating NAEP scores and a public shift on mandatory testing practices indicate the U.S. Department of Education has "run the classic bureaucratic scam," writes T. Robinson Ahlstrom.
T. Robinson Ahlstrom, November 12, 2015
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2 min read
Assessment Opinion Test-Based Accountability Is a Political Test
There are three major and documented ways in which current accountability practices harm students, write Jennifer Jennings and David Cantor.
Jennifer L. Jennings & David Cantor, November 3, 2015
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2 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion For Ending Racial Bias, Diversity Training Alone Isn't Effective
A student-centered approach to teaching could deter racial bias, writes Samina Hadi-Tabassum, an associate professor at Dominican University.
Samina Hadi-Tabassum, July 2, 2015
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3 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion Educators Shouldn't Avoid the Tough Conversations
Contemporary society offers the best curriculum for teaching students about the trauma of racism and discrimination, writes H. Richard Milner, University of Pittsburgh education professor.
H. Richard Milner IV, July 1, 2015
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3 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion 'We Have Grown Complacent About Racially Isolated Schools'
We have not taught children to "look across line of race and class," writes James E. Ryan, the dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Education.
James E. Ryan, July 1, 2015
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2 min read
Equity & Diversity Opinion 'Racial Injustice Is Rooted in a Lie'
Educator Marilyn Rhames writes that teachers can fight the scourge of racism by confronting it.
Marilyn Rhames, June 30, 2015
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2 min read
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