Education Blog

Teacher Talkback

This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: teaching profession.

Education Who Needs School?
What do you think is behind the growing "unschooling" movement? What do children gain or lose by it? What could teachers in traditional schools learn from it, if anything?
May 30, 2007
1 min read
Education Dealing With Student Threats
Do you think student threats in school should be punished as a criminal offense? How big a problem are student threats in school? How should they be handled?
May 23, 2007
1 min read
Education Fixing Teacher-Quality Rules
How could schools best ensure that their teachers are truly highly qualified? If you were a member of Congress, how would you change the NCLB's "highly qualified" teacher provision?
May 16, 2007
1 min read
Education Dropping Laptops
Should one-to-one laptop programs be given the axe?
May 9, 2007
1 min read
Education Why Do Teachers Quit?
Why do so many teachers choose to leave the profession? What changes could schools make to improve teachers' job satisfaction? What do you like and dislike about your teaching career?
April 23, 2007
1 min read
Education The Virginia Tech Massacre
The massacre at Virginia Tech University this week has shaken the education community, reawakening questions about school preparedness, the causes of student violence, and how to help students cope with grief and horror.
April 18, 2007
1 min read
Education Just Rewards?
In a recent opinion piece, 2003 National Teacher of the Year Betsy Rogers argues that the traditional teacher-compensation system is unfair and ultimately harmful to schools.
April 11, 2007
1 min read
Education Literary Debate
According to a recent Education Week story, many middle and high school literature teachers are incorporating contemporary young-adult fiction into their courses as a way to make reading more relevant to students.
April 4, 2007
1 min read
Education The End of Summer?
As the school year heads into its final months, many teachers may be counting the days until summer break. But in recent years, a number of commentators and organizations have argued that the traditional school summer vacation should be significantly curtailed.
March 28, 2007
1 min read
Education Sports Crazed?
In a Teacher Leaders Network column, English teacher Mary Tedrow writes that high-profile high school athletic programs are in direct conflict with academic pursuits.
March 20, 2007
1 min read
Education Teacher Movies
In a recent article in the New York Times, a high school history teacher argued that movies like "Freedom Writers" create unrealistic—and even hazardous—expectations for educators.
March 12, 2007
1 min read
Education Class-Size Controversy
In a recent Teacher Leaders Network column, Bill Ferriter writes that, despite their appeal, class-size reduction efforts aren't always in the best interests of students or the teaching profession.
February 28, 2007
1 min read
Education Video Games for Learning?
In a recent Classroom Tech column, Kevin Bushweller reports that video games—long regarded by teachers and parents as a distraction—are increasingly being seen as viable learning tools.
February 27, 2007
1 min read
Education Bonus Backlash
What's your opinion of performance-pay bonuses? Are they an effective, fair way to reward teachers? Should "performance" be based on students' standardized test scores, a review of a colleague's performance in the classroom, or other factors? And should beneficiaries, along with their bonus amounts, be made public?
February 6, 2007
1 min read