Education Reform

Texas Company Scraps Controversial Lesson Plan System

Eyder Peralta — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:39:00 +0000

After uproar over some lesson plans some conservatives deemed un-American, a Texas company has decided scrap a curriculum system used by 877 school districts that were too small or too poor to produce their own.

"The CSCOPE era is over," Texas state Sen. Dan Patrick, who was leading the charge against the program, said in a statement. Patrick and others had introduced legislation that would have added more scrutiny to the lesson plans produced by the program.

L.A. Schools Throw Out Suspensions For 'Willful Defiance'

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:32:00 +0000

School suspensions are a big issue in California. Last year, schools handed out 700,000 of them. But the Los Angeles Unified School District took a step to change that this week when it voted to ban suspension of students deemed "willfully defiant."

Before the vote, the district maintained a zero tolerance policy for students who failed to comply, in any way, with any policy or direction given by teachers or school administrators — covering everything from mouthing off to wearing baggy pants.

La. Supreme Court Rules School Vouchers Unconstitutional

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:52:00 +0000

The Louisiana Supreme Court handed Gov.

30 Years On, Educators Still Divided On Scathing Schools Report

Claudio Sanchez — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:07:00 +0000

Thirty years ago this week, President Ronald Reagan's administration released "A Nation at Risk," a report warning of "a rising tide of mediocrity" in American public education.

According to the report, only one-third of 17-year-olds in 1983 could solve a math problem requiring two steps or more, and 4 out of 10 teenagers couldn't draw inferences from written material.

'Core Curriculum' Puts Education Experts At Odds

Claudio Sanchez — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:58:00 +0000

At 2 p.m., it's crunchtime for students who write for The Harbinger Online, the award-winning, student news site at Shawnee Mission East High just outside Kansas City, Kan.