I had a conversation the other day about family contributions–those fundraising donations usually requested each year by the PTA/PTO/PFA and/or raised by events hosted by those organizations. I’m genuinely perplexed by how my view of the situation is so off kilter with what I’ve read lately. There are many stories like this one about how wealthier suburban communities want to splinter… Read more →
Factoring polynomials is sometimes the one obstacle that stands between a community college student and the chance of earning a degree. And it looks like California is trying to do something to change that. It’s no secret that when students get tracked into college remedial courses–typically math, but also English and writing courses–they get discouraged by having to pay for material… Read more →
Education Week, Teacher Beat blog, 3/24/16
California teachers and administrators agree that the Common Core State Standards are more rigorous than old standards, are more relevant to students’ everyday lives, and will better prepare them for college and careers, but they are split on how well implementation has gone in the Golden State, according to a new survey report by WestEd, a San Francisco-based research-and-consulting nonprofit. While over 70 percent of district leaders deemed their progress as either good or excellent, teachers say there’s room for improvement and have a wish list for moving forward.