By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A In 2001, Bob Corker was elected Chattanooga’s mayor, not its school superintendent. But he knew that the future of Tennessee’s fourth-largest city was tied to its schools. And he knew that the old ways of distributing teachers – shipping the least qualified to the worst central-city schools – […]
From Staff and Wire Reports Page 1A NEW YORK – For the city’s residents, Thursday’s blackout brought back memories of an even darker day. “It feels like September 11 all over again,” said Staten Island’s Giovanna Leonardo, 26, who stood in an enormous line waiting for a bus Thursday afternoon. “It’s that ‘what’s going on?’ […]
Read More… from Scene on the street: some panic and some pluck
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 8H Each spring, millions of letters arrive in the mailboxes of high school seniors. Some are thin and panic-inducing. Others are fat and party-starting. But not many students ever find out how their college applications went down the path to acceptance or denial. To offer some insight to the […]
Read More… from Will they get in? Five fake kids apply to five real colleges
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 14H How well are kids learning at your child’s school? There’s probably no simple answer. But in an era of standardized testing and school accountability systems, there’s plenty of data to provide at least some objective answers for public school parents. (Private school parents should also ask their principals […]
Read More… from Range of school data sources as close as a click
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Poor kids. Kids who can’t speak English well. Kids stuck in low-performing schools. Often, they’re the students most in need of highly qualified, experienced teachers. But according to a new statewide analysis by The Dallas Morning News, they’re also the students least likely to have them. The study […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 26A The Dallas Morning News’ analysis of state data shows that schools with lots of disadvantaged kids are likely to have high percentages of uncertified teachers. But does that matter? The researchers seem to think so. Most education research on the subject indicates a link between teacher certification and […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Questions and answers about TPI Q: My child’s school has a low TPI. What does that mean? A: It means that, compared with other schools in Texas, your school doesn’t have as many experienced, certified teachers teaching in their fields of specialty. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad school. […]
Read More… from TPI: Q&A, Methodology, and How to become a teacher in Texas
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B Enjoying your vacation, kids? I hate to talk doom and gloom when the sun’s shining and the pool’s inviting. It seems downright immoral – or at least unseasonal. But the evidence is pretty clear: How you spend July is a huge factor in whether you turn into an […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A In 1975, a national magazine wrote a cover story decrying the poor writing skills of American schoolchildren. The headline: “Why Johnny can’t write.” Almost three decades later, Johnny’s still having trouble – but his sister’s doing just fine. Girls far outscored boys on the writing portion of the […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1B Want to put a reporter in a sour mood? Just ask one simple question: “Why don’t you print some positive stories for a change?” All reporters hear it, but those of us who write about schools might get more than our share. People are attached to their neighborhood […]