Bruce Joyce has long been involved in efforts to develop collaborative professional inquiry. In this article, he looks back at some of those efforts in the hope that we can draw lessons from them and finally realize the vision that Mike Schmoker set forth in his February article. In the article featured on the cover of the February Kappan, Mike…

In this article, which is a response to William Cook and Bruce Joyce, the author acknowledges common ground but sticks to his position that the best way to improve instruction is to develop true learning communities in which teachers together examine and adjust their practices. In his generous response to the Schmoker's February 2004 Kappan…

Youth Vote 2004 encouraged students to text message their questions to party leaders and to use their Nokia handsets to vote. Teachers were presented with a rather pitiful set of suggested classroom activities, all of which (naturally) involved text messaging. A statement from a Nokia representative established both the company's selfless…

Gerald Bracey thought that after devoting the March and April columns to various kinds of "trouble" with research, he was done with it. But he had yet to encounter a December 2003 publication from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) titled Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence: A User Friendly Guide.…

Adam Coolidge lives with his parents in the Riverdale Local School District, which is in rural northwestern Ohio. In spring 1996, prior to enrolling Adam in kindergarten, his parents met with district representatives to discuss moving him from an early intervention program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). His…

Many tout the "no excuses" mantra, from the Education Trust to President Bush, and the Heritage Foundation even titled its report on a group of higher-achieving, high-poverty schools No Excuses. As an antidote to decades of low expectations and substandard teaching for children from poor, often dysfunctional families and neighborhoods, the "no…

This article summarizes the efforts of legislators in studying up on what they might do to affect how well kids learn after the summer break. Some of the legislators' work leaned toward improving students' health, while some targeted dropouts or civic education. Most of the capitol-dome work appears to have matched the typical garden: a few…

For the sixth time in 24 years, Mr. Doyle, the author of this article, has enabled the Kappan to publish the education programs of the major Presidential candidates. In this article, he shares with readers his views on Campaign 2004.

Nothing is more important to America's future than teaching children the skills they need to be successful. Every child must receive a quality education if America is to be a prosperous and hopeful country. The rapidly changing global economy is creating new industries that compete for highly skilled workers from around the world, and young people…

In this article, the author argues that now as never before, education is the key to opportunity, essential to a strong America. In an age when people compete with workers on every continent and information flows across oceans, high-wage jobs are more dependent than ever on high-level skills. The author suggests that together, an America that…

The September report on the 36th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools did not go into the finer demographic distinctions that most polls explore. In this article, the author takes a closer look at the data to analyze how various subgroups of the population view the parties' and candidates' stances…

In the face of growing sentiment against career and technical education, the author asks readers to take a hard look at the advisability of limiting high school students' options. The viability of high school vocational education--now called Career and Technical Education (CTE)--is once again being questioned. The current federal Administration…

Current school reform efforts aim to increase the numbers of students who graduate from high school and go on to pursue postsecondary education or training. In this article, the authors look at seven types of career exploration programs to determine if this is an effective approach for accomplishing these goals.

In this article, the author discusses how there are advantages and disadvantages to using an Internet News Reader instead of a Web browser. The major advantage is that one can read the headlines and short summaries of news articles from dozens of sources quickly. Another advantage the author points out to news readers is that one gets a short…

In this article, the author discusses how today, local educators have less freedom than ever. When the federal government anointed some research "scientific" and declared the rest unworthy, it narrowed local choices and helped big publishing. When NCLB created an exclusive list of programs and textbooks that could be purchased with federal monies,…