Graphs don't always show what the graphers say they do. The most notorious recent example of a misleading graph is the one produced by the U.S. Department of Education that plots National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scores against total federal spending on education. This graph was taken apart by Howard Wainer and Daniel…

After being accused of sexually harassing a student, a high school math teacher in New York was suspended with pay pending an impartial hearing. The district allowed the teacher to return to his classroom to collect his personal effects, which he had kept in boxes, desk drawers, and three filing cabinets, one of which was locked. He did not…

This column is about a city with two tales--one of spin and the other of sputter. No matter who occupies the White House for the next four years, the past four have borne witness to some of the most ludicrous uses of taxpayer money ever, as the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has tried to spin its message on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) across…

Legislators often try to identify barriers through committee hearings in which they seek the advice of those closest to a problem. For example, they might ask several superintendents to come before the committee to talk about barriers related to dealing with high school truancy. Or they might hear from district business officials about the…

This article is geared toward high school biology teachers. The author discusses his own personal experiences of being a biology teacher. The author discusses Intelligent Design (ID) and how it adds interesting facet to discussions of the cultural context in which the science of evolution continues to develop.

Refusing to be disheartened by all the negative press surrounding education today, Ms. Chenfeld travels the country and encounters one inspiring educator after another. In this article she tells four of their stories. The stories of the following educators are told: (1) Tom Tenerovich, a second grade teacher; (2) Cathy Arment, a first grade…

The current fervor for highly specified standards for each academic discipline requires students to view reality as composed of fragmented and unrelated bits of information. In this article, the author argues that what students really need is a system for organizing and integrating what they know so that they can understand the "big picture."…

Undoubtedly, every secondary school teacher at some point in his or her career has had a student ask, "Why are we learning this?" or "What is this stuff good for, anyway?" The authors have found in talking with teachers and students that, while the responses to these questions may vary, most leave students unsatisfied or frustrated. In some cases,…

When a group of elementary school teachers decided to pay more attention to bullying in their school, it clearly had an impact on the problem. But beyond that, as the authors report, the teachers' increased awareness of their students' needs translated into a better learning environment overall. Bullying may be viewed as an inevitable part of…

Children shouldn't memorize mathematical facts and procedures like parrots, but should learn to think mathematically. In this article, the authors stress that mathematics involves making sense. They provide some simple mathematical challenges for readers to make sense of and to try with their classes.

In this article, the author shares a decade's worth of experience in developing an approach to teaching math to upper-elementary and middle school students that simultaneously increases basic skills, improves problem solving, raises test scores, and sparks student interest in math. Sections include: (1) Background Of Supermath; (2) Description Of…

If professional development relies on scripts and mandates rather than on learning communities and continuous improvement, it can actually hinder teachers' growth. The author expresses his fear that the teachers most likely to receive such inferior training are the ones who work with the student population most in need of high-quality teaching.…

Who says learning always has to be drudgery? Sarah Butzin, the founder of the Institute for School Innovation, proposes "triangulated learning" as a way to give children time to play and develop, even as they pursue high standards. Triangulation is a metaphor for strength. A triangulated learning system taps the power of three to meet higher…

In this article, the author reflects on her teaching experience at the Onondaga County Justice Center, a maximum-security facility where she taught in the women's pod. She says that every day she encountered students who were eager to learn and glad for the simple materials she brought. She rediscovered pure, joyous teaching. In that stark…

As Mr. Goldman empties his backpack, his philosophy of teaching spills out, along with an interesting assortment of odds and ends. In this article Mr. Goldman describes the contents of his L.L. Bean daypack with two large compartments in the back, a smaller forward compartment, and a little zippered pocket in the very front, along with his…