Our Best Education Stories of 2017
Tracking a year in education through a cycle of failed reforms, teen YouTube geniuses, and a path forward for school integration.
Education Reform
What I Learned About the State of Education While Visiting My Old High School
I wrote a big ol' feature about what I found there—it's in this month's Pacific Standard—but it's not just the political lessons that stuck with me.
The Afterlife of Big Ideas in Education Reform
How one high school—mine—explains why we keep making the same mistakes in our education policy.
Raising the Bar on Higher Ed Debates
The real higher education reform effort of the future won’t be about left vs. right. It will be about public-minded lawmakers working to overhaul the entrenched special interests of existing schools.
Are Varsity Sports Destroying Exercise and Ruining America's Schools?
Students who get a lot of exercise perform better academically. But competitive varsity sports limit the availability of rigorous activity in schools.
Why Do We Still Have Summer Vacation?
Forget the argument about a calendar built around an agrarian economy. It was urbanization that created summer as we know it—and now we can't imagine doing anything else.
Do Principals Know Good Teaching When They See It?
Most principals can’t identify or explain what constitutes good teaching, much less help teachers improve, according to a new book.
Charter Schools Are a Mixed Bag, Study Says
On average, there's no advantage to a charter school education except among the poor, national studies show. But in a few states, charter students are doing well.