Pedagogy of the Depressed
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The Rise of College ‘Grade Forgiveness’
Universities are letting students take classes over again—a consequence of the pressure schools feel to ensure their “customers” are satisfied.<p>Over the course of the past three decades, the A has become the most common grade given out on American college campuses. In 2015, 42 percent of grades were …
College & UniversityMichigan Gubernatorial Candidate Strikes Mention of “Core Democratic Values” From State Social Studies Standards
A Michigan state senator and gubernatorial candidate struck the word “democratic” from the phrase “core democratic values” in the state’s proposed …
Here’s How Higher Education Dies
A futurist says the industry may have nowhere to go but down. What does the slide look like?<p>Maybe higher education has reached its peak. Not the Harvards and Yales of the world, but the institutions that make up the rest of the industry—the regional public schools who saw decades of growth and are …
Higher EducationAn Unusual Idea for Fixing School Segregation
What if the answer lies in changing how college admissions work?<p>Many proposals for addressing school segregation seem pretty small, especially when compared to the scale and severity of the problem. Without the power of a court-ordered desegregation mandate, progress can feel extremely far off, if …
EducationA Santa Fe High School student says she expected to be shot at one day
“It’s been happening everywhere. I’ve always felt it would eventually happen here.”<p>The Friday morning school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas happened three months and four days after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14. Since Parkland, …
Letters: Why Is State Funding for Public Universities Declining?
Readers debate questions of cause and effect when it comes to government spending on public higher education and student diversity.<p>American Higher Education Hits a Dangerous Milestone<p><i>Ronald Brownstein reported recently that state funding for public colleges and universities has declined as student</i> …
Higher EducationBlack Yale Student Was Napping, and a White Student Called the Police
A black graduate student at Yale who fell asleep in her dorm’s common room said she had a disturbing awakening this week when a white student flipped on the lights, told her she had no right to sleep there and called the campus police.<p>It was the latest in a string of recent episodes across the …
Then the Censors Came for Rap Music
A barista at a coffee shop on the Duke campus was fired because a high-powered administrator took offense to the song she was playing off Spotify.<p>Last week, Larry Moneta, Duke’s vice president of student affairs, stopped into his regular coffee shop in the student center, Joe Van Gogh, for a hot …
American Higher Education Hits a Dangerous Milestone
As younger generations become more racially diverse, many states are allocating fewer tax dollars to public colleges and universities.<p>Drawing almost no attention, the nation crossed an ominous milestone last year that threatens more economic polarization and social division: For the first time, …
What the Koch Brothers’ Money Buys
Internal emails from George Mason University show how cash turns into special favors.<p>It might seem beyond debate that when a person gives you a …
Arizona teacher walkout: how 3 decades of tax cuts suffocated public schools
In seven charts.<p>Arizona teachers are walking out Thursday in protest, after the governor and state legislature failed to meet their demands.<p>Republican Gov. Doug Ducey tried to avert the strike by promising a 20 percent raise over the next three years — a promise that some say is tied to overly …
Why American Students Haven't Gotten Better at Reading in 20 Years
Schools usually focus on teaching comprehension skills instead of general knowledge—even though education researchers know better.<p>Every two years, education-policy wonks gear up for what has become a time-honored ritual: the release of the Nation’s Report Card. Officially known as the National …
Education“I feel mentally numb”: more teachers are working part-time jobs to pay the bills
Teachers are now five times more likely to have a side gig than the average full-time worker.<p>When Dairrai Doliber walks into class at 7:40 am to teach high school social studies, there’s a good chance she’s only slept five hours. That’s because she was probably working as a cashier until 9:30 or 10 …
EducationTeacher pay: Find out how much teachers in your state are underpaid - Vox
It’s not just West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Arizona: Teacher salaries have been stagnant or falling for years.<p>Teachers have gone on strike in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, and Colorado — and in most of these cases, they are demanding higher wages and increased education funding.<p>It …
EducationProtesting High Schooler Suspended for Swearing in Call With Congressional Staffer Over Gun Control
A high school student who was suspended for swearing in a conversation with a congressional staffer about gun control is asking for an apology from …
Gun ControlStudent Evaluations Can’t Be Used to Assess Professors
Our research shows they’re biased against women. That means using them is illegal.<p>Imagine that you’re up for a promotion at your job, but before your …
Higher EducationYale Rape Verdict Shows How ‘Yes Means Yes’ Can Be Murkier in Court
When a jury in the trial of a Yale college student on rape charges returned a verdict of not guilty on Wednesday, after barely three hours of deliberations, the message seemed clear: Evidence that might warrant punishment from a campus panel was insufficient for a court of law.<p>At the heart of the …
Teacher pay is falling. Their health insurance costs are rising.
The West Virginia teacher strike highlighted a nationwide problem.<p>After we published our database showing the falling or stagnant pay of teachers, we received hundreds of responses from teachers who detailed their experiences. And one common topic that emerged was an underreported factor in the …
Health CareSchools Are Spending Millions on High-Tech Surveillance of Kids
Advanced surveillance technologies once reserved for international airports and high-security prisons are coming to schools across America. From New …
SurveillanceWhy America's Teachers Haven't Been Getting Raises
It's not just educators in West Virginia and Oklahoma who have watched their wages and benefits erode since the Great Recession.<p>Larry Cagle is angry. At 54 years of age, he makes $34,500 a year teaching critical-reading skills to public high-school students in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “I do construction …
The University of Arizona Tracked Students’ ID Card Swipes to Predict Who Would Drop Out
At the University of Arizona, researchers tracked the swipes of its freshman students’ ID cards to predict which students were most likely to drop …
College & UniversityMinor Threat
Focusing on campus protests is a distraction from the real threats to freedom of speech.<p>There <i>are</i> real threats to free speech in today’s America. Just …
Rights & FreedomsLessons From West Virginia
A massive teacher strike shows what “working class” really means.<p>The biggest story in the country that doesn’t involve Donald Trump is happening in …
Income InequalityTeachers Are Not Soldiers
A marine-turned-teacher argues that it's impossible to prepare educators to effectively use a gun in a crisis.<p>In response to the Parkland school shooting last month, a handful of Florida legislators recently approved two bills that would set aside tens of millions of dollars to train teachers to …
Self DefenseWhat Are Active-Shooter Drills Doing to Kids?
The psychological effects of realistic simulations could be dangerous.<p>There’s always at least one kid in tears, as they huddle under their desks in the dark. Still Beth Manias, an early-elementary literacy teacher outside of Seattle, tries to act upbeat and relaxed.<p>“I have them whisper about their …
Self DefenseTrump Just Proposed Giving As Many As 150 Teachers Per School Financial Bonuses for Carrying Guns
You probably think that headline is an exaggeration or a joke. It’s not!<p>On Wednesday, Donald Trump said that arming security guards is not an …
Donald TrumpTeaching While Afraid
In an era of school shootings, educators are carrying burdens bigger than they ever imagined.<p>This is where things are today: The notion that teachers should be armed in order to protect students from shooters is a serious proposal now under debate. During Wednesday’s White House listening session …
PedagogyArming Educators Violates the Spirit of the Second Amendment
The constitutional provision enshrined the principle of individual liberty—and extending a militarized state into the schools would only undermine it.<p>The Second Amendment is a remarkable piece of the Constitution. “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right …
GunsCollege is so stupid expensive that universities are setting up food pantries
After shelling out money for tuition, room and board, books, etc., it’s no wonder college students’ food budgets lean heavily on cheap microwave …