Issues in electronic grade reports
This morning’s article in USA Today on electronic grade reports is a reminder of a few important facts in evaluating technology use in schools: Ease of use (in jargon, “usability”) is critical to adoption. The systems that existed a few years ago were (and many still are) clunky and hard to use for both teachers […]
Election results — eh.
Andy Rotherham has a tempting interpretation of election results (and their effect on federal education politics), but I’m guessing he’s just suffering from living in Virginia this morning. Normally, it’s a very nice state, but I’ve seen some pretty-well-expected “darned my state is going down the tubes” messages from Va. acquaintances over the past 12 hours. […]
Read Cliff Adelman’s new report
Cliff Adelman’s brand new report on international comparisons in higher-ed attainment (hat tip) is a must-read. I just wish I had enough time to read everything I should, including this item. (My reading lists: want to, need to, should have read three months ago.) I therefore assign you, my dear reader, to read the report. […]
Ready-made dissertation topic on local school politics
Anyone looking for a dissertation topic on school policy or politics can now rest easy: read the Palm Beach Post’s description of a local reform effort that blew up in the face of a superintendent. You’ve got everything in there from the data-driven mantra to parental backlash to odd bedfellows with the teachers union and […]
Do Times reporters know the difference between percentages and raw numbers?
I suspect the following is an unfortunate placement by the reporter on a story about record high percentages of young adults in college (with an emphasis on percentages): “What’s behind this,” Mr. [Richard] Fry added, “is that we have the biggest pool of young adults we’ve ever had who’ve finished high school.” I suspect that […]