HBCUs Get on Board with Direct Lending
from Diverse Issues for Higher Education
As Congress moves closer to wrapping up deliberation on the Obama administration's proposal to convert the U.S. higher education student loan system of public and private lending into one fully run by the federal government, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) aren't expected to be among the institutions opposing the reform, HBCU leaders say. More

The Odd Couple of Education Reform
from Newsweek
With Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton on tour together to promote school reform, a bipartisan nirvana must be on the horizon. It's hard to imagine two more ideological opposites, but they agree on a couple of big things. One is that America's schools are badly in need of innovation, and the other is that teachers' unions are part of the problem. That was enough common ground for President Obama to convince them to take their show on the road. More

Study Finds NCLB Law Lifted Math Scores
from Education Week
The No Child Left Behind Act has significantly boosted mathematics achievement, but no evidence exists that it has done the same for reading, concludes a study just recently released. More

Parents Power School Reform
from Edutopia
Hogg Middle School, a creaky old Houston institution, has become the target of an unusual troop of middle school reformers: parents of local elementary school kids barely out of kindergarten. These parents, mostly college-educated professionals with first and second graders, mean business. They aren't satisfied with throwing fundraisers to support enrichment programs or organizing parent activities to give the school a little boost. They want to transform Hogg from the inside out. More

True Reform: Collaboration at Viers Mill Elementary
from Public School Insights
Viers Mill Elementary School violates much of the received wisdom about school reform. The school has made astonishing gains in the past decade without becoming a charter school, firing lots of teachers, importing all kinds of outside talent, or paying teachers for children’s test scores. In fact, some of these reforms would likely have thwarted the main strategy Viers Mill credits with its success: collaboration. More

The Public Education Trap: Failing Black America
from The Colorful Times
The statistics are available for the entire world to see. Children of poor families are six times more likely to drop out compared to their wealthy counterparts. In 2004, the graduation rate among Black Americans was 53 percent compared to 76 percent of whites. This has been happening for so long now that it is widely accepted as the normal, unalterable course of events. There has always been a small resistance movement of educators determined to make a difference, but faced with the challenges and little wider social or political support its members quickly give in to feelings of helplessness. More

One Test Does Not Fit All
from YouTube
Every year the British Columbia Teachers' Federation holds a province wide conference. It is an opportunity for educational professionals to discuss what is working and what isn’t working in B.C.'s education system. This year BCTF focussed specifically on the validity of standardized testing. They produced a YouTube video titled "One Test Does Not Fit All." The video is enlightening. More