The Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) results are in, and according to the scores, Florida charter schools are outperforming their public school counterparts.
The results come amidst much speculation regarding charter school success in the nation, with groups questioning the abilities of charter schools to provide commensurate education for students while other groups have pushed for an increase in charter schools, going as far as to propose the privatization of education.
While charter school success varies widely amongst different states and even counties, one thing is clear: Florida charter schools are proving their worth.
This fall, 47 schools in Idaho will be able to access resources and free courseware via Khan Academy, thanks in large part to grant money from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation.
75 schools competed for the grant money and the winning 47 will use the funding to establish the infrastructure needed to support a model of teaching that blends traditional teaching methods with technology, according to a recent article by Education News. Before describing how schools are using Khan Academy’s massive library of educational videos to their …
This blog was originally published on Finding Common Ground at Education Week by Peter DeWitt on March 3rd, 2013 8:35 AM.
At this point, if you do not see the relevance in technology, you're holding your students back.
College and career ready is a very common theme these days. As with any catch-phrase, many educators are most likely sick of hearing it. The longer you stay in any profession the more at risk you are of hearing new phrases year after year, which may just have the same…
This blog originally appeared on the CodeHS Blog on February 14, 2013
In Obama’s State of the Union address last month, he said:
“Tonight, I’m announcing a new challenge to redesign America’s high schools so they better equip graduates for the demands of a high-tech economy. We’ll reward schools that develop new partnerships with colleges and employers, and create classes that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math—the skills today’s employers are looking for to fill jobs right now and in the future.”
He’s not saying so explicitly, but the specific solution to the problems Obama outlines is computer science education in high schools. Let’s take a look at these requirements one at a time.
What are the “demand of a high-tech economy”? The demands of a high-tech economy are creating students that are digitally literate. Computers are used for work, for study, and will become an increasing…
In the not so distant past, students dragged home backpacks that could easily match half their own body weight. Textbooks have traditionally been dense and comprehensive, expected to last several years or even decades due to the exorbitant costs of providing districts with comprehensive curriculum.
Enter the Kindle, Nook, iPad and free or inexpensive digital information. Textbook publishing has always been big business, and the “big three” publishers (Pearson, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and McGraw-Hill) have been scrambling to stay ahead of the digital curve. The accessibility of technology and availability of educational curriculum on the Internet has caused these publishers to rethin…
