September 2012

Education Nation: Revived support for grammar instruction

With American schools focused on raising reading and math scores to meet accountability requirements, writing often takes a backseat. The class of 2012 posted the lowest average writing score on the SAT this year since writing became part of the exam in 2006. But with 45 states adopting Common Core standards that include writing and […]

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Ed in the election: Romney says he won’t fund Common Core adoption, takes shots at unions

Mitt Romney said Tuesday that the federal government would not aid the 45 states who adopted the Common Core State Standards if he is elected. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy “I don’t happen to agree that every time there’s a good idea … the federal government should finance […]

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Education Nation: Why educators aren’t sold on video games

Video games are increasingly popular learning tools in classrooms, but not all teachers are sold on the benefits. Day two of NBC’s Education Nation summit highlighted the potential for video games to tailor material to a student’s individual level and allow teachers to track student progress. But while games can provide valuable information about how students […]

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Education Nation: Teachers wary of new evaluations in aftermath of Chicago strike

NBC’s third annual Education Nation summit kicked off Sunday with a focus on solutions: ideas with a track record of success and potential for replication. But for teachers attending the event, a central concern continues to be new evaluations, which helped set off a teacher strike in Chicago this September. Thirty-two states have made changes […]

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Ed in the election: Romney breaks from Ryan budget on Pell grants

Mitt Romney said he doesn’t agree with his running mate Paul Ryan when it comes to Pell grant funding Wednesday at a “Meet the Candidate” event geared toward Latino voters. Ryan’s budget would reduce funding for Pell grants, which are given to low-income students to attend college, increase eligibility requirements and freeze the maximum grant […]

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The rise of teacher unions: A look at union impact over the years

The Chicago teachers strike, which ended Tuesday after more than a week of protests and negotiations, has emphasized the power that teachers’ unions can have. Since the earliest days of unions, teachers have been fighting over some of the same issues in contention in Chicago: salaries, conditions at schools and tenure.  A look at the […]

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Chicago teacher strike continues, experts weigh in

The teacher strike in Chicago, now in its second week, has become a national symbol in the ongoing debate about the future of public education in this country. Teacher union leaders and district officials reached a tentative compromise on Friday afternoon, after drawn-out negotiations over compensation, the length of the school day and teacher evaluations. […]

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Could raising salaries be the best way to attract and keep better teachers?

Educators kicked off the New York Times Schools For Tomorrow Conference on Thursday morning by addressing a recurring question among teachers: how can the status and perception of the teaching profession be elevated? The talk soon turned to teacher salaries, and through the day, that topic came up, over and over again. Research has shown […]

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Ed in the election: Is the Chicago teachers strike hurting Obama?

The Chicago teachers strike, which entered its fifth day on Friday, could hurt Obama’s chances for re-election, analysts said this week. Chicago teachers went on strike Monday, after protracted negotiations over wages, length of the school day, health benefits and new teacher evaluations failed to yield a new contract for members of the city’s teachers […]

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Poll: Parents and teachers support spending for classroom technology

Parents and teachers are generally united in the belief that the United States should spend more money on technology in classrooms, according to the results of an August poll conducted by the LEAD Commission. The group, which is studying the way technology can be used in classrooms, surveyed 883 parents and 812 public school teachers […]

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