Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2006 > August > 24
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Pluto’s peril and other planet problems
Now that Pluto has been declared “not a planet” by scientists, there are some very important implications for schools everywhere:
—How many millions of dollars will it cost to rewrite every science textbook in the world?
—Will there be a ceremonial plucking of Pluto off the solar system models?
—And most importantly, have scientists really thought about how hard it’s going be for fifth grade boys to keep a straight face when their teachers tell them Uranus is now at the rear of the solar system?
(Image credit: http://www.physics.uc.edu/)
Permalink | Comments (6) | Categories: Teaching and Learning
Elsewhere in the education world …
While I’ve been busy here with Ohio’s report card release and now a possible teacher strike in Huber Heights just as school begins, a lot has been happening elsewhere in the world of education.
Here’s some of what else is going on out there:
A big survey
An annual poll by Phi Delta Kappa, an education professional group, had interesting results that sent the edusphere buzzing. Keep in mind that PDK is an organization of educators, so they come from a particular point of view, but among their survey’s conclusions were:
—Those surveyed preferred to fix public schools rather than create alternatives, with voucher support dropping.
—Respondents’ ratings of their own public schools are near an all-time high and support public education strongly
—The respondents largely believe school problems are caused by societial problems
Over at Edspresso, they present an opposing view.
Discussing the PDK results on charter schools are Joe Williams from the New York Charter School Association and John at the American Federation of Teachers. They talk the somewhat amusing fact that a majority of the survey respondents say they favor charter schools while also making it clear by their responses that they have no idea what charter schools are.
The long awaited federal charter school study
This study is similar to the recent report that found no advantage for private schools on tests when other factors are controlled. This one found public schools outscoring charters nationally. Both studies were done by the National Center for Education Statistics and both are controversial.
The charter results have supporters of traditional public education feeling good about how they compare. You can read the executive summary here to see why. And charter critics were quick to say the study supports their view.
On the other side, Nelson Smith, who heads a national charter school group, makes the primary counter argument, that the study is limited by its data and methodology. Joanne Jacobs summarizes some other criticism from the pro-charter crowd.
A couple of carnivals
At this week’s Carnival of Education, you can read my post about the university president who might get prison for life. Also highlighted by the carnival is my mini-debate with Thespis Journal about whether my reporting about Ohio report cards is sane or insane.
Finally, I also was included in this week’s Carnival of Ohio Politics, which just keeps getting more interesting as the election season heats up. They picked up my my post about charter school as hot potatoes.
(Image credit: www.solarviews.com)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Charter Schools and School Choice, The Carnival of Education
