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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
At first glance the patriarchy appears to be thriving. More than 90% of presidents and prime ministers are male, as are nearly all big corporate bosses. Men dominate finance, technology, films, sports, music and even stand-up comedy. In much of the world they still enjoy social and legal privileges simply because they have a Y chromosome. So it might seem odd to worry about the plight of men. (The Economist)
If you had to pick the most promising — and possibly most overhyped — education trends of the last few years, right up there with the online college courses known as MOOCs would almost certainly rank this one: Game-based learning shall deliver us to the Promised Land! (NPR)
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley tossed his hat into the ring for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination Saturday. O’Malley served as governor from 2007 to 2015, and before that had been Baltimore’s mayor since 1999. He’ll vie for the Democratic nomination against former Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Independent from Vermont. (Education Week)
Washington state wants charter schools to follow the same rules as other public schools when it comes to keeping their budgets. (The Seattle Times)
A startling number of Chinese students are getting kicked out of American colleges. According to a white paper published by WholeRen, a Pittsburgh-based consultancy, an estimated 8,000 students from China were expelled from universities and colleges across the United States in 2013-4. The vast majority of these students—around 80 percent—were removed due to cheating or failing their classes. (The Atlantic)
The Mexican government suspended indefinitely its planned teacher evaluations that were a cornerstone of the country’s education overhaul, in a decision ahead of midterm elections that dissident teacher groups threatened to boycott. (The Wall Street Journal)
New Jersey
In the aftermath of Gov. Chris Christie’s announcement on Thursday that he no longer supports the Common Core State Standards, what are the administration’s plans for setting its own standards for New Jersey’s public schools? (NJ Spotlight)
New York
Aides to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have huddled for months trying to understand Gov. Andrew Cuomo, often as they scrambled to address perceived slights. They largely have come to one conclusion: There is very little to be done about him. (The Wall Street Journal)