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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
Ohio seems to have taken a page from Lake Wobegon, where all the children are above average. Last month, state officials releasing an early batch of test scores declared that two-thirds of students at most grade levels were proficient on reading and math tests given last spring under the new Common Core requirements. (The New York Times)
As the government steps up its policing of for-profit colleges, a handful of the schools are converting to nonprofits, freeing themselves from regulation aimed at the industry. But a new report questions whether some of these schools are still reaping the financial benefits of operating as a for-profit. (The Washington Post)
Josh Perez struggled to understand the letter he received accepting him into the University of Florida’s online Pathway to Campus Enrollment initiative, or PaCE. For one thing, he had applied to be a residential undergraduate at Florida, and he had never heard of the online program. For another, the letter read like a rejection. (US News)
“I unintentionally participated in a tragic educational case study on the west side of Harlem,” writes Nicholas Simmons. “I worked in the same building as the Wadleigh Secondary School, at which 0% of students in grades six through eight met state standards in math or English.” Mr. Simmons reports that two floors above Wadleigh, he taught at Success Academy Harlem West, a public charter school where 96% of the students were proficient in math and 75% in reading and writing. “At both schools, more than 95% of students are black or Hispanic. About the only difference is that families at Harlem West won an admissions lottery,” he adds. (The Wall Street Journal)
This summer I had the honor of attending an event that brought together educators and industry leaders involved in improving the state of STEM education in the U.S. During a panel discussion, I was asked whether I was encouraged or discouraged by where we are today in terms of diversity in STEM education. I am definitely encouraged, but we still have far to go to achieve equity in STEM education for minorities who have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields. (Forbes)
Oliver York has heard it all—and the 16-year-old political activist is always ready with a well-researched answer. He has heard critics refer to him and his cohorts as pawns of liberal San Francisco supervisors looking for a few extra votes. He’s heard that if given suffrage, teens would just mimic their parents’ voting patterns. That reminds him of the historical argument against women’s suffrage. (The Atlantic)