Education

Equality, by the Numbers

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig Jul 31, 2008 Let me begin by raising a glass of champagne to the official closing of the math gap. It turns out that girls do not lack the math gene. Nor are they math-phobic. Nor is there any "intrinsic" difference -- thank you, Larry Summers -- between the abilities of girls and boys to succeed in the numbers business. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Liberating the Schoolhouse

BLANK May 1, 2008 UCLA professor Wellford Wilms, one of the nation's leading authorities on the crisis of public education in America, offers a must-read counterpoint to Bush's blather about "No Child Left Behind." Dig deeper ( 45 Min. Read )

When Teachers Are the Dropouts

Paul Cummins / Truthdig Apr 26, 2008 Much is made of the dropout rate in America's schools, and usually it's the students who are the focus of the discussion. But what happens when teachers themselves opt out of their roles in the classroom? [In this short analysis, Truthdig educational expert Paul Cummins looks at teachers' heartbreak, frustration and depression.] Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Oprah’s Learning Curve

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Nov 6, 2007 I can't summon any schadenfreude for Winfrey, just sympathy -- both for her good intentions and her determination to live up to them. And I pity anyone foolish enough to stand in her way. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

UC Irvine Fires Liberal Law School Dean

Jon Wiener / Truthdig Sep 14, 2007 In a move that shocked legal scholars and outraged faculty, University of California Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake has fired noted liberal law professor Erwin Chemerinsky, who had signed a contract only a few days ago to become the first dean of UC Irvine's new law school. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Making the Grade

Sharon Scranage / Truthdig Aug 7, 2007 Students aren't the only ones who worry about grades -- teachers also have to meet performance standards and follow curricula dictated by their districts. However, as educator Sharon Scranage points out, teachers working with socioeconomically disadvantaged children have to deal with even greater challenges without the aid of a specific "core" curriculum to address their students' special needs. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Education Blame Game

Sharon Scranage / Truthdig Jun 22, 2007 It's not just kids who get left behind in an educational system that fetishizes data and quantitative measures instead of qualitative progress. Teachers, particularly in lower-income schools, end up punished and humiliated because they are judged to be "underachievers," according to educator Sharon Scranage. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Obama Cools on Affirmative Action

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig May 15, 2007 Barack Obama doesn't think anyone should cut his two daughters any slack when they apply to college -- not because of their race, at least. In the unlikely event that the Obama family goes broke, then maybe. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Stephen Colbert Endorses Child Labor

Staff / Truthdig Apr 7, 2007 The pseudo-pundit argues that the best way to leave no children behind is to put them to work. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

We Must Learn Again

Paul Cummins / Truthdig Apr 4, 2007 The author takes aim at the shortcomings of the contemporary American educational system, laments the current state of arts education, and wonders what exactly schools are preparing younger generations to do -- and become. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

A New Day at Harvard

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig Feb 15, 2007 Drew Gilpin Faust's appointment as the university's new president comes at a time when the story line of feminism has taken an odd turn. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Harvard Chooses First Woman President

Staff / Truthdig Feb 10, 2007 A year after its president was forced to resign because of a controversial remark about gender, Harvard University is about to appoint its first woman president. The promotion of Drew Gilpin Faust, a historian, will end a 371-year-long drought of female leadership at one of the nation's oldest institutions. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )