Claudio Sanchez

30 Years On, Educators Still Divided On Scathing Schools Report

Claudio Sanchez — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:47:00 +0000

Thirty years ago this week, President Ronald Reagan's administration released "A Nation at Risk," a report warning of "a rising tide of mediocrity" in American public education.

According to the report, only one-third of 17-year-olds in 1983 could solve a math problem requiring two steps or more, and 4 out of 10 teenagers couldn't draw inferences from written material.

'Core Curriculum' Puts Education Experts At Odds

Claudio Sanchez — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:58:00 +0000

At 2 p.m., it's crunchtime for students who write for The Harbinger Online, the award-winning, student news site at Shawnee Mission East High just outside Kansas City, Kan.

El Paso Schools Cheating Scandal Probes Officials' Accountability

Claudio Sanchez — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 21:48:00 +0000

No one knows if Atlanta's school superintendent or any of the people accused of falsifying test results will go to jail, but they wouldn't be the first if they do.

Lorenzo Garcia, the former superintendent of schools in El Paso, Texas, has been sitting in a federal prison since last year.

Study: More Adult Pell Grant Students, Not Enough Graduating

Claudio Sanchez — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:08:00 +0000

The federal government each year gives needy college students billions of dollars they don't have to pay back — $34.5 billion to be exact. More than 9 million students rely on the Pell Grant program. But a new study says much of the money is going to people who never graduate.

Sandy Baum, an expert on student financial aid, has been leading a group in a study of the 48-year-old Pell Grant program.

Race, Poverty Central To National School-Closure Debate

Claudio Sanchez — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:22:00 +0000

In Chicago, parents are fighting to prevent the city from closing 54 public schools.

Union Backs 'Bar Exam' For Teachers

Claudio Sanchez — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:35:00 +0000

The system for preparing and licensing teachers in the U.S. is in such disarray that the American Federation of Teachers is proposing a "bar exam" similar to the one lawyers have to pass before they can practice.

Currently, there's a patchwork of different certification requirements that vary state by state. There's no single standard to determine who's fit and who's not fit to teach.

In California, Parents Trigger Change At Failing School

Claudio Sanchez — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:15:00 +0000

Parents in one small California community have used a "parent-trigger" law for the first time to shut down and take over an elementary school.

Firestorm Erupts Over Virginia's Education Goals

Claudio Sanchez — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 20:05:00 +0000

As part of Virginia's waiver to opt out of mandates set out in the No Child Left Behind law, the state has created a controversial new set of education goals that are higher for white and Asian kids than for blacks, Latinos and students with disabilities.

Virginia Democratic state Sen.

With Varied Approach, Candidates Push School Choice

Claudio Sanchez — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 10:17:00 +0000

The right to choose the school you want your child to attend has been the subject of court battles and bitter political debates. Still, both President Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney have made school choice a cornerstone of their efforts to reform public education.

Romney says he wants to give every student trapped in a failing school the chance to attend a better school.

Obama, Romney On Higher Ed Help: Dueling Visions

Claudio Sanchez — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 21:31:00 +0000

Many Americans today feel like they've lost or are losing their shot at a college education because paying for it often seems out of reach. So how big of an issue is this in the presidential campaign?

Here's what President Obama has done to help families pay for college: He negotiated a deal with Congress this summer that kept the interest rate on government-backed Stafford loans from doubling for 7.5 million students.

Obama's income-based repayment plan will eventually cap students' loan payments at 10 percent of discretionary monthly income.