Category Archives: Education

CHAPTER SEVEN: “Doing What Matters Most: Developing Competent Teaching” According to Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, the development of competent teachers should not be left to chance.  She suggests formulating a framework that consists of strong professional preparation programs, the distribution of … Continue reading →

CHAPTER FIVE: “A Tale of Three States: What Happens When States Invest Strategically (or Don’t)” In this chapter, Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond utilizes three states to emphasize further how good uses of resources can lead to successful student achievement.  Connecticut and … Continue reading →

Chapter 4: “Inequality on Trial: Does Money Make a Difference?” Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond takes the points with which she was dealing in the previous chapter and addresses funding issues.  She looks at the financial support structures that award schools, and … Continue reading →

CHAPTER THREE: “New Standards and Old Inequalities: How Testing Narrows and Expands the Opportunity Gap” When schools focus on test scores, the author demonstrates, the end result is that curriculum and instruction changes—paralleling test content, format, and cognitive demands, rather … Continue reading →

CHAPTER ONE: “The Flat World, Educational Inequality, and America’s Future” The author demonstrates how our present school system is based on an antiquated model designed for students who would eventually work in factories.  Providing basic skills to young pupils might … Continue reading →

The racial disparities in academic achievement in grade school are so vast that it is all too easy to arrive at a genetic explanation for them.  Such a conclusion is certainly wrong, but many are hard pressed to disprove it.  … Continue reading →

The public school system in the United States needs serious overhauling, if this country is going to compete in the global marketplace of ideas.  We can adopt the language of our president, taken from the prophetic utterance of the Rev. … Continue reading →