Daily Policy Digest
Education Issues
| TEACHERS' TRAINERS MUST MAKE THE GRADE, TOO Texas is one of the first states to toughen standards for teachers... |
| HIGHER EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY Enrolling in a community college and earning a two-year degree or certificate in high-return fields such as health care, computer science or building trades can open a pathway to well above-average-and rising-earnings, says Diana Furchgott-Roth of the Manhattan Institute... |
| END THE SPECIAL-ED RACKET Vouchers can reduce false diagnosis of learning disabilities while helping both the truly disabled and the misdiagnosed, say researchers Marcus A. Winters and Jay P. Greene... |
| EFFECTS OF INTRODUCING KINDERGARTENS INTO PUBLIC SCHOOLS State funding for kindergartens crowded out participation in federally funded early education, such as Head Start, among the poorest five-year olds, says Lester Picker... |
| LATERAL ENTRY IS EFFECTIVE IN SCHOOLS The success of teachers depends more on the individual than the certification program they completed, says Delilah Harris, Pitt County (N.C.) Schools Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources... |
| CHARTER SCHOOLS PASS KEY TEST IN STUDY New York City students who won a lottery to enroll in charter schools outperformed those who attend traditional schools, according to study... |
| ACTUALLY, BIG MISTAKES ARE TO BE EXPECTED... If we want to see the adoption and effective implementation of the best research become the norm in education, we have to organize schooling the same way we organize other fields: as a parent-driven competitive marketplace, says Andrew J. Coulson of the Cato Institute... |
| THE PROFESSORS' GENDER MAY PERPETUATE THE GENDER GAP For the top quartile of female students, having a higher proportion of female professors in introductory math and science courses significantly increases the likelihood of choosing a math or science major, say researchers... |
| SCHOOL SAFETY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.: NEW DATA FOR THE 2007-2008 SCHOOL YEAR Public schools in Washington, D.C., have far more violent incidences reported than either charter or private schools, say researchers... |
| ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS: MEETING THE DEMAND FOR TEACHERS Six percent of teachers leave the profession each year and one-fifth of new hires quit teaching within three years, say NCPA research assistants Rebecca Garcia and Jessica Huseman… |
