Denise Fawcett Facey

What was once the purview of only the wealthy is now gaining popularity with middle-class students: the gap year. A period of exploration, self-discovery and just a respite from the daily grind of books, lectures and studying, the gap year occurs right after high school graduation, affording students a break before beginning college. In fact, many colleges, including those in the Ivy League, now encourage students to indulge in this time (more…)

Regular readers of this blog know my disdain for “teaching to the test.” So, naturally, I cheer when I find a school that bucks the trend by restoring learning to the center of education and putting tests where they belong — on the periphery. One such school is in Maplewood, New Jersey. And I love their results. (more…)

Steadily and quietly, public schools of single gender (and single-sex classes within public schools) have begun to multiply across the country and not everyone is pleased to see them return. Reigniting an old debate about gender differences — whether they exist academically and, if so, whether this necessarily indicates that one gender is inherently inferior — these same-gender classes have expanded from a mere 11 in 2001 to 540 now. (more…)

With the news so often filled with negativity concerning education — low test scores, high dropout rates, educators found cheating on high-stakes exams — I’m thrilled beyond measure by the achievements of the Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men. Begun four years ago on Chicago’s very tough South Side, the school opened with 150 African-American boys, 85 percent of whom came from low-income families and only 4 percent of whom read at or above grade level at the time. (more…)