Denise Fawcett Facey

The start of educational efficiency seems to have arrived . . . finally. Last June, when I wrote about the imminent arrival of national education standards, 46 states favored standardized goals, agreeing essentially to teach the same topics during the same grades. Since then, all states have gotten on board, except Texas and Alaska. Moreover, last week, Maryland joined Kentucky in endorsing the new educational standards for reading and math, which is a precursor to actual adoption and implementation of the standards. Each state that participates will create its own curriculum, based upon the common standards. Then, once teachers have been trained and textbooks modified, students in every grade in the country will have one standard. (more…)

Does the following equation work: money plus rules equals school success? In this case, I’m not so sure, but the U.S. Department of Education is counting on it. Disbursing $3.5 billion in Title I School Improvement Grants, (which were included in the federal stimulus package last year) to all 50 states, they have also attached strings to the money. Specifically, the revamping of the poorest performing schools in every state (as determined by each state) must accompany the money, with the programs’ implementation beginning by September 1, 2010. And that’s not all. (more…)

There’s been a great deal of criticism of the No Child Left Behind law, which was the cornerstone of former President Bush’s education policy. Now, President Obama has put forth several changes to this beleaguered and somewhat ill-conceived legislation. Not only am I glad to see it overhauled, I applaud several specific proposed changes. (more…)

According to an article published by the Washington Post earlier this month, a survey of 40,000 teachers reveals that several factors are significantly more important to teachers than money. Leading the list of incentives for teachers was supportive leadership. Many also spoke up for (more…)

Usually, you can determine what a society values by what it is willing to pay the most money to obtain. In our society, entertainment is king. So, why are music and art being cut from so many schools? (more…)

Well over four thousand charter schools have sprung up throughout the country in recent years. And although they’ve been hailed as a great revolution in education, I wonder if that’s true. (more…)

With the dismantling of the little red schoolhouse in front of the Education Department last month, Education Secretary Arne Duncan symbolically began the demise of No Child Left Behind. Let it die. (more…)

The recent Supreme Court ruling in the case of Horne v. Flores may make it even more difficult for non-English-speaking students to obtain an equal education. In a 5-to-4 decision, the justices ruled that even if a state spends only the bare minimum on English language programs, as long as students improve, this is sufficient. (more…)

Finally—educational changes that will work! The Obama administration’s effort to improve U.S. education includes a goal of restoring the United States to its former position as the nation with the highest proportion of college graduates. Toward that end, Education Secretary Arne Duncan proposes that high schools and colleges align their definitions of college-readiness, (more…)

Would U.S. students benefit academically from a longer school year? I don't think so, but Education Secretary Arne Duncan does. Believing that a school year of at least eleven months—in conjunction with a lengthened school day and a six-day school week—will augment academic achievement, Secretary Duncan has concluded (more…)