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David Foss of Alamo Heights High School (seated) reacts to news that he is a winner in the Leadership-Secondary category, H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards. Photo courtesy Roberta Barnes.

David Foss was mid-way through a literary discussion of “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien with his senior English students when he was flabbergasted by the news.   

Likewise, Jimmie Walker was ambushed as she began a science lesson with her Cambridge Elementary fourth graders.   

Both Alamo Heights Independent School District educators were shocked when a party of H-E-B staffers and district administrators barged into their classrooms last week to announce that Walker and Foss are among eight local finalists for the prestigious 2011 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards. Read a complet

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Last month I wrote a blog post about my lack of confidence in educational research, some of which strikes me as politicized. My basic point was that in some cases you could read only an author or think tank’s name and guess a study’s conclusions with a high degree of accuracy.

As you might imagine, the post created a stir. I had some stimulating conversations with Kevin Welner, a University of Colorado education professor and director of the National Education Policy Center, which I mentioned in my post. As I wrote in that post, I like and respect Welner. Our discussions were (to use diplomats’ language) frank and open and at their conclusion we decided this was an interesting enough topic to merit a broader conversation.

Policymakers will see some researchers as timid wafflers. The r Read more…

State Rep. Bill Zedler, a lawmaker from Arlington, has filed a bill that would protect professors and students who question evolution from discrimination at Texas universities, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Though it seems this would fall under existing laws governing freedom of religious expression, Zedler evidently thinks there are enough victims of evolutionary discrimination to warrant forming a new class of protected citizens.

He cites the example of Martin Gaskell, an astronomy professor who sued the  University of Kentucky claiming he was skipped over for an observatory director job in part because he said something perceived to be critical of evolution. The u

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On March 15, the Sacramento County Board of Education adopted two resolutions designed to shine a spotlight on our public schools and honor those who donate their time to help our students and schools succeed.

Sacramento County Board of Education Resolution No. 11-04 designates April as “Public Schools Month” to focus attention on how our public schools have educated and enabled the nation’s youth to participate in and contribute to their own version of the American dream. This month is set aside to urge communities and educational institutions to appropriately recognize the efforts of teachers, administrators, and students of the public school system.

Resolution No.

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Jon Stewart lobs her softballs and she whiffs. Ravitch’s distortions (Duncan, Gates and Broad are all about blaming teachers for everything) go pretty much unchallenged. But for the record, here is the interview.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Diane Ravitch www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook