Atlanta Journal Constitution (December 2)
“Teachers and students will have extra homework after the pandemic ends, as new findings show growth in math scores has fallen since last school year.” Reading may be “more or less intact” as parents are better able to assist at home during distance learning. Math however, is “suffering, with the worst performance at the elementary school level.” Since math is “taught in a sequential way, with concepts building upon concepts,” this weakened foundation could “undermine learning for years to come.”
Tags: Distance learning, Elementary, Foundation, Homework, Math, Pandemic, Performance, Reading, Scores, Students, Teachers, Undermine
Chicago Tribune (August 6)
“As President Donald Trump has said, we must reopen America’s schools, and it can be done with 100% safety as long as children promise to patriotically not get the coronavirus…. Teachers and other adults who work in schools need to also not get the coronavirus…. It’s a bit selfish of the more than 150,000 people who refused to stay alive, because frankly, it’s making President Trump look terrible.” (On Wednesday, the Chicago Public Schools announced they will begin the school year remotely.)
Washington Post (May 8)
“If you look around the world at nations that are now outperforming the United States on international tests, it is not hard to figure out the differences between their vastly improved educational systems and ours. It is not simply the pay of teachers that matters but the selectivity of education programs, the rigor of their preparation and the continuing education and feedback they receive.”
Tags: Education, Feedback, Nations, Outperforming, Pay, Preparation, Programs, Rigor, Selectivity, Teachers, Tests, U.S.
The New York Times (October 23)
While other countries make “progress from generation to generation,” the U.S. is falling behind in terms of literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills. “In literacy, for example, about 12 percent of American adults scored at the highest levels, a smaller proportion than in Finland and Japan (about 22 percent). In addition, one in six Americans scored near the bottom in literacy, compared with 1 in 20 adults who scored at that level in Japan.” Other nations realized the knowledge economy would offer very “few jobs for workers with mediocre skills…. Those countries, most notably Finland, broadened access to education, improved teacher training and took other steps as well.” The U.S. has yet to act with any sense of urgency.While other countries make “progress from generation to generation,” the U.S. is falling behind in terms of literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills. “In literacy, for example, about 12 percent of American adults scored at the highest levels, a smaller proportion than in Finland and Japan (about 22 percent). In addition, one in six Americans scored near the bottom in literacy, compared with 1 in 20 adults who scored at that level in Japan.” Other nations realized the knowledge economy would offer very “few jobs for workers with mediocre skills…. Those countries, most notably Finland, broadened access to education, improved teacher training and took other steps as well.” The U.S. has yet to act with any sense of urgency.
Tags: Economy, Education, Finland, Japan, Literacy, Numeracy, Problem solving, Progress, Skills, Teachers, Training, U.S., Urgency, Workers
