Category: Uncategorized

A boy is going to school for the first time. A boy with a bag goes to primary school. Child open gate to school. Back to school.

^{Donald Nielsen
May 23, 2024}

Closing Schools Should Be the Last Resort, Not the First

_{Donald Nielsen
May 23, 2024}

Earlier this month, the Seattle Public Schools (SPS) announced plans to close 20 elementary schools. According to the district, SPS simply has too many schools for too few students. This is not a new problem, as enrollment has been declining for several years. Between 2019 and 2023, the district lost over 5,000 students, most due to the COVID-19 shutdown. Read More ›

Schoolboy crying in the yard of the school

^{Donald Nielsen
July 11, 2023}

Our Public School System Is Set Up To Fail — and It’s Succeeding

_{Donald Nielsen
July 11, 2023}

The recent report by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, sometimes referred to as the nation’s report card, is a devastating assessment of the condition of our nation’s schools. In short, there has been virtually no educational progress with our nation’s children in more than 30 years – and urban districts are the worst performers. Read More ›

^{Keri D. Ingraham
June 26, 2023}

Timing Is Everything

_{Keri D. Ingraham
June 26, 2023}

In our work at the American Center for Transforming Education we are committed to, calmy and without embarrassment, speaking the truth because we know there is hope. Read More ›

^{Keri D. Ingraham
May 3, 2023}

My Talk With Tucker After His Last Show on Fox News

_{Keri D. Ingraham
May 3, 2023}

Hoping to see someone I knew in the sea of people arriving in black-tie attire, I spotted a familiar face, Tucker Carlson. My conversation with Tucker — and the timing of it — will not soon be forgotten. Read More ›

coronavirus fears close schools worldwide amid the virus pandemic outbreak, school closed or shutdown concept

^{Debra J. Saunders
October 19, 2022}

Closed Schools Join with Closed Minds

_{Debra J. Saunders
October 19, 2022}

COVID school closures hurt American kids. American parents have seen it: The longer schools were closed and replaced with remote learning, the more students fell behind. Read More ›

person holding assault rifle — Photo by Gerson Martins on Unsplash

^{Donald Nielsen
June 29, 2022}

It’s Not Just About Guns

_{Donald Nielsen
June 29, 2022}

The recent mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas, has again brought the nation’s attention to the issue of gun control and what, if anything, we can do to prevent further bloodshed. Read More ›

classroom of a daycare center without children and teacher

^{Debra J. Saunders
February 23, 2022}

Don’t Go to the Head of the Class

_{Debra J. Saunders
February 23, 2022}

If there’s one group the education establishment wants to stop, it is parents, many of them Asians, who push their students to excel. Read More ›

^{Debra J. Saunders
January 23, 2022}

Youngkin Rips Off the School Mask Mandate

_{Debra J. Saunders
January 23, 2022}

Newly minted Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed nine executive orders and two directives that, among other things, ended a mandate that state employees be vaccinated and a school mask mandate. He embraced the radical idea of allowing parents to decide if their children mask up in the classroom, effective Jan. 24. Read More ›

Sad mixed-race teenager sitting on sidewalk, relationship problems, awkward age

^{Walter Myers III
September 16, 2021}

The Rise in Black Unemployment Is About More Than Race

_{Walter Myers III
September 16, 2021}

AFL-CIO chief economist William Spriggs argued that the primary cause for disappointing black employment numbers is discrimination. While there may be some correlation, the primary factor inhibiting black economic attainment is the failure of urban public schools to adequately prepare students for post-secondary education. Read More ›

Authentic school grounds. School backpacks and bags piled up outside a run down looking classroom. Lesson learning taking place inside room.

^{Keri D. Ingraham
November 22, 2020}

A Mass Educational Exodus

_{Keri D. Ingraham
November 22, 2020}

School closures began last March, and today over half of K-12 public schools remain closed to in-person learning. It is estimated that upwards of three million students have cut ties with schooling. Read More ›

^{Bailey Takacs
April 17, 2020}

Reopen Schools State by State

_{Bailey Takacs
April 17, 2020}

What’s good for one state may not be good for the next. Authority over schools rests with governors. They should decide when schools open in their states. For example, Alaska, having the least amount of coronavirus cases is not comparable to the hot bed of New York, even though both Alaska and New York have shut down schools for the rest of the year. On Tuesday, President Trump publicized an “Opening the Country” council, which will provide counsel regarding social distancing efforts moving forward. Participants include hundreds of leaders from business, technology, health care, agriculture, and sports. Yet no one from education in on the council. This is a mistake. An educational leader from each state should be included Read More ›

^{Bailey Takacs
April 9, 2020}

With Schools Closed, How Will Washington Address the Connectivity Gap?

_{Bailey Takacs
April 9, 2020}

Governor Inslee announced at a press conference on April 6 that Washington State in-person schooling is closed for the rest of the year. Commenting on the subsequent need for connectivity, Superintendent Reykdal added that “everyone needs connectivity and access,” and that “students have the right to be connected like their right to clean water.” For those schools that have experimented with online learning, this should provide an opportunity to scale up the experience. But others may be left behind. This is an uneasy time for families. Many will be wondering how their children will be educated for the rest of the year. Surprisingly, when asked about equity, Inslee mentioned that they have made the difficult decision to get most kids Read More ›