What are the essential ingredients of good science teaching? Janice Crowley, chair of the science department at Wichita Collegiate School in Kansas, faced that question last year when she had to choose between two candidates for a vacancy in earth science. One held a Ph.D. in the discipline, while the other had a strong passion [...]

A growing network of online classes is giving thousands of high school students a second or third chance to pass courses they need to graduate, from algebra and history to health and physical education. The classes are part of a widening phenomenon called credit recovery — a term that sounds more about erasing debt than [...]

Race to the Top coverage Who made the final round? Arizona jumps from 40th to finalist Who is going to win? Dr. Lillian M. Lowery, Delaware’s Secretary of Education, credits her commitment to education to her 10th grade English teacher, Ms. Holloway. Were the beloved teacher to be evaluated today, she might not measure up [...]

It’s hard to believe, but according to a recent Harris Interactive survey, the vast majority of Americans can’t name a single living scientist. Yet, 87 percent say they personally benefit every day from scientific advances, and 96 percent want the United States to be a world leader in science. This week, the U.S. National Academies [...]

“I think that the national folks do not have a proper appreciation for how deeply skeptical teachers are of this working,” said Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality. “There’s a disconnect.”

Minnesota’s two-term governor Tim Pawlenty challenged the status quo of higher education when he appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Thursday night. He talked about the role of the government and how we educate our students at the post-secondary level but the overall message was about efficiency. If it seemed unusual for a governor to be on a national television program touting alternative methods of higher education, his timing was perfect.