Richard Lee Colvin, editor of The Hechinger Report, recently spoke with Stephen Smith of American RadioWorks about some of 2010’s most interesting education stories — as well as what to be on the lookout for in 2011.
Among the stories from 2010 that Colvin highlighted:
- the national conversation around the use of value-added data, especially as related to teacher evaluations;
- the massive state budget cuts, despite the federal stimulus, that have affected education spending; and
- Waiting for ‘Superman,’ which didn’t have the box-office success that its producers presumably hoped for — but that helped heat up the education-reform conversation.
Colvin said that state budget cuts will continue to be a big story in 2011. He predicts the following will grab headlines in 2011, too:
- Race to the Top winners will be implementing ambitious reform plans, which almost certainly won’t be easy to do in tough economic times;
- new technologies, including digital media, will open up more possibilities for individualizing instruction; and
- the “parent trigger” law in California, which outgoing Gov. Schwarzenegger has championed, might well spread to other states.
You can listen to Colvin’s conversation with Smith here.
Since you made it to the bottom of this article, we have a small favor to ask.
If you believe stories like the one you just finished matter, please consider pitching in what you can. This effort helps ensure our reporting and resources stay free and accessible to everyone—teachers, parents, policymakers—invested in the future of education.
Thank you.
Liz Willen
Editor in chief
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
