Category: News

School minister says he ‘trusts the judgement of teachers’ amid warnings of grade inflation

by Cassondra Kame on February 25, 2021 in News

The prime minister visits a school to take part in an online lesson during lockdown (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The schools minister has said he trusts “the judgement of teachers” amid warnings that the government’s new grading system could undermine the value of qualifications.

The government is expected to task schools with determining pupils’ grades in lieu of exams this year, because of disruption caused by coronavirus.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is to set out further details of the plan in the Commons later on Thursday.

But some experts have warned that the approach could lead to inconsistent outcomes across

Education unions and teachers concerned by ‘big bang’ reopening of schools

by Cassondra Kame on February 23, 2021 in News

<p>Boris Johnson is expected to announce all children will be allowed to return to school on 8 March</p> (Getty Images) — Boris Johnson is expected to announce all children will be allowed to return to school on 8 March

(Getty Images)

Concerns have been raised over a “big bang” reopening for schools under which all students will be allowed to return in two weeks’ time, which Boris Johnson has confirmed as the first step in easing England’s lockdown.

Education unions had called for a “safe and sustainable” approach and warned it will be “reckless” to bring all pupils back en masse.

However Mr Johnson confirmed plans for all pupils in England to return on 8 March as he set out a

Vouchers undermine education for all kids | Columns

by Cassondra Kame on February 21, 2021 in News

The Republican supermajority in the Indiana General Assembly is attempting to quietly gut public education and hope no one notices.

This work started a decade ago when the legislature drank the Kool-Aid of the American Legislative Exchange Council. This group and others like it loves to toss around termssuch as “school choice,” “educational competition” and “stimulation of excellence,” but these are actually code words that obfuscate the outright looting of state dollars that support the education of schoolchildren.

The absurdity of the ALEC proposition is that parents in Indiana and many other states have always had choice in schooling. The

Education issues to watch during Oklahoma’s 2021 legislative session

by Cassondra Kame on February 19, 2021 in News

February 16, 2021 | 9:59 am

StateImpact combed through hundreds of education bills: Here are the ones to keep an eye on

Robby Korth

Robby Korth covers education for StateImpact Oklahoma. He grew up in Ardmore, Oklahoma and Fayetteville, Arkansas and is a graduate of the University of Nebraska. Before working at StateImpact, he covered higher education for The Roanoke Times newspaper in Virginia.

Courtesy Abby Pike

Masks like these sewed by Edmond eighth grader Abby Pike are not always required in Oklahoma schools. Though they are more widely used as requirements have become more common

The COVID pandemic has given us a road map to transform education for the better

by Cassondra Kame on February 17, 2021 in News

If education predicts the future, then every American should be worried. The coronavirus has now disrupted nearly an entire year of learning. Tens of millions of students are falling behind. But the crisis in education wasn’t caused by COVID. The pandemic has exposed deep-seated issues that have been holding students back for decades. It’s time to ask: How can we help students come through this crisis with a quality education and, in doing so, transform our entire system of education for the better?

The most recent proof of the damage done: A new McKinsey study shows that virtually all students