Commentary
Who should run the nation’s largest school systems?
By James “Torch” Lytle
Recent shakeups at the top in three cities have brought this question sharply into focus. In Washington, D.C., Chancellor Michelle Rhee resigned after the electoral defeat of her political patron, Mayor Adrian Fenty. In Chicago, schools CEO Ron Huberman is leaving, six months after his own patron, Mayor Richard M. Daley, announced that he would retire.
The Changing Face of the Teaching Workforce
Richard Ingersoll: "Has the elementary and secondary teaching force changed in recent years? The answer is most certainly yes..... It is larger. It is both older and younger. It is more female. And for each of these trends large questions immediately arise. What are the reasons for, and sources of, the trend? Will its impact be positive or negative?" Read more >>>
Where Pranks End and Abuse Begins
Marybeth Gasman and Policy Diary Editor John Wilson: "Reaching the breaking point is not about gay and lesbian students being less able to deal with the stresses of everyday life.... It is about abuse that builds up over time and is often accepted by mainstream society.
Rendell's Tuition Relief Act is much-needed program for Pennsylvania
Penn GSE Practice Professor Joni Finney gives high marks to Pennsylvania Governor Rendell's proposed Tuition Relief Act, calling it "serious, thoughtful attempt to address Pennsylvania's college access and affordability challenges."
On the Financial Health of Black Colleges -- Listen Inside!
The financial woe faced by Morris Brown College is just the latest example of how a wounded economy creates serious challenges for higher education in America, and the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are no exception. Many of the schools already operate with limited resources.
Colleges in Trouble
Writing in Forbes magazine, Penn GSE Practice Professor Joni Finney discusses Higher Ed in Hard Times.
Every Teacher a Language Teacher
By Leslie Nabors Oláh
In the 1974 Lau v. Nichols decision, the Supreme Court affirmed that all students, regardless of native language, are entitled to "a meaningful opportunity to participate in the educational program." This unanimous decision effectively added English Language Learners (ELLs) to the growing list of U.S. citizens to benefit from the civil rights movement.
Understanding New Immigrant Communities
By Stanton E.F. Wortham
As has often been noted, the United States has a conflicted attitude toward immigration. The idea of people from other lands coming to America in search of a new and better life is perhaps the most essential component of the national ethos. Especially in times of increased immigration, however, many Americans also resist what they perceive as non-American influences.
Does Abstinence-only Education Work?
GSE Professor Rebecca Maynard discusses abstinence-only sex education on NPR. Click here to listen.
New research by Penn GSE Professor Rebecca Maynard has shown that abstinence-only sex education has no effect on the onset of sexual activity among children or on the likelihood that, if they do engage in sex, they will use a condom.