Should the Plain Dealer publish value-added scores?
We pose serious and, we believe, unanswerable questions about the use of value-added models to evaluate teachers based on their students' performance on standardized tests.
Staff & Reporter Archive
Paul Katula
Paul Katula is the executive editor of the Voxitatis Research Foundation, which publishes this blog. For more information, see the About page.
Stories by Paul Katula
Multipurpose trails likely to return to western Maryland
By Paul Katula
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Multipurpose trails that keep bicyclists, joggers, and dog walkers away from busy streets are a very popular way to get exercise. Some new ones seem to be on the way in western Maryland.
Arming school officials hits an insurance roadblock
By Paul Katula
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A new wrinkle in the question of arming teachers in our schools comes from the insurance industry, which is increasingly refusing to carry liability insurance for schools with armed teachers.
Single-sex classrooms may be unconstitutional
By Paul Katula
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A W.Va. school district has agreed that forcing students to take classes where one sex is barred from participation, without their explicit permission, is a violation of federal law.
Another New York City student drowns on field trip
By Paul Katula
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The second student field trip drowning death in three years for New York's public schools leads us to question the level of supervision provided by chaperons.
A million tons of biomass in an algae bloom
By Paul Katula
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Although algae blooms in the Chesapeake Bay are a problem, the one off the China coast is about the size of Connecticut. People seem to be loving it—for now.
National career, tech ed contest shows students' talent
By Paul Katula
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The SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference concluded last week in Kansas City. Top students from across America competed in their chosen career fields.
Former presidents continue to represent Americans well
By Paul Katula
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Happy Fourth of July. We note that abroad, especially in Africa, our presidents are greeted with cheering crowds. The same would happen here if we could invest in some public schools.
Math helps artificial intelligence identify bird calls
By Paul Katula
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College math majors help out some biologists on a summer project in Tennessee that is investigating the effects of habitat change on two species of bird.
Egyptian president ousted; constitution suspended
By Paul Katula
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A coup d'état in Egypt ousted Pres Mohamed Morsi and suspended the constitution. A closer look at liberty, through the eyes of the Common Core, helps us understand the coup's motives.