3 dead in a shooting at a popular teen hangout
Malls are popular hangouts for teens on weekends, and Saturday, the Mall in Columbia, Md., turned into the scene of the latest mass shooting in the US.
News & Issues
Chicago board approves 7 of 17 charters
Chicago will get 7 new charter schools next year, which will open on the heels last year of the closure of about 50 neighborhood public schools.
A retired teacher wonders about ed doublespeak
We respond to a letter in the Baltimore Sun asking why educators say kids should prepare for harder tests and skip the easier ones because their scores will go down.
New Jersey: State of the State re: education
Gov Chris Christie gets behind a superintendent in Newark who recently suspended 4 principals, basically, for disagreeing with her educational philosophy.
Cheating charges churn at a Peoria charter school
It's not clear whether charter school officials outright cheated when they administered the ISAT to special ed students, but irregularities in the data suggest a systemic problem of some sort.
Student shoots 2 others at N.M. middle school
A 12-year-old boy pulled a shotgun out of a band instrument case and started shooting inside a middle school gymnasium in Roswell, N.M., injuring 2 other students.
10 things Md. parents should know about testing
Here is the actual release from the Md. State Dept. of Education regarding statewide standardized testing in Maryland for the next two school years.
Re: #1-5) What tests will be given & reported to parents
MSDE says the MSA in math and reading will be given this year despite statewide calls for dropping it. Some reason might be found on both sides.
Re: #10) Direct all questions to the professionals
As a reminder that we writers don't really know what's going on in the schools, MSDE points parents and other concerned citizens to teachers and principals.
Re: #8) Info from the MSA is valuable
We are skeptical that any information we might glean from an outdated test would be valuable to anybody, but MSDE says it is.