Project Learning: Expeditions in Portland, Maine

Forward Share Comments(0) Comment RSS

Principal Derek Pierce on Building Relationships Between Students and Teachers

Forward Share Comments(0) Comment RSS

Teacher-Training Coordinator David Grant Describes a Framework for Project Learning Success

Forward Share Comments(0) Comment RSS

The Edutopia Poll

by Sara Ring

Print Forward Share Comments(19) Comment RSS

Teachers are often perceived as determining the future success of their students -- for better or for worse. Indeed, pushes to tie teacher salary to student test scores, which make it easier to fire teachers, underscore just how much educators are given the credit (or the blame) for student achievement.

But do they play a greater role than parents do? Parents shape their children's attitudes toward learning, create the atmosphere for them to do homework, and provide extra support. Parents who support their children's educational goals can help motivate a student who is not connecting to his or her teacher, but to what extent? Some parents even hamper teachers' efforts by permitting excessive student absences and not being involved in their education. Ultimately, who is the greater influence on a child's educational success: the teacher, or the parent?

Who impacts a student's education more –- parents or teachers?

The Edutopia Poll

by Sara Ring

Print Forward Share Comments(12) Comment RSS

Perhaps nothing can truly prepare one for being a public high school principal; still, most states require candidates to have a master's degree in education administration or educational leadership. But might an additional degree from a business school -- with its rigorous focus on financial planning, accounting, strategizing, and operations management -- be just as essential to those preparing to run a school? A more business-minded, results-oriented approach to school administration could aid in everything from budget preparation to achieving academic goals.

Or are current requirements sufficient without the addition of an MBA, which could discourage talented candidates from applying for positions that already face critical shortages? Tell us what you think!

Should principals have MBAs?

Big Thinkers: Linda Darling-Hammond on Becoming Internationally Competitive

Forward Share Comments(16) Comment RSS

One Teacher's Journey: From Marine to Mentor

Forward Share Comments(0) Comment RSS

The Edutopia Poll

by Sara Ring

Print Forward Share Comments(12) Comment RSS

Online learning has taken off in the past ten years: The U.S. Department of Education estimates that e-learning, or virtual school instruction, is now offered by about 25 percent of all K-12 public schools. (Michigan and Alabama even require it for graduation.)

What's the future of online education? Perhaps 20 years from now, all courses will be blended ones, in which instruction is provided both virtually and in person. Another possibility is that the traditional classroom model will have been abandoned in favor of students learning entirely online -- maybe with holograms of teachers beamed directly into students' homes.

Or are these ideas pipe dreams because lack of funds, motivation, and training will handicap the growth of online education? Is online learning the future, a footnote, or something in between? Tell us what you think!

What will online learning look like in 20 years?