Education in the News This Week

The Uneducated American
In a recent New York Times op-ed, columnist Paul Krugman writes, "These days young Americans are considerably less likely than young people in many other countries to graduate from college. In fact, we have a college graduation rate that's slightly below the average across all advanced economies." He recommends that the federal government approve "another big round of aid to state governments," but education reform bloggers now ask whether more money can effectively be the sole solution.

NAEP Math Scores Released
As the Wall Street Journal reports that "fewer than four of 10 fourth- and eighth-graders are proficient in mathematics, [...and] while some educators cautioned against reading too much into a single round of NAEP testing, others said the latest results indicate a need for more drastic changes than those prompted by the federal No Child Left Behind Law and various state initiatives." The NYTimes' Room for Debate asks, "Do the poor results suggest that testing requirements under 'No Child Left Behind' have been ineffective and should be abandoned? What’s lacking in math education that makes progress so hard to achieve?"

Columbus Day Falls Out of Fashion
"Columbus' stature in U.S. classrooms has declined somewhat through the years," reveals the Associated Press. "Although lessons vary, many teachers are trying to present a more balanced perspective of what happened after Columbus reached the Caribbean and the suffering of indigenous populations." And the Wall Street Journal asks, "Is Columbus Day Sailing Off the Calendar?"