Category Archives: Education

Ban Books and More

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Robert Tighe

As I write this we are in the midst of a national effort to ban ideas. This isn’t anything new; our politicians and pundits have been involved in what has become known as the “culture wars” for years, and previous … Continue reading →

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Tenure and Teaching

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Robert Tighe

In California a district judge has responded to a lawsuit by throwing out the state’s tenure protections for teachers, including the provisions that require schools to consider job seniority in decisions regarding hiring and laying off teachers. One of my … Continue reading →

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Draining Public Education

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Robert Tighe

Reuters on February 15th reported on the many ways charter schools select the students they enroll. The report itself had the air of investigating a scandal, repeatedly describing activities that were not only questionable but potentially illegal. I would like … Continue reading →

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Leave Behind NCLB

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Robert Tighe

The Obama Administration has recently announced that a waiver has been granted to Arizona, along with at least twelve other states, to release them from the strict requirements and punitive consequences of the No Child Left Behind Act. This is … Continue reading →

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Media Education

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Robert Tighe

This year there have been two full-length movie documentaries about education in the United States. Each has attempted to make a significant contribution to the continuing discussion regarding improving the future of our children. Only one of them, however, provides … Continue reading →

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Standardized Errors

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Robert Tighe

What is it with standardized tests? They are the primary method of evaluation for the No Child Left Behind law (NCLB) and “school accountability”. Student test scores are being used as the principal data source for “value-added” assessments of teachers, … Continue reading →

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School Testing

Posted on November 5, 2010 by Robert Tighe

Standardized tests are, unfortunately, ubiquitous. You take them in elementary and high school, you take one (or more) to try to get into college, you take one to get a driver’s license, and in many careers you take them to … Continue reading →

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Schools Merit Pay?

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Robert Tighe

The concept of merit pay is simple. If we reward people based on the results they produce, they will be encouraged to work harder and smarter, be more innovative, more competitive. In education, it is argued that if teachers have … Continue reading →

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Schools – Charter Course

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Robert Tighe

Charter schools are an outgrowth of the movement for school choice, most commonly known until recently as the campaign for school vouchers. The current movement for school choice is in turn primarily a reaction against two modern realities: (1) The … Continue reading →

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