common core
I don’t know many business leaders who are satisfied with America’s schools. In fact, just about every CEO I know is worried that this country simply isn’t producing enough graduates with the skills they need to compete globally. Closing that gap is the goal of a set of academic standards called the Common Core. Unfortunately, the national debate about these standards is getting dragged down by myths about what the Common Core is, where it came from, and the impact it will have.
Become a Big Historian
Today we’re launching a new version of Big History: one that’s open and free for everyone. Like the school course, this version covers the history of the universe and how everything ties together—the basic approach that makes Big History my favorite course of all time. But in this version, there are no writing assignments or lesson plans. You watch lectures and experiment with interactive features.
The tough job of teaching
Even today, I can remember the name of pretty much every teacher I've ever had. In high school I had a fantastic chemistry teacher named Daniel Morris. He gave me a hard time and told me that I was just getting by. I always did well in analytical chemistry, but I hated all those pipettes and test tubes in the lab. He knew that, and he still managed to get me into the lab to do experiments - and I had a much better understanding because of it. I can trace a lot of my love of science to the demands he put on me.
Great, and getting better
It's been an exciting time for our team in the few weeks since Graphite debuted at the ISTE education technology conference in San Antonio. More than 100,000 educators are now in the network, and we are rapidly adding content. The feedback we're getting is inspiring as well: teachers are excited by the ratings and reviews, but even more so by the opportunity to be a part of the community and add their classroom perspectives.
Exciting news
I have written before about Big History, the project I undertook with Professor David Christian. After two years of pilot projects, we have come to an exciting moment: the launch of a new Big History course tailored for high school students and teachers. It is now free, open, and available to any educator.
Introducing Graphite
In collaboration with Common Sense Media, I’m excited to launch a new free product called Graphite, which will focus on ratings and reviews for educational web sites, apps, and services.
It's still the economy
I was lucky enough to join Bill Clinton on stage at the Peterson Foundation's Fiscal Summit for a Q&A session. We talked for nearly an hour on budget and policy questions.
Coaching teachers
What’s one thing we’re doing in education that harms teachers and students and threatens U.S. global leadership? I share my answer in my latest TED talk.
My Bookshelf
There's a lot of concern about the cost of college. This book looks at college costs in the context of the larger economy, and offers suggestions for policy to increase access.
Talking at SXSW
Finally, online learning and other educational technologies are taking off in a big way.
My Bookshelf
Douglas N. Harris is an economist who studies education reform, and he's written an interesting book that has a lot of important things to say about a controversial subject: teacher accountability.
About Donorschoose
DonorsChoose is a place where teachers create classroom project requests that donors can choose to fund.