Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

National

No Child Left Behind

testing accountability

National
August 13, 2018

Pressuring schools to raise test scores got diminishing returns, new study of No Child Left Behind finds

Does tightening the screws on schools and teachers lead to benefits for students? For the past couple of decades, school reform…

exclusive

Tennessee
July 25, 2018

In his final months as Tennessee governor, Haslam reflects on his education legacy

In a wide-ranging interview, the outgoing Republican governor talks about achievement gains, TNReady disappointments, pre-K challenges, and what's next.

failing grade

National
January 19, 2018

Why one Harvard professor calls American schools’ focus on testing a ‘charade’

Harvard professor Daniel Koretz is on a mission: to convince policymakers that standardized tests have been widely misused.

DeVos on offense

National
January 16, 2018

DeVos criticizes Bush-Obama policies, saying it’s time to overhaul conventional schooling

One era of federal involvement in education is over, Betsy DeVos said Tuesday, in some of her most expansive public remarks since taking over the department last year.

All-clear on ESSA

Tennessee
August 31, 2017

Tennessee and feds strike a balance in how to track historically underserved students

The change enables the state to intervene when any racial group of students fall far behind their peers.

essa watch

National
August 4, 2017

No Child Left Behind is dead. But have states learned from it?

Are states really changing course from No Child Left Behind? Are they learning from what many viewed as the problematic aspects of the law ESSA replaced?

a failure of accountability

National
July 14, 2017

High-stakes testing may push struggling teachers to younger grades, hurting students

it’s a big problem when schools encourage their least effective teachers to work with their youngest students. And a new study says that the pressure of school accountability systems may be encouraging exactly that.

Unleashed

Tennessee
February 21, 2017

McQueen rips Tennessee’s school turnaround work as ineffectual, overdue

Calling outcomes "a little embarrassing," Education Commissioner Candice McQueen notes that the state has only moved 10 schools off its “priority” list since 2012.

Equity and ESSA

New York
January 27, 2017

Famed researcher Linda Darling-Hammond on the future of New York education — and what she makes of Betsy DeVos

An influential education researcher, who has been helping New York implement ESSA, spells out how the state can focus on equity under the new law.

Rethinking school

Tennessee
October 11, 2016

How Tennessee might drastically change testing, and other potential changes to the state’s schools

State officials share their takeaways from nearly six months of discussions on how Tennessee should adapt to the sweeping new federal education law.

the long view

Tennessee
July 13, 2016

Why this year’s failed TNReady test leaves Tennessee with challenges for years to come

The decision to cancel standardized testing this year will impact the state's accountability system for at least three years.

List of principles

New York
July 11, 2016

What makes a highly effective school? New York State takes its first crack at describing what will count

The state's new accountability system could be based on these 20 principles.

ESSA Tour

Tennessee
May 24, 2016

As new federal education law looms, McQueen seeks input for Tennessee plan

The State Department of Education invites Tennesseans to share their ideas about how Tennessee should use leeway granted to states under the new federal education law.

On ESSA

Tennessee
April 25, 2016

Sen. Lamar Alexander on the nation’s new education law, and how it could shape Tennessee schools

Tennessee's senior senator says the goal of the Every Students Succeeds Act is to leave decisions about schools up to local stakeholders.

Adjustments in Accountability

Tennessee
March 31, 2016

This year’s TNReady scores can’t put your school on the priority list. Here’s why.

In light of TNReady's bumpy rollout, the State Department of Education has new provisions in place for how student test scores will be used to evaluate low-performing schools.
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