Leslie Madsen Brooks

At the end of the year, many parents and students wish to give teachers a token of their thanks, but they're not sure what's appropriate. The best advice I have is: know thy teacher. So, for example, if you're not certain the teacher drinks alcohol, don't offer a bottle of wine, and don't give gift certificates to a big, corporate bookstore like Borders or Barnes & Noble to someone who was petitioning the city council not to allow any more big box stores into your town because they drive out local businesses. If you're planning to bake something for your teacher, it's also important to know if your school or school district allows teachers to accept and eat home baked gifts.  Read more >

On Thursday, the Arizona State Legislature passed House Bill 2281, a measure that prohibits public school districts from offering classes that "are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group," "promote the overthrow of the United States government," "promote resentment toward a race or class of people," or "advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals." I'm worried less about the specific language and provisions of the bill than about the motivations of the people who authored it and voted to pass it.  Read more >

Over the past few years, I have noticed in my undergraduates -— and even in a few of my younger graduate students -— a shift away from critical and creative thought and a greater desire for black-and-white answers, for lectures instead of discussion and for assignments that feature short answers rather than sustained argument. There are undoubtedly many reasons for this shift, but one of them is likely the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) educational reforms implemented during the Bush administration.  Read more >

Most U.S. school officials and teachers warn students about the dangers of sharing too much information online and teach young people ways to maintain relative privacy while connected to the Internet.  In Pennsylvania's Lower Merion School District, however, school officials allegedly took another approach: they surveilled students and their families by using the webcams built into laptops issued to students by their high schools.  Read more >

Teach For America, an organization that puts its recruits through fast-track training to teach in U.S. regions where students have fallen behind in academic achievement, is now recruiting for its 20th cohort of new teachers.  It's not surprising, then, that TFA recently has received extra scrutiny in the U.S. press. The verdict is still out on the effectiveness of the program—it depends, really, on how you measure effectiveness—yet it's still sending thousands of teachers into U.S. schools each year.  Read more >