Resources By Topic

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When and where does school happen?

What does the physical space of schools and classrooms look like?

• Study finds that classroom design impacts student achievement. Great slideshow of schools around the world.
• Explains the importance of daylight in schools; links school design to its history.
• Explains 6 tips for designing a great classroom.
• Video tour of classroom of a friend who teaches in the Fresno area.
• Article with links about classroom setup.
• Importance of movable spaces at schools.

What time(s) of year do we go to school?

• History of school calendar, from late 1990s.
• Study, use table of contents to target knowledge.
• History of the school year.

What time of day do we go to school (School time)

• Lots of resources in links.
• School year length and time of day students are in school.

How is the school day divided up?

• Guidelines for improving how schools use time in the day.
• Block scheduling and some of its advantages.
• Impact block scheduling has on achievement.
• Block scheduling doesn’t help students in college science courses.

What happens at school?

What subjects and ideas within subjects get taught (Curricular content of the school)?

• John Dewey was an important progressive education theorist in the early 1900s. His ideas are still cited, often, today. Here’s what he thought about what schools should be teaching to students.
• Another summary, more in-depth, of Dewey’s ideas--optional, if you agree with his viewpoint. It’s interesting, but the vocabulary is hard. (Use Lingro!)
• Battle over what gets taught in schools - with some historical perspective.
• Links for the controversy over the new and revised AP US History standards.
• New York Times on whether college prep curriculum actually prepares kids for college.
• Links for the controversy around Common Core State Standards.

What happens in (and out) of class?

• Comparison across many domains. perhaps doesn’t have enough detail to actually be useful.
• Dan Meyer TED talk: Math needs a makeover.
• Way too detailed, but useful list of modes of teaching.
• Overview of teaching styles.
• Simple video outlining Freire’s banking model vs. problem-posing.
• 250 alternatives to homework (from an elementary teacher).

Is everyone in the same class? (Tracking)

• Explains what tracking means, as well as what some education thinkers have said about why it’s a good or bad idea.
• Tests the idea that tracking can improve learning by trying it out in a school in Kenya and seeing what happens.
• New York Times article covers famous book by Jeannie Oakes that argues against different “tracks” for students.

How do students get prepared for careers by school? (Vocational education)

• Overview of the vocational education program in Palo Alto.
• What are the benefits of vocational education with regard to college and career income?
• In China and India, college graduates are struggling to find jobs, but people with vocational education are having more success.
• Does deciding to pursue vocational education cut off kids’ options too soon?
• Benefits of vocational education
• Insight into how vocational training could benefit in the current financial crisis.
  • Check the first paragraph under the title “Abstract”.

How do we decide if a student is doing a good job? If a school is doing a good job?

How do you move on to the next grade? (Promotion/grade levels)

• Annotated bibliography with links about social promotion (moving students up a grade because of social concerns, even if they have not demonstrated the skills of that grade) and retention (holding students back a grade).
• Some history and research behind social promotion and retention.
• Retention and social promotion research summary.
• A Colorado school has decided to separate students by ability instead of by age. How well do you think it works?

How do we measure what students know? (Tests)

• Links on alternative assessment (things besides using tests to see what students know).
• Pros and cons of standardized testing
• An overview of the history of standardized testing (like STAR tests) in the United States.
• Overview of No Child Left Behind - a law about testing that impacted states across the US.
• Anti-standardized testing article with some suggested solutions.
• Whose idea was all this testing, anyway?
  • Cool sidenote; this article was written by an HHS grad!

How do we communicate what students know? (Grades)

• Grading systems around the world.
• Brief history of grading.

How do we measure how well schools are doing? (Standardized testing)

• History of standardized testing.
• List of pros and cons of standardized testing.