Schoolreform Videos

A Forum for Education and Democracy panel discusses international approaches to assessment rife with implications for improving American education.

http://www.schoolchains.org. Shouldn't you have more choice in something as important as education? For the launch of our groundbreaking new education project, the School Chain Showcase, we look into the idea of choice in education around the world. Be sure to visit our website at Schoolchains.org.

This podcast features an interview with a teacher from eastern Oklahoma who was ambitious, creative, persistent, and fortunate enough to receive 150 free HP laptops from FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) at the end of the 2007-2008 school year for students in the elementary school where she teaches. Unfortunately, however, the secretary for this K-12 Oklahoma school decided that the laptops which were donated for student use were too delicate for students to be able to use, and since May 2008 has successfully blocked all the teachers and students in the school district from using ANY of these donated laptop computers except for ten of them. I am sharing this recorded interview with the teacher in the hope that listeners can offer suggestions for how this stalemate can be broken, and these laptops can be utilized by students as well as teachers in a one to one learning initiative. Certainly there are MANY issues which need to be addressed for a successful one to one learning initiative: digital curriculum, professional development, wireless and other networking infrastructure, on-site technical support, just-in-time instructional support, insurance for student laptop use at home, content filtering at home, etc. Recognizing the complexity of these issues, however, the COST for laptops for students is also a significant obstacle in our Oklahoma schools. Having 150 free laptops provided to a school for student and teacher use sounds like a fairy tale, but that fairy tale can t have a happy ending if the school s administrative secretary won t allow the laptops to be used by students and the superintendent won t even inform the school board members about the availability of these laptops in the district. Please share your thoughts and suggestions for how this situation can be constructively addressed. Show Notes: The Case for 1 to 1 Computing in Schools (TCEA 2007 presentation) Anywhere Anytime Learning Foundation (AALF) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a low-cost, connected laptop for the world s children s education Learn and share about OLPC (blog post from 28 Nov 2008) Video about the deployment of 15,000 XO laptops in Birmingham, Alabama (Nov 2008) Free software used for OLPC Project (Live CDs available for download) Laptop Project (one to one learning initiative) in Crescent, Oklahoma Subscribe to Moving at the Speed of Creativity weekly podcasts! Receive an email alert whenever a new Speed of Creativity podcast is published!

Deborah Meier has spent more than four decades working in public education. A MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius,” she founded Central Park East Elementary school and, later, Central Park East Secondary School. Deborah Meier is currently on the faculty of NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education as senior scholar and adjunct professor. We spoke with her about the U.S. educational system and what advice she has for the next President. AUDIO Duration: 10:53

Dear Listener: We are trying to get some statistics on you. The least expensive survey is also a bit long. My advice is to answer as many questions as you want. When you run out of patience, scroll to the bottom and hit the Submit button. Thanks. Go to survey.

Dear Listener: We are trying to get some statistics on you. The least expensive survey is also a bit long. My advice is to answer as many questions as you want. When you run out of patience, scroll to the bottom and hit the Submit button. Thanks. Go to survey.

Paul Vallas talks about his successes, challenges and strategies for making change in the New Orleans Recovery School District. AUDIO Duration: 18:58

Are alternatively certified teachers changing the face of teaching in the New Orleans’ Recovery School District? It seems like it: nearly 30 percent of the teachers in Paul Vallas’ Recovery School District have not been trained in traditional programs, which can last as long as 4 years. We talk with one such teacher who just completed her first year as a second grade teacher. AUDIO Duration: 13:47

Part of the USC Rossier School of Education Brown Bag Series, Priscilla Wohlstetter presents "The Three-Legged Stool of Education Reform: Foundation, School District and University Collaboration" Amanda Datnow presents "Achieving with Data: How High Performing School Systems Use Data to Improve Instruction" Author: USCRossier Keywords: School Reform Added: May 1, 2008