Weekend Reading: Is education killing the U.S. economy?

  • Education is a key factor in the 21st century’s great wage slowdown (NY Times)
  • Why are calls for more “grit” by students only aimed at poor kids? (Salon)
  • Here’s why “I’m bad at math” is a myth. (Atlantic)
  • What happened to all kids being proficient by 2014? (NPR)
  • “Accountability is essential and non-negotiable, and testing works. Just not in reading.” (Flypaper)
  • Pop quiz! Assess your knowledge of the two legislators who could soon head the Senate’s ed committee. (Politics K-12)
  • A new study concludes that schools are spending 2 percent of instructional time on testing. (Curriculum Matters)
  • Boyz II Men told Philadelphia students to push back against the budget cuts facing their schools. (Notebook)
  • Don’t tell teachers unions that this year’s elections are boring, because they’re spending more than ever. (TIME)
  • The latest in a series chronicling an urban classroom in Ohio highlights the challenges of tardiness. (Larry Cuban)
  • Pearson apologized for an error in one of its products that a mother publicized. (Answer Sheet)
  • On the history of the blackboard, an old-school educational tool that still works. (Slate)
  • An investigation found that a North Carolina businessman is profiting mightily from charter schools. (ProPublica)
  • An excerpt from Bob Herbert’s new book looks back at Bill Gates’ involvement in education. (Politico Mag)
  • An argument for prediction markets, instead of backwards-looking school grades, in education. (Relinquishment)
  • A new journal aims to fill education research gaps by publishing papers that detail failures. (Inside School Research)
  • Here’s a primer on John Deasy’s long-expected but still surprising resignation as L.A.’s schools chief. (Atlantic)
  • To replace Deasy for now, Los Angeles recruited twice-retired, 82-year-old Ramon Cortines. (L.A. School Report)
  • The College Board’s efforts to improve scores on exams that it designs raises big questions. (Shanker)
  • A dying piano teacher’s best possible day: one more lesson. (NY Times)
  • Let your kids rid the bus alone. (Atlantic)