Part 2 of this series can be read at: Washington K–12 Return to Basics and Core Competencies – A Reform Plan For more than two decades, American education has accumulated reform after reform: standards-based education, testing reform, personalized learning, social-emotional learning, project-based learning, competency-based education, technology integration and, most recently, artificial intelligence. Many of these ideas have merit. The problem is that reform has too often been additive. We keep adding new objectives without removing old ones or asking the most basic question: Are students actually learning what they need to know? Washington should begin answering that question with … [Read more...]
K-12 School Funding Report Sept 2026
The article in this link provides details about funding per student broken out by state. Please note that it shows WA State at almost $22,000/student/year. Read the article for full details. Below we share examples of what you will see. Some of the charts are interactive so reading the original article may be helpful. Article USA Facts … [Read more...]
‘A painful reality’: School closures follow shrinking enrollment across the country
This article comes from https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/a-painful-reality-school-closures-follow-shrinking-enrollment-across-the-country/?brid=YWdncwE40l_v_VDBnKWzuqunWOFp BALTIMORE – School districts around the country are facing a painful reality as enrollments decline. For many districts, there are too many schools for the number of kids they’ll serve in a few years, according to Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University. It’s not a matter of if schools will close but when, as lower birth rates have led to smaller incoming kindergarten classes. “We have this misalignment and it’s making it really painful for districts,” Roza … [Read more...]
15 Failures of U.S. Public Education in 2025
This article claims there are 15 definable reasons why public education is in decline in the USA. Do you agree (we don't believe this is an accurate list but it's a place to start. Here's a link to the original article: 15 Failures of U.S. Public Education in 2025 Introduction American public education is at a crossroads. Once hailed as a global standard, the system today faces deep, structural problems that undermine its ability to deliver on its promise of equity and opportunity. From worsening academic performance to chronic underfunding, the failures of the American public education system are not isolated issues but interconnected challenges. In 2025, the stakes have never been … [Read more...]
Aussie Students Spend The Most Time In School, Polish Kids The Least
Ever wonder how much time kids spend in school...by country? Today's article sheds some light on the topic. From ZeroHedge and Tyler Deerdan. Students in OECD countries and economies receive an average of 7,604 hours of compulsory instruction during their primary and lower secondary education. However, as Statista's Anna Fleck shows in the chart below, a wide gap exists between countries, with students in Poland receiving an average of just 5,304 hours, compared to Australia where children must attend nearly double that at 11,000 hours. You will find more infographics at Statista In the United States, children spend 8,917 hours on average in compulsory classes across … [Read more...]
Reykdal confronted by state data, blames partisanship for bad results
From the Washington Policy Institute: https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/reykdal-confronted-by-state-data-blames-partisanship-for-bad-results Pointing to stats from Washington Policy Center's Report Card for Washington's Future showing student spending is up per pupil from $13,775 to $19,163, while student test scores show decline with "about 60 percent not on track for college level learning in math and 50 percent when it comes to English", Q13 reporter Hana Kim asked OSPI chief Chris Reykdal, "What should districts be doing differently that maybe they haven't tried before, what is your guidance on this to maybe turn things around?" Reykdal's answer was to deny … [Read more...]
Private School vs. Public School
This article comes to us from US News. It's a but long so one or two cups of coffee or tea. Deciding whether to send a child to public or private school can be a tough choice for parents of elementary, middle and high school students. Data on whether public or private education is better can be challenging to find and difficult to understand, and the cost of private school can be daunting. So how can parents weigh private schools versus public schools? Myra McGovern, spokesperson for the National Association of Independent Schools, says it comes down to what is best for each child. “The individual needs of the child should shape the choice for parents,” … [Read more...]
Are schools really for child care rather than education? ChatGPT answers the question
Have you used any of the "AI" chat programs to pose questions and see how it answers? We posed the question in the title of this article to one and here's what it said: That's a thought-provoking question, and it touches on a bigger debate about the purpose of public schools. At their core, schools are primarily meant for education—to provide students with the academic knowledge and skills needed to succeed in life and contribute to society. In theory, schools are places where children learn subjects like math, science, language arts, history, and more, which help them develop intellectually, socially, and emotionally. But over time, the role of schools has evolved to encompass more than … [Read more...]
Maybe We Should Stop Calling Them Schools?
This article comes to use from RealClearEducation With the recent release of The Nation’s Report Card that revealed catastrophic results in math and reading for America’s 4th and 8th graders, it’s fair to say that America’s schools are largely failing at their most basic mission. And now that the Trump administration has announced a 50 percent reduction in force at the Department of Education and taken explicit action in an executive order to unwind the cabinet-level agency as a whole, it seems like the perfect time to ask some very basic questions about the current state of school in America. The mission creep of American schools is undeniable, and if we’re being brutally honest, … [Read more...]
Opinion: ‘We are running short on cash’
This article was published at ClarkCountyToday.com On Jan 7, 2025 Clark County residents Dick Rylander and Larry Roe offer the first of a series of columns on funding for public schools Dick Rylander & Larry Roe for Clark County Today Washington State public schools are at the center of a financial bubble and standing at the precipice of failures. As a state we have promoted the institution of public schools as the vehicle to improve our community. Pundits have jumped on board to promote platforms for advocates to suggest many education programs that will make our schools and our communities better (S.E.L.; PBIS; Common Core, DEI and other programs). Our politicians have … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 5
- Next Page »