For the past ten years, the expression “positive education”, often linked to benevolence, has been a great success, whether with school institutions or families. A whole series of variations is possible: positive parenting, positive authority or positive discipline. Although its definition is yet to be done, it already appears that it is above all a question of respect […] … learn more→

The families of young children who emigrate to another country, who are going to spend a long season abroad or are composed of mixed couples in which each parent has a different mother tongue end up inevitably asking the same question: When is the best time to start teaching a second language to our children? […] … learn more→

When it comes to news literacy, schools often emphasize fact-checking and hoax-spotting. But as I argue in my new book, schools must go deeper with how they teach the subject if they want to help students thrive in a democratic society. As a new poll shows that Americans struggle to know if the information they find online is […] … learn more→

In recent weeks, Australian universities’ commitment to teaching Australian literature has come under scrutiny. This came amid revelations Sydney University has withdrawn funding from its Chair of Australian Literature – the nation’s first. Later news of the possible closure of UWA Publishing compounded anxiety about the future of Australian literary studies. An article in The Australian newspaper noted there is […] … learn more→

Australian teachers are in the thick of producing end-of-year reports. In many schools, the report writing process begins several weeks – or even months – before reports are eventually released. This process has significant costs, including time spent away from teaching. For the past three years, the Australian Council for Educational Research has been investigating how effective […] … learn more→

In a survey of a representative sample of 8,214 K-12 teachers on their personal assessment of the causes of school failure (published in 2019), we were struck by expression of powerful cleavages between those who “go forward”, and the nostalgic of a “school order”, in their eyes, as well as by the great suffering of all teachers […] … learn more→

As the first person to hold the new role of Surgeon General of California, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris is pushing an unprecedented plan to implement universal screenings for childhood trauma within the state’s schools. Childhood trauma is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health as an “emotionally painful or distressful” event that “often results in lasting mental and […] … learn more→

More penal system decision-makers are experimenting with training programs that reduce recidivism and supply talent for woefully understaffed technology fields. Companies already have problems meeting the demand for skilled technical talent, and analysts forecast that the need for computer programmers will grow by 27% by the year 2024, according to an A&E expose. By teaching […] … learn more→

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner has performed a miracle – she has managed to get journalists and politicians talking about the need for adult education. Her passionate speech in Blackpool, and interview on the BBC’s Today programme, asserted Labour’s plans for a radical expansion of lifelong learning. In doing so, she stimulated national interest in an educational policy […] … learn more→

With few exceptions, the various Democratic plans for public education share a common theme: more funding, less privatizing. Candidates Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders have promised to dramatically increase or triple current federal funding for low-income students and curtail charter school growth. Elizabeth Warren recently went even further, promising to quadruple federal funding for low-income students and end federal funding […] … learn more→