Blog Archives

Mass layoffs at Education Department signal Trump’s plan to gut the agency

Mass layoffs at Education Department signal Trump’s plan to gut the agency

The Trump administration on Tuesday slashed staff at the Department of Education – firing roughly 1,300 employees – as part of its long-planned effort to eliminate the agency entirely. The move leaves the department with 2,183 employees, down from more than 4,000 at the beginning of the year. The cuts also follow recent leaks that President Donald Trump was planning […] … learn more→

Homeschooling: The Answer to School Phobia?

Homeschooling: The Answer to School Phobia?

Schools have always sought to supervise students and their teachers, with a teaching method long based on authority and discipline. However, pedagogical knowledge, psychological knowledge, public policies as well as social transformations (mass schooling, rise of individual rights, new educational expectations) have largely contributed to transforming educational standards and the way in which we interpret, […] … learn more→

5 ways schools have shifted in 5 years since COVID-19

5 ways schools have shifted in 5 years since COVID-19

The U.S. educational landscape has been drastically transformed since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered school campuses five years ago. Access to high-quality teachers and curriculum developed by teachers is shrinking, for example. Likewise, there has been a loss of emotional support for students and a decline in the school use of technology and social media. As education scholars focused on literacy practices […] … learn more→

Why frustration is necessary and can be positive for learning

Why frustration is necessary and can be positive for learning

Let’s look at the following scene: Adrian, age ten, sits down to do his math homework. After reading the first problem, he gets up angrily and shouts: “I don’t understand anything!” He then abandons the task and complains to his mother, who patiently sits down with him and explains what he has to do. It […] … learn more→

AI-detection software isn’t the solution to classroom cheating — assessment has to shift

AI-detection software isn’t the solution to classroom cheating — assessment has to shift

Two years since the release of ChatGPT, teachers and institutions are still struggling with assessment in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Some have banned AI tools outright. Others have turned to AI tools only to abandon them months later or have called for teachers to embrace AI to transform assessment. The result is a hodgepodge of responses, leaving many kindergarten to […] … learn more→

Simultaneous interpretation, better human (although with the help of technology)

Simultaneous interpretation, better human (although with the help of technology)

Can you imagine if the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima was due to a translation error? Well, this is something that has been speculated about a lot: whether the interpretation that the Japanese made of the ultimatum sent by the Americans and the use of the Japanese word “mokusatsu” influenced the course of events. Much has […] … learn more→

How to teach hope when democracy is retreating

How to teach hope when democracy is retreating

In the wake of Donald Trump’s reelection, the United States has lurched further toward a democratic crisis. Institutions once considered stable now feel precarious. The assault on truth — already well underway — has intensified, with political leaders openly flouting constitutional principles, suppressing dissent and dismantling democratic safeguards. The rhetoric of grievance and retribution has become the […] … learn more→

Trump order boosts school choice, but there’s little evidence vouchers lead to smarter students or better educational outcomes

Trump order boosts school choice, but there’s little evidence vouchers lead to smarter students or better educational outcomes

The school choice movement received a major boost on Jan. 29, 2025, when President Donald Trump issued an executive order supporting families who want to use public money to send their children to private schools. The far-reaching order aims to redirect federal funds to voucher-type programs. Vouchers typically afford parents the freedom to select nonpublic schools, including faith-based ones, […] … learn more→

The role of Mobile Apps in modernizing educational delivery methods

The role of Mobile Apps in modernizing educational delivery methods

Mobile apps have intricately woven themselves into our daily existence in the fast-paced digital world of today; they revolutionize communication, work habits, and educational pursuits. Specifically within education, mobile technology has sparked a radical shift: bridging old-school instruction with innovative digital means, rendering learning more dynamic and accessible than ever before. According to a recent […] … learn more→

Boys not only perform better in maths, they are also more confident about the subject than girls

Boys not only perform better in maths, they are also more confident about the subject than girls

There is a persistent gender gap in Australian schools. Boys, on average, outperform girls in maths. We see this in national tests such as NAPLAN, as well as international assessments. New Australian Council for Educational Research analysis by my colleague Catherine Underwood shows how boys, on average, are also more confident and positive about maths than girls. What can […] … learn more→