Newmark's Door

"How litmus tests have undermined school reform"

A reason why there's been so much reform but so little change.

"Who will really benefit from Warren's student debt plan?"

By Megan McArdle, very nicely done:

But the biggest question I have is simply: Why spend federal money on this? College graduates are the best-off people in the country, in almost every way. There are probably better candidates for new spending -- about two-thirds of the population, in fact.

"The End of Being a Duke Professor and What It Means for the Future of Higher Education"

More sad craziness from what we're pleased to call "higher education".

"How parents deal with the overwhelming reality of Charter school limbo"

Just sad.

See also "Busting the charter school myth".

"How the Other Half Learns"

I'll enthusiastically second this.

Vocational education is the better option for a substantial portion of students who will never earn bachelor’s degrees. It’s time to rethink our priorities.

"In Defense of New York City’s Elite Public High Schools"

By Jeffrey Flier, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, and Higginson Professor of Medicine and Neurobiology.

That constituency should not have to fight this political battle alone. Those of us who believe in the merit principle, and who have seen firsthand how these schools can improve the lives of the students who attend them, should raise their voice in defence of the current system.

That would include me.

Related: "The real issue on elite high school admissions".

"Everything wrong with academia in two pictures"

Well, not everything, but it's a start.

"Harvard Flinches and Admits a Few More Asians"

Coincidence? You decide.

"The growth mindset problem"

"A generation of schoolchildren is being exhorted to believe in their brain’s elasticity. Does it really help them learn?"

Short answer: apparently not so much.

"No More Emotional Support Gorillas in the Classroom?"

So very true:

We create entitlements on the assumption that they won’t be used as a weapon. But that assumption turns out to be unwarranted.