Voices

This September we have the opportunity to learn from three outstanding education leaders: Nancy Grasmick, the former superintendent of the Maryland Public Schools; David Driscoll, the former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education; and Eric Smith, the former Florida Education Commissioner.

Trustee candidates have the right to be outraged that district leaders are giving special treatment to the Boise Education Association (BEA) and its endorsed candidates.

K-12 students are increasingly coming from homes that are less white, less rural and less wealthy.

The state is changing the name of next year’s standardized test from SBAC to ISAT 2.0. Why? It’s not useful to imply that they are equivalent in an atmosphere in which excessive confusion and misinformation already exists regarding the transition from one exam to another.

Three economists agree that public education has to get smart about spending in a reality where the status quo does not measure up.

Public schools in Idaho and across the nation should not be expected to do the impossible, nor should they be condemned when they fail the impossible.

Tying federal dollars to the test results of special education students is reckless and will not improve learning. “It puts our most vulnerable students in the crosshairs of political brinkmanship.”

If breaking a key tenet of a school’s charter is allowed in the name of raising high stakes test scores, then the charter school movement is dead. Public charter schools have been assimilated into the regular public school system Borg.

Add play time, field trips, parties, technology and documentaries to the curriculum.

Democratic candidates are focused on the prosperity of children and their education, families, businesses and communities.