A By-the-E-Book Education, for $5 a Month

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/a-by-the-e-book-education-for-5-a-month

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

22 May 2013

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For-profit companies are making good private schools available even to Africa’s poor. They can do it – and can do it on an enormous scale – by hiring neighborhood residents to teach, and scripting out every word of every lesson on an e-reader.

A Team Approach to Get Students College Ready

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/a-team-approach-to-get-students-college-ready

David Bornstein

The New York Times

15 May 2013

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Blue Engine, which places recent college grads as full-time teaching assistants in New York City public schools, is helping poor students thrive in college. They focus on small teacher-student ratios, frequent feedback for teachers, and a concentration on 'gateway' courses associated with success in college.

Cities Saving States

http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/02/cities-saving-states-lagos-nigeria

Seth Kaplan

Foreign Policy

2 March 2015

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Although Nigeria "is arguably the worst-run of the world’s major countries," it's biggest city is providing a model for how to turn poor governance around. Lagos, a historically fragile city like the rest of Nigeria, has devolved more power to civilian rule, which has shown positive results for the health of the city.

Closing the Math Gap for Boys

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/01/opinion/sunday/intense-tutoring-can-close-the-math-gap.html

David L. Kirp

The New York Times

31 January 2015

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Inner-city kids, generally, fare worst on measures of academic achievement like standardized tests. An intensive tutoring and mentoring program in Chicago has produced big improvements for young boys, pairing them two-on-one with math tutors that offer homework support and educational guidance.

Cultivating a New Immigrant Narrative

https://medium.com/bright/cultivating-a-new-immigrant-narrative-8273de03537d

Diana Prichard

Bright Magazine

27 April 2015

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Half of U.S. farm workers are Hispanic, but few make it to leadership positions. A historically white non-profit, FFA, is creating equal education programs in California to increase leadership opportunities for minorities in agriculture.

For Teenage Smokers, Removing the Allure of the Pack

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/for-teenage-smokers-removing-the-allure-of-the-pack

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

1 August 2012

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Adolescent smoking remains a challenging health problem because of the allure of cigarette branding. Australia is piloting the transformation of cigarette packaging with a generic look that reduces the appeal of smoking. In Florida, the Truth campaign has exposed that cigarette companies targeted teenage consumers and, in response, created a set of new advertisements that presented the cigarette industry with transparency.

LA policy shift yields decline in school suspensions

http://www.dailynews.com/social-affairs/20150110/los-angeles-policy-shift-yields-decline-in-school-suspensions

Christine Armario

LA Daily News

10 January 2015

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Huge numbers of students were getting suspension as punishment - until there was a nationwide push to rollback zero-tolerance policies instituted after the deadly Columbine High School shootings that emphasize harsh discipline for even minor misbehavior in favor of support-focused alternatives. The idea: Cultivate communication between teachers and students by gathering in weekly circles to discuss concerns and form one-on-one “harm circles” between students, parents and counselors when conflicts arise.

Mentors have message for kids: Go to college

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mentors-have-message-for-kids-go-to-college

Katherine Long

The Seattle Times

8 February 2014

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Fewer than one in four high-school graduates in the Sedro-Woolley and Meridian school districts, for example, go to four-year colleges. Just a little over half of all graduates in surrounding districts go to college at all. Now, the schools have begun to send college students into middle schools and high schools to mentor them and excite them to go to college.

MPS looks to Oakland model to work differently with African-American boys

http://www.minnpost.com/learning-curve/2014/05/mps-looks-oakland-model-work-differently-african-american-boys

Beth Hawkins

MinnPost

5 May 2014

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African American boys were being treated less-than-equally by the Oakland Unified School District – a change of culture was implemented and the playing field leveled. Now, Minnesota is looking to adopt the same system that was started in Oakland by creating schools that are exclusively for African American males in hopes to help them reach higher standards of achievement.

iPads < Teachers

https://medium.com/bright/ipads-teachers-e51896af3930

Peg Tyre

Bright Magazine

6 April 2015

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Well-trained teachers cannot be replaced solely by technology, as has been increasingly apparent at Carpe Diem schools, where students learn largely via computers enabled with educational software.