A standardized test.
Thirteen years ago, Congress passed No Child Left Behind. It mandated annual standardized testing as a way to ensure that students did not fall through the cracks. Over the years, programs like Race to the Top ratcheted up the stakes, increasing pressure on teachers, schools and districts to perform. Now No Child Left Behind is up for reauthorization and some lawmakers are calling for a removal of the mandate. This would allow states more wiggle room to design their own assessment methods. Meanwhile, parents and educators are increasingly questioning the number of tests students take and what the focus on testing is doing to our school system. An update on the debate over the way we use standardized testing in America’s schools.
Rethinking leadership in the U.S. African AmericanStudies professor Eddie S. Glaude Jr. says Americans have looked to the political class to create a just democracy for too long – and it hasn't worked. In a new book he argues that we are the leaders we have been looking for and explains what that means for the 2024 election.
Menopause. Once a taboo topic, the "m" word is having a moment – among celebrities, in the media, and in Washington, where President Biden recently signed an order that supports research into women's health. Dr. Sharon Malone says it's about time, and explains why understanding "the change" is critical for a woman's ability to get – and stay -- healthy.
Donald Trump regularly ends his rallies with prayer. He has repeatedly compared himself to Jesus. And last week he started selling a version of the Bible. Robert P. Jones of the Public Religion Research Institute weighs in on Trump’s growing embrace of Christianity.
Donald Trump has made cognitive ability a central issue of the presidential race. But he rarely talks about his own family's experience with dementia. The Washington Post's Michael Kranish on Fred Trump Senior's Alzheimer's disease and what voters deserve to know about a candidate's mental fitness.