Notebook

Why Don't Students Like School?
Because the Mind is Not Designed for Thinking
By Daniel T. Willingham

Strange as it may sound, the mind is not designed for thinking—it's designed to save us from having to think. Because thinking is slow, effortful, and uncertain, we rely on memory, not thought, to guide us whenever possible. Nonetheless, we are curious and we do like to think, so long as the issue or problem at hand is neither too easy nor too hard. (This article is available in PDF format only.)

How Can Learning Facts Make Thinking More Enjoyable—And more Effective?

Can We Make School More Enjoyable—and Effective—for "Slow" Students Too?

From Picket Line to Partnership
A Union, A District, and Their Thriving Schools
By Jennifer Dubin

The labor-management partnership in California's ABC Unified School District has brought teachers and administrators together to focus on improving student achievement, especially in the schools with the neediest students. The results are impressive, as is these leaders' committment to collaboration. (This article is available only in PDF format.)

Rethinking Accountability

When accountability is based soley on numerical outcomes like test scores, goal distortion is all too common. To prevent unintended consequences—such as narrowing instruction or focusing on students scoring just below proficient—states ought to conduct inspections, not just of schools, but of all youth development organizations. (These articles are available only in PDF format.)

What's Wrong with Accountability by The Numbers? 
By Richard Rothstein

Grading Education
By Richard Rothstein, Rebecca Jacobsen, and Tamara Wilder

Purposeful, Playful Pre-K
Building on Children's natural proclivity to Learn Language, Literacy, Mathematics, and Science
By Tanya S. Wright and Susan B. Neuman

Research shows that young children have a natural proclivity to learn language, literacy, mathematics and science. But just what does excellent prekindergarten instruction in these domains look like? Here's a hint: it's carefully planned, but involves plenty of free and structured play. (This article is available only in PDF format.)