The DreamBox Learning Blog

There is a quote from Thomas Carruthers that I had for years attached to my e-mail signature. He said, “A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.” Just as teachers need to guide and shape learning for our students, we also need to embrace a shift in our locus of control to our students. [...]

Recently a friend sent me this inspiring link to a story about a Charter school in Chicago. Urban Prep Academy for Young Men had a goal to have every student accepted to college — and they did it!  It seems one of the strengths of successful charter schools is being able to identify clear goals [...]

A recent newspaper article on drafting Common Education Standards had me thinking about screws, widgets, standard gauge railways and whether even those politicians with the best of intentions really get what it means to provide a child with an appropriate - and timely - education.

There’s no question that a strong foundation in algebra is one key to raising academic standards, increasing the competitiveness of our future workforce and opening doors to broader career choices for students.

Dear Mr. President, A week ago you stood in front of the nation and spoke the following words: “That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood . . . our schools fail too many . . . [But] we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.” We at DreamBox Learning welcome your words.

Edu-tainment was initially envisioned to be the perfect hybrid between education and entertainment. In the abstract, the idea that educational software could be equally effective and engaging remains a good one. Most edu-tainment companies, however, got the mixture wrong and thus never fully realized this promise.

Let me begin by encouraging you to read this Washington Post article on the failings of homework. For those who want the CliffsNotes, the net is that rote, unimaginative, repetitive, grinding and brutally boring homework doesn’t help. To the contrary, it actually hurts students across several fronts.

The Bellevue, Washington teachers have thankfully settled their strike and are back in their classrooms. At DreamBox we followed their issues with heightened interest, not only as parents of elementary kids and educators, but as citizens of a society that badly needs children who grow up to be smart, serious, and engaged problem-solvers.

Because of rising fuel costs, some rural schools with long bus routes are considering shortening the school week to stay on budget.