Weekend reads: How many hours do American teachers spend teaching?

  • One Michigan private Montessori school has begun excluding unvaccinated students, and more — including public schools — could follow. (Atlantic)
  • A long profile of Chancellor Carmen Fariña takes note of her distrust of school data, that she encourages principals to encourage their least effective teachers to “find other ways to spend their time.” (NY Times)
  • Former Vermont governor and presidential candidate Howard Dean argues that the debate over education reform, encapsulated by the debate over Teach for America, presents a series of false policy choices. (Salon)
  • What does it mean that Bronx politician Carl Heastie is now speaker of the Assembly, with significant power over the state budget? (Chalkbeat)
  • A new report from a Columbia University Teacher’s College researcher suggests that American teachers don’t spend as many hours teaching as scholars have long believed. (Slate)
  • A new study shows that elementary school is a critical point for girls to receive encouragement in math and science. (NY Times’ The Upshot)
  • Writers at a centrist think tank argue that though No Child Left Behind has deep flaws, its fundamental precepts worked and should not be abandoned. (Third Way)
  • How a controversial for-profit online charter network used legislative fine print and a “posse of lobbyists” to work around opposition and open a school in North Carolina. (Buzzfeed)
  • The U.S. Department of Education issued new guidance around how states can use School Improvement Grant funds. (Politics K-12)
  • NPR’s team of education reporters and editors talk about their favorite teachers. (NPR)