Author name: paulmusumba

Every year, students across the United States take standardized tests such as the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) exam. Schools, like the one where I teach in Wisconsin, rely on these assessments to evaluate student achievement and to judge teacher performance. Some educators applaud tests like the MAP, a computer-adaptive assessment that adjusts the questions in real-time […]

Online learning works best when students, families, and school communities have chosen it to meet their specific needs. A year ago, as the country was thrust into remote schooling, I found myself thrown unwittingly — and uncomfortably — into the role of “expert.” For the past decade, I’ve been a champion of online learning as

Baltimore City said it’s starting to see results from its districtwide virtual tutoring program. It was put into place to help students recover from learning loss. Now, some religious leaders are hoping it’ll continue over the summer and they’re willing to help out. It was billed as a sort of prescription for academic progress for

The class of ninth-graders that in September will enter the city’s eight “specialized high schools” — entry to which is determined solely by doing well on a standardized test — will be substantially less black and Latino than before. Per Department of Education data, black and Latino kids, who make up almost 70 percent of

Teachers unions aren’t happy, but this time, they’re mad at President Joe Biden. In February, the Biden administration released guidelines to keep standardized tests in schools. Needless to say, a lot of school administrators weren’t pleased. After all, school board officials across the country are trying to delegitimize test scores. But the administration did the right thing

In recent weeks, a growing number of students across the country have set foot in their schools, some for the first time since last March. Here’s what they said it was like to return. Maisie Robinson was so excited for her first day of kindergarten that she woke up at 2:30 a.m. to make her

Disruptions to education during the pandemic are turning people away from a profession that was already struggling to attract new recruits. Kianna Ameni-Melvin’s parents used to tell her that there wasn’t much money to be made in education. But it was easy enough for her to tune them out as she enrolled in an education

Some adaptations for hybrid classrooms, like digital manipulatives and instructional videos—will be worth keeping when all students are back in the room. During this past year, the pandemic has molded how I teach. When my school went fully online, I had to learn strategies for keeping my students motivated and engaged behind a computer. Now

A former substitute teacher who was living in his car was gifted with a $27,000 check by a former student. Jose Villarruel, lovingly known as “Mr. V” by his students, turned 77 years old on Thursday. His former student, Steven Nava, now 21, decided to arrange a celebration for Villarruel. Villarruel has served as a substitute teacher for

We are quickly approaching the one-year mark since Governor Wolf first closed schools back on March 13, 2020. Depending on where you live in the state, especially in low-income communities, your child still may not be attending school in-person. There are federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex,