Education News From Around the Web

New York City Abandons Teacher Bonus Program. New York Times: "The decision was made in light of a study that found the bonuses had no positive effect on either student performance or teachers’ attitudes toward their jobs." Teacher Grading System Passes. Wall Street Journal: "The city Department of Education and the teachers union have agreed on a teacher evaluation system at 33 failing schools that will for the first time use individual student progress to measure the performance of educators. " 'Parent trigger' rules adopted for low-performing schools. Orange County Register: "The 'parent trigger' rules will allow a majority of parents at low-performing schools to petition school districts for major changes that include adding intervention programs, removing the principal, replacing staff, converting the campus to a charter, or closing the school altogether." How Khan Academy is Changing the Rules of Education. Wired News: "The idea is to invert the normal rhythms of school, so that lectures are viewed on the kids’ own time and homework is done at school. It sounds weird, Thordarson admits, but this flipping makes sense when you think about it. It’s when they’re doing homework that students are really grappling with a subject and are most likely to need someone to talk to."