Texas has had its share of headaches when it comes to testing.  Does anyone else remember the TECAT?  That was a test that every Texas teacher had to take to keep on trucking.  It was an absurd, expensive ordeal where teachers were treated like cattle because lawmakers weren't sure that they were educated enough ...

A video on the growing dilemma of how to successfully educate middle schoolers discusses doing away with middle schools altogether.  One possibility is to keep students in elementary school through the 8th grade.  Another choice is to house 6th through 12th graders ...

A group of parents are not happy about the decision to discontinue separate classes for their children.  On washingtonpost.com A plan to phase out Montgomery County's secondary learning centers, programs in eight middle and high schools that teach special education students in separate classes, is meeting with determined resistance ...

You can recommend your middle school for a place on the top list of middle schools that is being compiled for The Washington Post Magazine by contacting Jay Mathews at washingtonpost.com and letting him know why you think your school is one of the best.  Although he is mainly focusing on the D.C. area, he is hoping to identify ...

President Bush plans to seek renewal of the No Child Left Behind law for another five years.  An article on CNN.com reminds us that education will be a big focus when lawmakers meet on Monday.  Bush expects to have support from both Democrats and Republicans. The law aims to ensure that all children can read and do math at ...

The ongoing dilemma about where to house and how to motivate middle school students is back in the news on newyorktimes.com.  As any parent with a child this age will tell you, middle school students are an unusual lot.  They come in a variety of sizes with all sorts of interesting personalities.  If you teach them ...