Politics
Education 'group think' gets in the way of teaching kids to read
School administrators should end their obsession with average test scores and focus instead on an absolute standard: Can each child actually read?
Dick Lilly
Dick Lilly is a former Seattle Times reporter who covered Seattle neighborhoods, City Hall and public schools during 14-years with the paper. From 1999 until his retirement in 2015, he worked for Seat
Latest work
Politics
Gregoire's educational reforms: good luck on that
The need for integrated programs is strong, but it's far from clear that Gregoire's plan will yield results.
Politics
Discussion of school test scores gets stuck on agendas
The response to another dismal performance on international math and science tests by U.S. high school students predictably ranges from attempts to explain away the differences to cries of alarm about our schools. Neither approach really answers what Americans should do.
Politics
Obama's tax-cut deal signals a future of class warfare in the U.S.
A shift of power toward the wealthy and corporations is the result of 40 years of conservative and libertarian campaigning, and it's likely to continue.