features

Texas Hold'em
Secretary Spellings – the ace in Bush's hand
By Michelle R. Davis

The Education Governor
An interview with Florida governor Jeb Bush

The Lucy Calkins Project
Parsing a self-proclaimed literacy guru
By Barbara Feinberg

Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson
The Peyton Manning of charter schools
By David Skinner

Pre-K 101
Who should control a four-year-old's education — the government or parents?
By Stephen Goldsmith and Nina Shokraii Rees

forum

Power Struggle in Los Angeles

A Murky Picture
An attempted takeover goes awry
By Daniel Weintraub

A Ray of Hope
Politics may still save L.A. schools
By Charles Taylor Kerchner

research

In Low-Income Schools, Parents Want Teachers Who Teach
In affluent schools, other things matter
By Brian Jacob and Lars Lefgren

Civics Exam
Schools of choice boost civic values
By Patrick J. Wolf

check the facts

The Confidence Men
Selling adequacy, making millions
By Eric Hanushek

from the editors

Politics First, Students Last
A well-heeled commission issues a weak-kneed report
By Paul E. Peterson

correspondence

Readers Respond
Catholic schools; teacher dispositions; private placements; teacher certification

legal beat

Adequately Fatigued
Court rulings disappoint plaintiffs
By Josh Dunn and Martha Derthick

book review

Pressure Cooker
Teens at the top pay a price
By Diane Ravitch

Three Rs and a V
Schools should teach the importance of voting
By Nathan Glazer

Book Alert

culturEd

Curriculum Wars
Ancient and Modern
By David Steiner

what next

Teacher's Little Helper
New technologies target teacher performance
By Michael J. Petrilli

school life

Confessions from the Classroom
How do teachers know they’re working hard enough?
By Katherine Newman