Idea of the day: longer and more school days

The AP reports that the Obama administration is proposing a longer school year and longer school days.  Children in other nations, says Obama and the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, spend up to 30% more time in school.  America needs to align itself with the international norm. As someone who spent all of her elementary [...]

The ethics of giving money to Harvard

Randy Cohen, aka the Ethicist at the New York Times, had an interesting post on his blog about whether it is moral to give money to Harvard.  The short answer: don’t bother.  In Cohen’s words, it’s like offering “more pie to a portly fellow while the gaunt and hungry press their faces to the window.” [...]

Child left behind

I wonder in what way can law and policy improve our education system. What can law accomplish in this arena, and what are its limits?