This year’s back to school night was a nightmare and “No spelling test!” was the tip of the iceberg. When administrators at back-to-school night said “spelling is not important enough to be tested"; ...

This month, I went to school for parent-teacher conferences. My second-grader’s self-evaluation form listed several categories: “I follow directions,” “I understand math,” “I like to read,” and one we ...

This month, I went to school for parent-teacher conferences. My second-grader’s self-evaluation form listed several categories: “I follow directions,” “I understand math,” “I like to read,” and one we ...

ASKED WHY? THE PENN MANOR SCHOOL DISTRICT RECENTLY ANNOUNCED TRADITION SPELLING TESTS WILL SOON BE A THING OF THE PAST. PROBABLY WHAT A LOT OF US REMEMBER. SO PRETEST PRACTICE THE WORDS ALL WEEK.

Last week, I went to school for parent-teacher conferences. My second-grader’s self-evaluation form listed several categories: “I follow directions,” “I understand math,” “I like to read,” and one we ...

This research-established practice is based on a grade-by-grade developmental spiraling curriculum. There is, to my knowledge, no independent empirical research to show that sorting words to "discover ...

Abby McCloskey is a columnist, podcast host, and consultant. She directed domestic policy on two presidential campaigns and was director of economic policy at the American Enterprise Institute. This ...