Elmo Learns the Drums, With Help from Teachers College

On Monday, August 11th at 12 noon, PBS (WNET Channel 13) aired a new episode in which Elmo, the fuzzy red children's icon on Sesame Street, displays his new rhythmic chops. Two of TC Professor Lori Custodero's students -- pianist Patrice Turner and saxophonist Josh Renick -- appear on-screen. The show will repeat on WNET on Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 7 a.m. It aired on WLIW Channel 21 on Aug. 11th at 9 a.m., and on NJN in New Jersey on Aug. 12th at 9 a.m.  Published: 8/8/2008

Minority Report: TC's Aaron Pallas Finds a Good News/Bad News Scenario

The New York Sun reports that a group led by TC faculty member Aaron Pallas has found that the test scores of black and Hispanic students in New York City have risen during the Bloomberg era -- but that the gap that separates them from white students remains as wide as ever.  Published: 8/5/2008

Weingarten Educates Reporters at Hechinger Seminar

Randi Weingarten, newly elected President of the American Federation of Teachers, spoke with education reporters at the annual seminar for new education reporters held by TC's Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media.  Published: 7/29/2008

Teachers College to Partner with 10 Public Schools in Harlem

Teachers College has received a $5 million grant from the GE Foundation to create an intensive new partnership with a group of 10 public schools in Harlem.  Published: 6/30/2008

To Abort or Not in a Down Syndrome Pregnancy? A TC Student Opines in Newsday

More than 90 percent of all Down syndrome pregnancies are terminated. Valerie Karr, who studies international perspectives on the rights of persons with disabilities, argues we are losing something very precious.  Published: 7/10/2008

Do NYC's Test Scores Really Show Progress?

Writing in The New York Sun, TC faculty member Luis Huerta questions the rise in test scores for New York City public school students announced by the Mayor at the end of June. Arguing that "claims by Mr. Bloomberg linking the rise in scores with both the influx of new dollars from the state and the city's revamped accountability reforms may be premature," Huerta and his colleague, Bruce Fuller of the University of California, call for measures to "depoliticize student testing."  Published: 7/8/2008

Breaking Faith with NYC's Schools

Michael Rebell, Executive Director of the Campaign for Educational Equity, based at Teachers College, argues in the New York Daily News that proposed cuts to New York City's 2009 public school budget would hurt students and undermine the agreement that brought an additional $5.2 billion annually into the system.  Published: 5/27/2008

Fuhrman Calls for Focus on Education in Presidential Campaign

In a commentary piece in the May 7th issue of Education Week, TC President Susan Fuhrman argues that it is time for the presidential candidates to make education a major issue in the campaign -- and to offer policy solutions to specific problems.  Published: 5/7/2008