Amanda M. Fairbanks

In Appreciation: Jason DeParle

Jason DeParle cuts to the quick. I had to re-read this sentence in Sunday's New York Times just to try and make sense of it: About six...

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10 responsesAmanda M. Fairbanks
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Does TFA Make You a Better Human?

Meet David Donaldson, a 25-year-old Teach for America corps member who teaches at a charter school in Baltimore. When he's not teaching English to...

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Education: Morning Roundup

Back to school, back to work. If you're feeling more than a little sluggish this morning, just know that upon leaving Honolulu to return to...

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What Arne Can Learn from Peter

So this hasn't exactly been the best week ever for Arne Duncan. Yesterday, Ezra Klein, David Boaz and Matthew Ygleias all excerpted the same...

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Lessons From Dubai

I think we can safely say that when we saw ski resorts being built inside of shopping malls in Dubai that something was more than a little...

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American Dreamer

Every so often, radio captures what print cannot. Meet Sam, 18, who is one of the 65,000 illegal immigrants who graduated from an American high...

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The Decade of No Progress?

Rather instantaneously, the world seems to have again shifted its focus. Since Christmas Day, when 23-year-old Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab...

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A Christmas Miracle

There was something thrilling about watching the 60 Democratic Senators pile into the Capitol before daybreak. In the quiet of the morning, it...

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Racing to the Top at $87 Per Student?

The countdown has begun. Specifically, the number of days (deadline: January 19) that states can apply for coveted Race to the Top funds. Last...

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Good Teacher, Bad Teacher

In my previous iteration, I taught sixth grade in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Of the 15 teachers on my floor, a dozen of...

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All Aboard Obama's Polar Express

Yesterday afternoon, President Obama visited a local Boys & Girls Club where he hand-delivered cookies in the shape of Bo, the first dog. He...

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The Family That Applies Together Decides Together

Maybe you spent the weekend knee-deep in snow angels. Or, after learning of Arne Duncan's 14-day holiday, vowed to give up the good fight. If...

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