#EdReality Check

Special Report: Perhaps what's most crazy about the notion of arming teachers is how most discussions on this important issue are mostly devoid of sober, thoughtful, factual examination. On one extreme we hear rabid gun supporters encouraging schools to enter an arms race. On the other we see a visceral rejection of the idea so strong, that facts are irrelevant. We asked some educators and school security experts to really stop and think about this issue an were surprised by what we found.. We think you will be too. Gregory Thomas is former director of security of New York City Schools. Michael Dorn has worked in the field of school safety for 33 years and has published 26 books on school safety. Dr. Wm. E “Rob” Roberts, former (retired) Superintendent of the largest geographical school district in the contiguous U.S. Angela Maiers is an advocate, teacher educator, author and consultant. Steven Anderson is the Director of Instructional Technology for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Tom Whitby is founder of #Edchat, and NYSCATE Network, Nancy Blair is a school improvement consultant . a former teacher and middle school administrator. Jerry Blumengarten taught in the NYC public schools for 32 years.

Jamie Vollmer is part of a class of education advocates who come from the business world. Though many professional educators dismiss what these increasingly influential advocates have to say, Jamie's message about how to get support for education reform has captured the interest of professional educators in high places. Listen to his key ideas followed by a reality check by our panel. Jamie Vollmer is president of Vollmer, Inc., a public education advocacy firm working to increase student success by raising public support for America's schools. Jamie is the author of Schools Cannot Do It Alone: Building Public Support for America's Public Schools. He is the 2010 recipient of the Learning and Liberty award presented by the National School Public Relations Association.

The depth of discouragement among educators in the trenches is at an all-time high and cannot be overstated, says education historian Diane Ravitch. On this backdrop, the controversial practice of "value-added" teacher ratings is gaining popularity among education reformers, while further offending and demoralizing teachers. How do we balance the need to hold teachers accountable with the need to support and retain them? Are value-added ratings the solution? Jason Song covers education for the Los Angeles Times. Joy Resmovits is an education columnist at the Huffington Post. A former education researcher and Capitol Hill education aide, Alexander Russo is the author of a recent book about a dramatic school turnaround effort in Los Angeles (Stray Dogs, Saints, and Saviors). Christina Samuels writes for Education Week and Liz Willen is a senior editor at the Hechinger Report.

Steven Brill's book, Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America's Schools, has poured fresh fuel on the education reform debate. In this provocative segment, Steven speaks with a panel of his peers and offers a spirited defense of some of the most provocative ideas in the book. Listen in as we go beyond the talking points on Class Warfare. Steven Brill is the author of Class Warfare:Inside The Fight to Fix America's Schools. Valerie Strauss is an education writer at the Washington Post. Stephanie Banchero is a national education reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Richard D. Kahlenberg, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, and author of Tough Liberal: Albert Shanker and the Battles over Schools, Unions, Race and Democracy. Frederick M. Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute and pens the Education Week blog "Rick Hess Straight Up."

Digital textbooks are coming. Driven by demand for for more effective teaching strategies, the need to reduce costs and advances in technology. But will a digital divide cause a move to digital text books to expand the achievement gap? Kevin Carney is Director of Beyond Textbooks. Bethlam Forsa is Executive Vice President of Content Development and Publishing Operations at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Neeru Khosla is the Co-Founder of the CK12 Foundation. Valerie Strauss is an education writer at The Washington Post. Justin Snider is a contributing editor at The Hechinger Report and teaches undergraduate writing at Columbia University.