Teaching knowledge and vocabulary helps students learn, but education professors prefer "engagement" to learning.

Doing what works -- and avoiding fads and ideology -- would improve learning dramatically.

Schools want to teach "critical thinking" without teaching knowledge. It can't be done.

"Back to basics" won't help Northern schools catch up to Southern Surge states in reading. It takes a lot more.

Reading comprehension is based on decoding, vocabulary and knowledge, say "science of reading" advocates.

How Louisiana is raising reading scores and hoping to improve math achievement.