#edreality check by BAM Radio Network - The Twitterati Channel

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.

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.

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?

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?