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Judging parents: Furman’s mock trial program and its enthusiastic parent support

At Furman, mock trial is serious business. The university’s program joined the American Mock Trial Association in 1995 and regularly competes (and often wins) against teams like Harvard, Davidson, and Chicago. With four or five...

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Alums join choir on Today Show

Two graduates of the Furman music program—Knox Sutterfield ’12 and Paul Thomas ‘11—were in the choir last Friday for a special performance on NBC’s “Today Show.” The 3Penny Chorus and Orchestra performed a classical take...

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Education department news, Fall 2012

Seven education majors joined professors George Lipscomb and Shirley Ritter for a presentation titled “What’s Happening in Elementary Schools in New Zealand” September 29 at the South Carolina Council for the Social Studies  conference in...

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More of the same in education?

South Carolina has devoted a tremendous amount of time and public funding in the past three decades to the accountability movement in education. Now the state has declared education still lacking and thus proposes a...

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Charter schools needs a thorough examination

There is a new report calling for South Carolina to increase the state’s investment in charter schools. But Furman education professor Paul Thomas says the state needs to consider such a move carefully. In an op-ed for The...

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Professor Thomas weighs in on education

Education professor Paul Thomas was featured in two different discussions on The New York Times “Room for Debate” website—“Testing Students to Grade Teachers: What Do We Know about Using Student Achievement Tests to Judge Teacher...

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Professor Thomas op-ed featured in Washington Post blog

An opinion piece by education professor Paul Thomas, "Are top students being shortchanged?," appeared in the "The Answer Sheet," a Washington Post blog by Valerie Strauss.

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Professor Thomas publishes op-ed on education

Education professor Paul Thomas published an op-ed in The State newspaper in Columbia. He writes that while South Carolina appears poised to opt out of the controversial and punitive No Child Left Behind law, the...

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Professor Thomas joins New York Times debate

Do social media, interactive whiteboards and other recent innovations benefit students? The New York Times asked education professor Paul Thomas to join its Room for Debate discussion on “The Frontier of Classroom Technology.” That ultimately led...

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Professor Thomas’ joins New York Times debate, provides interview for South Korean radio station

Do social media, interactive whiteboards and other recent innovations benefit students? The New York Times asked education professor Paul Thomas to join its Room for Debate discussion on “The Frontier of Classroom Technology.” That ultimately led...

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The verdict is in: “Portrait of Lady Impey” is authentic Thomas Gainsborough painting

After careful inspection by the foremost authority on English painter Thomas Gainsborough, it was determined that a painting that hangs in the home of the Furman president is indeed an original by the master himself....

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Professor Thomas writes about charter schools

In an op-ed for The State newspaper in Columbia, Furman education professor Paul Thomas asks this question:  “What are we to make of proposals to increase resources allocated to charter schools, and in effect, divert resources...

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