Ludger Woessmann is on Twitter now – you can follow him at Ludger Woessmann

The push for international development goals highlights importance of clear global learning metrics; listen here: stanford.io/2dqj5d3

Charter schools offer options to disadvantaged students locked in bad urban schools; the NAACP must recognize this nyti.ms/2dNdXPh

Why isn't NAACP focused on the 250 years to close the black-white achievement gap instead of prohibiting charters? stanford.io/2enQsf6

The Chicago teacher contract moratorium on charter schools leaves out the usual "this is in the interest of the children."

New PISA scores put US students behind Italy, Spain, and Russia. We cannot pretend that our education system is doing just fine.

PISA scores indicate what our future work force will look like -- and it is not competitive internationally. In long run we are in trouble.

Recent calls for expansion of vocational education need to consider possible long term lessened employability stanford.io/2kV54cc

Germany, the model of apprenticeship programs, shows falls in later life employment for vocational programs stanford.io/2kV54cc

It is hard for US teacher unions to claim they are "just for the kids" when they attack innovation in Arfrican slums on.wsj.com/2n5LTgy

It is impossible to improve an education system without knowing where the students are: bit.ly/2pruyN5

Economic development depends on skilled labor force, implying developing countries must focus on schools with data bit.ly/2pruyN5

U.S. teachers unions today organize protest in DC of World Bank's interest in quality African education. Why? stanford.io/2pNb0Wg.

With rush to vocational education, more attention must go to adaptability and future economic changes: theatln.tc/2rwpGJC

Germany is apprenticeship model, but older workers with voc training are more likely to leave labor force: lehttp://stanford.io/2kV54cc

Lack of vocational skills of grads is not most serious problem facing US workers; must consider full career concerns stanford.io/2ssOSQ7

Very serious problem to define "skills gap" in terms just of first job. More voc ed NOT solving long run skill prbm stanford.io/2tCL5jk

Apprenticeships are not route to making America great again; adaptable skills are key to growth bit.ly/2rNTcZ3

More apprenticeships could reproduce current skill mismatch of older workers The Brookings Institution stanford.io/2sipI9V brook.gs/2sn9dVf

Even Germany with world's best apprenticeship system has not solved the skill obsolescence problem brook.gs/2sn9dVf