Skip to main content

Mobile Navigation

  • National
    • Policy
      • High Expectations
      • Quality Choices
      • Personalized Pathways
    • Research
    • Commentary
      • Gadfly Newsletter
      • Flypaper Blog
    • Events
    • Scholars Program
  • Ohio
    • Policy
      • Priorities
      • Media & Testimony
    • Research
    • Commentary
      • Ohio Education Gadfly Biweekly
      • Ohio Gadfly Daily
  • Charter Authorizing
    • Application
    • Sponsored Schools
    • Resources
  • About
    • Mission
    • Board
    • Staff
    • Career
Home
Home
Advancing Educational Excellence

Main Navigation

  • National
  • Ohio
  • Charter Authorizing
  • About

National Menu

  • Topics
    • Accountability & Testing
    • Advanced Education
    • Career & Technical Education
    • Charter Schools
    • Curriculum & Instruction
    • ESSA
    • Evidence-Based Learning
    • Facilities
    • Governance
    • Personalized Learning
    • Private School Choice
    • School Finance
    • Standards
    • Teachers & School Leaders
    • Think Again
  • Research
  • Commentary
    • Gadfly Newsletter
    • Flypaper Blog
    • Gadfly Podcast
  • Events
  • Scholars Program
Flypaper

First Bell: 2-6-14

Pamela Tatz
2.6.2014

A first look at today's most important education news:

  • After the initial drama surrounding the parent-trigger law, Adelanto’s Desert Trails elementary school—under a new charter operator—gets to work improving academic outcomes. (Atlantic)
  • The other day, Secretary Duncan stated clearly that the federal government has no control over curricula, strongly endorsing local choice. But Curriculum Matters observes that “even a blessing from the U.S. Secretary of Education—like ‘Hey, guys, you’re doing a great job out there!’—has people running for cover.”
  • Hechinger’s Digital/Edu blog explores whether data literacy ought to be part of teacher licensure and highlights the work of the Data Quality Campaign.
  • The Student and the Stopwatch, a report released Wednesday by TeachPlus, looks at variations in the time that school districts spend on testing, finding—among other things—that urban students tend to spend more time in testing than their suburban peers. (Fordham, Curriculum Matters)
  • Donald Graham, a former owner of the Washington Post, has launched a new $25 million college-scholarship fund for undocumented high-school graduates. (Learning the Language)
  • The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit has reinstated an Alabama law barring teacher-payroll deductions for political activity. (School Law)
Tags: Alabama

Pamela Tatz is the Fordham Institute’s editorial associate, which affords her the dual privileges of managing the Education Gadfly publication and being the resident grammar czar; she has also worked as one of the office's hard-working research interns. Before joining Fordham, she studied political science and economics at Wayne State University, where her academic interests included…

View Full Bio
Fordham Logo

© 2026 The Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Privacy Policy
Usage Agreement

National

P.O. Box 110
Burke, VA 22009

202.223.5452

[email protected]

Ohio

P.O. Box 82291
Columbus, OH 43202

614.223.1580

[email protected]

Sponsorship

130 West Second Street, Suite 410
Dayton, Ohio 45402

937.227.3368

[email protected]