The Progressive Policy Institute recently released a pair of brief policy reports that deserve your attention. Noting that the establishment has long protected the status quo by labeling change-agents "anti-public education," Frederick Hess advances a framework for thinking and talking about ways whereby schooling can preserve our "shared heritage of liberty and community" while focusing on what's best for kids, not the public education system. Jonathan Crane offers a plug for value-added testing, explaining why it's likely to make NCLB more effective, boost teacher quality, and help determine which school reform models actually work. Hess's "Making Sense of the 'Public' in Public Education," is available at www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=110&subsecid=134&contentid=251034; Crane's "The Promise of Value-Added Testing" can be found at http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=110&subsecid=136&contentid=251035.
