A primer on right-to-work and collective bargaining in education
Dara Zeehandelaar Shaw, Ph.D.Michigan officially became the 24th right-to-work state in the nation—an astounding turn of events in a former bastion of collective bargaining. So what does this mean for teacher unions?
First Bell 12-12-12
Pamela TatzA first look at today's education news: Michigan becomes a right-to-work state, the news media is confused about the most recent international test scores, and more
School re-districting in the name of diversity: A cure worse than the malady
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Mike has written a terrific book, and his ideas are always worth pondering. But this one ain’t so great.
First take on Race to the Top-District results
This afternoon, Sec. Duncan announced the winners of RTTT-D. The results are quite surprising.
First Bell: 12-11-12
Pamela TatzA first look at today's education news: The latest international achievement exams are open to interpretation, WSJ profiles School of One, and more
Strategies for Smarter Budgets and Smarter Schools
Nathan LevensonThis new policy brief by Nathan Levenson, Managing Director at the District Management Council and former superintendent of Arlington (MA) Public Schools, offers informed advice to school districts seeking to provide a well-rounded, quality education to all children in a time of strained budgets. Levenson recommends three strategies: prioritize both achievement and cost-efficiency; make staffing decisions based on student needs, not student preferences; and manage special-education spending for better outcomes and greater cost-effectiveness.
The Diverse Schools Dilemma on the air and on the net
Pamela TatzHere’s a roundup of recent and forthcoming media attention that Mike Petrilli's new book, the Diverse Schools Dilemma, has garnered.
First Bell: 12-10-12
Pamela TatzA first look at education news from this weekend and today: Thirty-three NY schools may lack basic resources, Randi Weingarten promotes a bar exam for teachers, and more
First Bell: 12-7-12
Pamela TatzA first look at today's education news: American students bomb the vocabulary section of a national reading exam, the U.S. Dept of Ed announces the winners of the latest early-childhood Race to the Top grants, and more
Bar Exam for Teachers?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The AFT's new and much-ballyhooed proposal, contained in a report titled Raising the Bar, revives the Shanker-era idea of a “bar exam” for entering teachers
College Board snags Gates veteran Stefanie Sanford
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Veteran Gates "advocacy" chief Stefanie Sanford will join David Coleman as the College Board's new head of policy, advocacy, and government relations
First Bell: 12-5-12
Pamela TatzA first look at today's education news: Common Core pilot in Chicago school is successful, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation awards $25 million for fostering collaboration between charter schools and traditional public schools, and more
Thank you, Diane Ravitch, but…
Peter MeyerIf Ms. Ravitch herself aimed to be self-critical and honest in the matter of the best interest of students, she would need to examine the public school model that she has, of late, been trumpeting
First Bell: 12-4-12
Pamela TatzA first look at today's education news: Report finds that nearly 6.5 million U.S. teens and young adults are neither working nor in school, English Common Core State Standards spark debate over fiction and nonfiction, and more
Solipsism generation
Chester E. Finn, Jr.It isn't going to be easy for David Coleman and his fellow authors of the Common Core English/Language Arts standards to wean U.S. students off writing about themselves.
First Bell: 12-3-12
Pamela TatzA first look at education news from this weekend and today: Five states to add 300 hours of learning time to some school calendars, state judge shoots down Louisiana's school-voucher program, and more
"Common Ground," the DIY-version
Guest-blogger Paul Basken's take on the Diverse Schools Dilemma
Salman Khan, Luddites, Bill Buckley, and online content
The middle path to technology in education
Map: Charter-school penetration by city
Michael J. PetrilliA picture is worth a thousand words--the bigger the dot, the bigger the charter-school market share
First Bell: 11-30-12
Pamela TatzA first look at today's most important education news: Louisiana rejects all math and reading textbooks that do not comply with Common Core (which is all of them), study says that states' inability to share data hampers education, and more
First Bell: 11-29-12
Pamela TatzA first look at today's most important education news: Group threatens to sue New York State for $5 billion in owed funding to districts, Illinois to extend school-closing deadline, and more
First Bell: 11-28-12
Pamela TatzA first look at today's most important education news: a highly-regarded Stanford study finds NJ charter-school students perform better than their peers in traditional public schools, Thomas Friedman supports Arne Duncan for Secretary of State, and more