Choice for grown-ups at least
Guest post by Fordham Ohio Policy and Research Intern, Rachel Roseberry.
'Because of You,' Tony Bennett
Indiana state superintendent Tony Bennett is crooning an aggressive school reform tune these days.
Diplomas Count 2009: Broader Horizons: The Challenge of College Readiness for All Students
Editorial Projects in EducationJune 2009
NYC Schools Under Bloomberg and Klein: What Parents, Teachers, and Policymakers Need to Know
Stafford PalmieriAnn Kjellberg and Leonie Haimson, eds.Lulu.comJune 2009
The Opportunity Equation: Transforming Mathematics and Science Education for Citizenship and the Global Economy
Commission on Mathematics and Science Education, Carnegie Corporation of New York and Institute for Advanced StudyJune 2009
Retreated Placement
When it comes to the transformational power of the Advanced Placement program, Jay Mathews is a true believer. Even if students fail the test, at least they had "a chance to accustom themselves to the foot-high reading assignments and tortuous exams they will encounter in college," he explains. And if college is not on the horizon?
Fill in the blank
When the news broke last week that math scores were up across the Empire State, Gadfly's initial impulse was to be skeptical.
Jumping to conclusions
If you're a New Yorker making $500 for nine months' work, you've got a bum gig--if you aren't in elementary or middle school, that is. Indeed, some New York City fourth and seventh graders can earn up to $250 and $500, respectively, for good performance on a collection of 10 assessments.
A graduating granny
Ninety-year-old Eleanor Benz understands better than most that learning is a lifelong process. In the midst of the Great Depression in 1936, she left high school a few months shy of graduation to work and support her parents and six siblings. Then she married. And she had 15 children. And life got a little busy.
A sloping buttress
Substituting portfolios for conventional tests to assess students with special needs is hardly a new practice. But when "special needs" takes on an ever-expanding definition, Gadfly begins to wonder: Is this really about making schools look more effective than they actually are?
Which personal experiences matter?
The Obama administration has made Judge Sonia Sotomayor's life story a central part of her introduction to the nation. They have focused attention on her inspiring, only-in-America path from public housing through elite institutions of higher education to the top of the legal profession.
Duncan talks the talk but can he walk the walk?
Michael J. PetrilliI finally watched??Charlie Wilson's War last night (we have a toddler at home; we're not in the movie-theater stage of our life
Charter schools that Fordham oversees
Just in case you weren't aware ??? the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation actually acts as authorizer for six charter schools in Ohio! New Media Manager Laura Pohl and I took a trip out to Ohio last month to meet some of the kids and staff and see the schools. We had a terrific time!
Liberating Learning: Technology, Politics, and the Future of American Education
Terry M. Moe and John E. ChubbJohn Wiley & Sons2009In their latest book, Terry M. Moe and John E. Chubb complain about the slow pace of promoting technology in America's schools and they lay the blame solely at the feet of teacher union leaders.
Paying Teachers for Results: A Summary of Research to Inform the Design of Pay-for-Performance Programs for High-Poverty Schools
Robin Chait and Raegen MillerCenter for American ProgressMay 2009
Have we seen the "golden age" of school funding?
Terry RyanLast week, the Ohio Senate largely dismantled Gov. Strickland's Evidence-Based Model of school funding, which had called for new spending on public education of $2.7 billion over the next decade. The Senate has been roundly criticized by the governor, Democrats in the House and Senate and many in the state's educational establishment.
Columbus Collegiate overcomes the worst of times and is set to move on
Mike LaffertyAndy Boy received lessons in persistence, patience, and how government can operate in working up to his first day as founder and executive director of the Columbus Collegiate Academy last August.
Conference Committee can pick good ideas from both sides
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Emmy L. Partin, Terry RyanThe Senate passed its version of the fiscal years 2010-2011 biennial budget last week. In K-12 education, it largely maintained the status quo. A legislative conference committee must now marry the House and Senate versions to produce a budget that also plugs at least a $2 billion revenue shortfall by June 30.
NCLB at the Crossroads: Reexamining the Federal Effort to Close the Achievement Gap
Edited by Michael A. Rebell and Jessica R. WolffTeachers College Press2009
Wisconsin discovers cure for educational ills
Michael J. PetrilliThe Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction just released the state's preliminary school ratings under the No Child Left Behind act, and a mere 79 schools were found to be "needin
Why chartering?
As part of my book research, I've been looking back on the thinking that led to charter schooling.???? An educator named Ray Budde is often credited with originating some of the basic ideas as well as coming up with the name ???????charter schools.???????
I don't mind a few bee stings
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Bees really dislike having their hive disturbed and that's obviously true of universal-pre-school advocates, too.
Cynical or appropriately skeptical?
Michael J. PetrilliAs you may recall, last week brought news that??math scores were up across the great state of New York.??
How times change
Many people know that then-AFT head Albert Shanker gave a speech at the National Press Club in 1988 floating the idea of what eventually became known as charter schooling. But what was the response of the Reagan administration to this new idea? The following quote comes from the New York Times (April 1, 1988):
Competition in reverse
Michael J. PetrilliThose of us in the education world are used to thinking about "competitive effects" thusly: The public education system will do nothing to reform itself unless forced to do so. So we try to force it to do so by threatening to take away students, dollars, and union members by offering parents options outside of the system (via vouchers, charter schools, etc.).