Parallel Patterns: Teacher Attrition in Charter vs. District Schools
Amanda OlbergCharter and district teachers aren't so different, after all
Is it Just a Bad Class? Assessing the Stability of Measured Teacher Performance
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Value-added measures have their place but are no panacea
Searching for Effective Teachers with Imperfect Information
Stafford PalmieriA little teacher quality info goes a long way
"Cracking the code," or ed reformers on crack?
Michael J. PetrilliHubris alert! We don't have it all figured out yet
Movie review: Waiting for 'Superman'
Chester E. Finn, Jr.It isn't perfect, but it's well-worth the watch
An angel on charter schools' shoulders
As China calls for education innovation, Oprah takes matters into her own hands
Would a Republican Congress be good for school reform?
Michael J. Petrilli, Chester E. Finn, Jr.A party in search of a platform
Just because the sky's not falling doesn't mean your school is good
Peter MeyerFar be it from me to take on Nicholas Lemann ? former Managing Editor of the Washington Monthly, former staff reporter for the Washington Post, staff writer for The New Yorker, author of The Big Test (about the SATs), and current dean of Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism ? but?.
A Sensible Idea: Vouchers for Catholic Schools
Peter MeyerWhitney Tilson, commenting on yesterday's New York Times story on the plan to close Catholic schools, has it about right:
Education News Nuggets
Want to mentor a child? Plan on sticking around for awhile. At least ?till they make it to college.
Quotable & Notable
?Suppose for a minute that the child care industry were as well organized as the teacher's union, do you think that preschool would be considered such an unquestionably good public investment?? ?Rob Manwaring, Senior Policy Analyst at Education Sector
Another gap
?Closing the Talent Gap,? a new report from McKinsey & Company, uses data to usefully describe ideas we already know, specifically that:
?Cracking the code,? or ed reformers on crack?
Michael J. PetrilliHubris alert! My friends in the education reform community are feeling triumphant, now that Waiting for Superman is about to hit the theaters with its ?to the barricades? message. Count me as worried; just consider what happened to Adrian Fenty when he got over-confident and morally righteous.
McKinsey's "Closing the Talent Gap"
Jamie Davies O'LearyMcKinsey just released its much-awaited report, Closing the talent gap: Attracting and retaining top third graduates to a career in teaching. To those of us in the education world the findings aren't a total surprise?
?Dominick, Go Frisk ?em?**
Peter MeyerCatholic schools are back in the news as the New York Diocese prepares for what the Times is calling an ?aggressive effort to close or consolidate elementary schools?? ? as many as 30 of the 216 in the system, reports the Times.
Education News Nuggets
?The nation's approach to teaching reading is analogous to a builder laying the foundation of a house, but not following through to assist with the walls, windows, doors, and roof.? ?Bob Wise, President of Alliance for Excellent Education
Quotable & Notable
To grab your attention: maybe we don't really live in a left brain/right brain world.
It still pays
. . . to attend college. So says the College Board in a study released today that finds, according to the New York Times, that ?the pay premium for those with bachelor's degrees has grown substantially in recent years.?
Teachers won't vote Democrat this November
On the Washington Post's Answer Sheet blog, Anthony Cody, a longtime science teacher, offers some words of warning to Democrats:
Poor methodology and research cloud charter school report
Emmy L. PartinEarlier this week, Policy Matters Ohio released a report on charter school accountability, the main finding of which is that when charter schools are operated by management organizations, for-profit and non-profit alike, too often the management organizations are running the show, not the independent boards that
One Hand Clapping in Neshaminy
Peter MeyerThough it is named after a nearby creek that is thought to mean, in the language of the Lenni Lenape First Nation, ?place where we drink twice,? teachers in the Neshaminy School District, a Bucks County district somewhere between Trenton and Philly, have apparently drunk from something other than the creek.
Forget the iPad ? Get me a livescribe smart pen
Peter MeyerIt's hard to know any more how information gets packaged, but many of us still buying print were pleasantly surprised yesterday to find the New York Times magazine?opening the 3-pound Sunday Times is still a little like Christmas?devoted to education.
Quotable & Notable
?You can't be proficient at some academic tasks without having certain knowledge be automatic? you need something like drilling.'' ?Daniel Willingham, Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia
A promising future for charter schools in Dayton
Emmy L. PartinThere was a terrific editorial in Saturday's Dayton Daily News about the storied 12-year charter school history in Fordham's home town and why we can be optimistic about the future of charters there.
Don't bring that weak stuff up in here
Kevin Welner asserts that a recent blog post in which I criticized him, his organization, and his colleagues ?avoids substance? and includes a ?broad intimation?
Education News Nuggets
It's not surprising that there are health benefits for kids who walk to school, but now research indicates that it might make them smarter, too (if you can even
Quotable & Notable
?Most days I wake up and think, gosh, we've just begun to scratch the surface of issues that plague this school system.'' ?Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools