We want to thank Gadfly readers who gleefully joined our Name that Union! contest. First off, we acknowledge the many NEA members who supplied their own descriptions of their organization - and expressed their displeasure with us. Welcome to the Gadfly, and we sincerely hope you keep reading.
Encouraged by the success of his recent bestseller The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman has finished a new book, The World Is Even Flatter Than I Thought! Excerpts appeared in last Sunday’s Times under the headline “Prostrate world book holds promise for infinite citations.” And, indeed, pundits have already begun invok
GreatSchools, which has no use for the spacebar, seeks a program director. Information is here.
The Lexington Institute, a Northern Virginia-based free-market think tank, seeks an executive assistant to support the CEO and senior scholars. Duties include correspondence, database management and serving as receptionist. PowerPoint proficiency is a must.
We know we keep reminding you, but it's because we can't contain our excitement! "From Brown to 'Bong Hits': Assessing a Half-Century of Judicial Involvement in Education," is less than one week away! This, truly, is momentous.
Once you're friendly with Flypaper, hop on over to Facebook, where Thomas B. Fordham is keen to become your friend. He likes to use his minifeed to tell you about new Education Gadflies, cool events, and new reports.
Congratulations to Bill Evers, recently confirmed as assistant secretary of education for planning, evaluation and policy development. Those who don't want to be planned, evaluated or developed had best gird their loins. Bill is formidable.
This week, Mike, Rick, and guest co-host Dave DeSchryver talk about K-Fed, Argentina and Mexico, waterfalls, money, and, of course, elections. We have an interview with a real political insider (a Gadfly Show convert, to boot!), and News of the Weird is soooo dramatic.
Mike and Rick are together again. This week, they discuss indoctrination in Minnesota ed schools, the worst education ideas of the decade, and whether David will slay the 21st Century Skills Goliath. Then Amber tells us about the new NAEP TUDA results in math and Rate that Reform locks the facilities.
Education Sector is holding an event to chat about its recent report on rethinking the school day and how schools use it. It will be at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, February 7th, at the National Press Club. More info here.
Every day, sometimes several times a day, the media report more rounds of layoffs at major American firms, from Microsoft to Caterpillar to Fidelity to Macy's and beyond. But the private sector is not the only one hemorrhaging jobs in the current recession; school districts from coast to coast are letting go of employees, too.
Don’t miss this week’s edition, wherein Rick and Mike discuss Fordham’s new charter autonomy study, Duncan’s “stakeholder buy-in” mess, and the pending downfall of “last hired, first fired.” Then Amber reports on twins and teacher effectiveness, and Stafford tells Big Brother to sign up for P.E.
In catching up on local news from late last week, there were at least six news articles about school snow days in Ohio.
The New York Times has had a veritable flock of noteworthy education stories the last several days and, at the risk of bursting readers' 20 article bubble, I would recommend all five.
Okay, it's not exactly what Rupert might condone, but since he and his crew are preoccupied and because our News Nuggets shop has plenty to do, I offer some education highlights from my weekend reading:
Which of the five states competing to be America's next Education Reform Idol did the most to collective bargaining and benefits during the 2011 legislative session?
Something about Liam's post calling Boston-based Sociedad Latina's campaign for cultural training for teachers ?delusional? rubs me the wrong way. I concede his point about one thing: The Boston Globe reports that ?culturally relevant instructional practices?
Diane also proposes that Ken Kay rename??his group the "Partnership for 21st Century Skills and Knowledge." There's a reason people believe P21 is all about skills...it's in the name! And that's a wrap for today.
I'm currently on the Amtrak back from Philly, where I spoke before the education committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures. I decided to be provocative, purposely trying to raise their blood pressure a bit.
Here's a general rule: when you see sentences like the one??above, know to be very, very skeptical.
A few days ago I wondered what Secretary Duncan was planning to do to hold private schools ?accountable,? as he promised the National Urban League. I've now received word from his press shop that the word ?private?
The movie is out, the reviews are written, and now the ground game has begun.
Some reformers mistrust school boards almost as much as they despise teachers unions. It's not that they have any particular beef with democratic control of public schools. It's that they've come to see the unions on both sides of the bargaining table. That's because said unions often manage to capture the very boards with which they then negotiate.
Have you missed all of the polls and prognostications of the election season? Here's the antidote to your data withdrawal: Fordham's pick-the-next-secretary-of-education daily tracking poll!
Keys to Improving Dayton Schools, Inc. (k.i.d.s.), a non-profit organization based in Dayton, Ohio, seeks an exceptional educator to work closely in partnership with area charter schools to guide, assist, and strengthen their academic improvement efforts.
In this short video, Mike and Checker explain their latest paper: Now what? Imperatives and Options for "Common Core" Implementation and Governance.
Want to work with some of the best and brightest in education reform—and engage in some nifty research to boot? Fordham is now accepting winter/spring intern applications for our Washington, D.C. office. Learn the specifics and apply here.
It's no Fordham internship, sure, but if you had to go elsewhere, Michelle Rhee's office is it. While we mentioned last week that she's looking for summer 2009 interns, Gadfly forgot to add that she's looking for spring 2009 interns, too!
Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) is looking for a Senior Research Manager for its Strategic Data Project (SDP). This individual would help develop SDP’s analytic tools, report design, and project strategy. Do you love to crunch numbers but have great management skills, too? Find more information here.
The Core Knowledge national conference is taking place February 22-24 in Washington, D.C. Don't miss Thursday's special sessions and keynote addresses from E.D. Hirsch, Jr. and acclaimed teacher and author Rafe Esquith. They also have a nifty panel moderated by Diane Ravitch.
