Now out from Columbia University Press is Rick Kahlenberg's long-awaited biography of Al Shanker, Tough Liberal. It's a fine, thoughtful, balanced, and readable work that serves as the first major appraisal of the late union leader's remarkable place in 20th-century American history--and not only in education.
Mike and Rick talk shop about The Pledge to America, Mark Zuckerberg, and Arne’s quixotic quest to hire more teachers. Amber takes a closer look at the Vanderbilt merit pay and Stafford votes to fine truants for her final Rate that Reform.
The SEED Foundation is looking for a Director of New Schools Development who will lay the groundwork for SEED's efforts to establish a school in Ohio. Click here to learn more.
Gladfly was stunned by all the puff pieces written on the occasion of Secretary Spellings’s first anniversary in office (see here, for instance). But we almost fainted when we walked by a newsstand the other day and glimpsed her picture on the cover of Yoga Journal.
Ohio Governor Fred Lenientland, still high from accolades for his bold state-of-the-state address ("Free Buckeye Tix for All Senior Citizens!"), has upped the ante again. His latest initiative? Educating young slum-dwellers in Bangladesh and China.
How much more "international benchmarking" does American education actually need? Gary W. Phillips's inspired new study of how U.S. states and (some) districts are doing vis-à-vis the rest of the world suggests that we already have a heckuva lot of performance information available right under our noses.
The Broad Center is seeking a managing director for the Broad Residency in Urban Education. The ideal candidate has a track record of producing results by building systems and organizational capacity and a passion for developing the next generation of leaders who help transform K-12 public education.
High school baseball coaches across the country are perplexed: Where did their best players go? Seems all the boys are on the golf course, trying their hand at a sport that has caught on overnight with the adolescent set.
"Breaking news: Google slips from number 1 to number 4 on Fortune's list of best companies to work for. Who's the new subject of every employee's dreams? The Thomas B.
The Beginning with Children Foundation, a charter school operator in New York City, seeks a Director of Educational Programs who will lead the Foundation's programmatic activities and coordinate implementation of its learning model. Applicants should be experienced in the field and have, among other requirements, at least fifteen years of experience in primary or secondary schools.
Diane Ravitch's June 7 Gadfly article took the New York City Department of Education to task for hyping the most recent reading scores for students in grades 3-8.
Interested in piquing the learning of the little tike in your life? Look no further than Dorothy Rich's MegaSkills books, which provide unique strategies for improving children's educations.
The Broad Superintendent Academy is proud to announce the graduating class of 2008.
Some things are just not surprising: Mark McGwire’s steroid usage, the incompetency suit against Octomom’s fertility doctor, and states backing off graduation test requirements in res
Are you an education entrepreneur looking for help to incubate your ideas? You might be a perfect candidate for The Mind Trust's Education Entrepreneur Fellowship. It offers the support and financial backing to help launch and maintain break-the-mold education ventures with a full-time annual salary of $90,000 for two years, benefits, and customized training.
GreatSchools.net is looking for a managing editor to lead a team of writers, editors, and data analysts to develop content on GreatSchools.net that helps parents choose schools, guide their children's education, and improve school in their communities. To learn more, or to apply, click here.
This week, Mike and Rick question Kazakh journalism, Washington consensuses, the Midwest, and airline pay scales. Our interview is, like, hot, and News of the Weird reports from across the pond. Happy Thanksgiving!
Alaska is the first state to be granted flexibility under the U.S. Department of Education’s growth-model pilot program, and those who support NCLB’s tough accountability measures are alarmed. Alaska’s system measures growth—literally.
The winter 2009 edition of Education Next is here. Luckily, you can fill your Gadfly-less Thanksgiving with some of this meaty reading material.
If you couldn't watch Monday's spectacular panels (introducing A Byte at the Apple) live (either in person or via our streaming webcast), don't fret.
Mike and Rick talk sharp implements, Fryer's student pay-out scheme, and keeping elusive superintendents in their jobs... more than three years. (Rick's solution? Manacles.) Amber questions the methods of the highly anticipated college admissions tests study and Rate that Reform plays with needles--used ones.
The city of Ardmore - the center of business and trade for Southern Oklahoma, framed by the rugged beauty of the Arbuckle Mountains to the north and Lake Murray to the south - seeks a new director of Student Achievement.
The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) is a project of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, established to provide educators, policymakers, and the public with a central, independent, and trusted source of scientific evidence of what works in education.
TFA seeks to fill two posts: one is a senior position (VP for Research and Public Affairs), and the other would be a good fit for a recent college graduate interested in education policy (it combines the duties of an office manager and a research assistant--email
The Center for Charter Schools at Central Michigan University (motto: "Passion, Commitment, Integrity") will be incomplete until it finds a new associate director. Candidates should, of course, be strong supporters of charter schools, but they should also be serious about the role of authorizers.
Around the Fordham office, we've got decent writers and thinkers aplenty. Trouble is, none of us can add. We're looking to hire an Accounting and Office Manager. Do you have experience in financial and accounting practices and an understanding of office administration?
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.
The American Enterprise Institute's Rick Hess authors a monthly "Education Outlook." The august August issue is about mayoral control and well worth reading.
Rick Hess has yet another new book out--When Research Matters: How Scholarship Influences Education Policy. And you can listen to a distinguished panel discuss its findings at an American Enterprise Institute event on Thursday, February 7th, at 10:30 a.m.
This week Mike, and not-really-a-guest-but-semi-regular-co-host Andy Smarick, discuss the English teacher practice of letting students pick their own reading material, the new Boston Parent University, and performance pay for Los Angeles top school officials. Then Amber tells us about a new Ed Next study on the Obama Effect and Rate the Reform gets swine flu.
