Commentary
An immodest proposal
Over the past decade, Detroit's population has declined by 25 percent. Since its heyday in 1950, the city has contracted by about 40 percent.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Let's talk about education reform
The Republican presidential field is beginning to take shape, and candidates and maybe-candidates are figuring out where they stand and what to say. Sooner or later, they will need to say something about education. May we suggest a few talking points? Or, better yet, a potential speech for a GOP candidate? ***
Commentary
Charter Schools, Curriculum & Instruction
Tech school, private school, and those damn reformers
Today's Times (unless you read it online yesterday or the day before), covers some fertile educational ground in three important arenas.
Commentary
Education news nuggets
Through the ages, intellectually engaged man has asked, ?Is there life after collective bargaining???a question that may gain newfound relevance if you suddenly find yourself close to <
Commentary
Advice for Chairman Kline on "Flexibility": Call Democrats' bluff
House education chairman John Kline released a bill yesterday that would provide "unprecedented" flexibility for states and local school districts around how they spend their federal ed
Commentary
Quotable & notable
?Now where do we go? Where do we go?? * ?Maria Ariston, Former Teacher at Apple Grove Elementary in Prince George's County, Maryland
Commentary
Commentary
Finn discusses ATL cheating scandal
Chester Finn, president of the Fordham Institute, was a guest on the Willis Report on Fox Business last night. The topic? The cheating scandal in Atlanta.
Commentary
Beware of rankings
Over at The American Interest, Walter Russell Mead asserted a few weeks back that ?when it comes to education, red states rule.? He bases this finding on data collected for Newsweek's recently released high school rankings.?
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Salamat at Paalam*
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Photo by The Mechanical Turk"][/caption]
Commentary
Understanding upper-middle-class parents
The June issue of The American Spectator carries a thoughtful--though ultimately unpersuasive--article by Lewis Andrews, "Meet the Suburban Parents." Like legions of activists and analysts before him, he ponders why upper-middle-class parents haven't rallied to the cause of school reform. [quote]
Commentary
Quotable & notable
?While the days when students had to write ?I must not cheat? 300 times on the blackboard are gone, their teachers now have to do the equivalent so that the New York State Education Department can monitor how they score student answers.? *
Commentary
Education news nuggets
From 2am homework panic to boring lectures, today's students appear to have been dealt a bad hand.
Commentary
Podcast: Speaking Latin and Pig Latin
Mike volleys with special guest Checker Finn in this week's podcast. The topics they serve up? Education governance, cheating on standardized tests, and the NEA's ?reform? efforts. Amber slams an ace with a new NBER study. And Chris calls a fault on one school's no-pix policy. [powerpress]
Commentary
Poor little rich student: Different schools for different kids?
I wanted to offer a curricular observation about Mike's Understanding upper-middle-class parents since he raised the issue of whether ?different kids need different schools.??
Commentary
Tiger Moms Anger: South Korea Tries to End Saturday School.
It would be ironic if America's world-wide cultural domination ? music, fashion, film, technology ? included its dumbed down school ethos. That's what it looks like is happening in South Korea, as the government there announced the country's abandonment of Saturday school.
Commentary
Meet those who tweet
This morning, Education Next published my latest "what next" column, "All A-Twitter about Education." In it, I report on the Twitter phenomenon and how it's impacting the education "war of ideas."
Commentary
Understanding the upper-middle-class
The June issue of The American Spectator carries a thoughtful--though ultimately unpersuasive--article by Lewis Andrews, "Meet the Suburban Parents." Like legions of activists and analysts before him, he ponders why upper-middle-class parents haven't rallied to the cause of school reform.
Commentary
Commentary
Quotable & notable
?The California Constitution requires that a free education be offered to all California students, so the definition of what exactly is a free education is where I'm a little bit (unsure).? * ?Gerry Blue, Analy High School parent
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Atlanta, still burning: The cheating scandal continues
This is getting to be an old story (see here and here), but it's an important one.
Commentary
More quality for the money
Times are tight for school budgets, which is one reason Fordham and others have dedicated new attention and energy to doing more with less. Being conscious of cost-effectiveness is about more than pinching pennies, however; it also enables schools to get the very best quality for the dollars they spend on services.
Commentary
Quotable & notable
?They say, 'You look better,' Every day is fun, and I'm working as hard if not harder than I've ever worked in my life. People see that and go, 'I want to play on that team.? * ?Paul Castro, New KIPP administrator
Commentary
Charter Schools
Democracy Prep, takeover artist
Democracy Prep is expanding in a novel way next school year ? by taking over a failing charter school at its authorizer's behest. SUNY was set to deny Harlem Day Charter School's charter but instead asked for proposals to turn the school around. Democracy Prep stepped up.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
History lesson: Where's the Declaration?
It is hard to read the Declaration of Independence without being moved by the document's plainspoken audacity, especially recalling that it wasn't then a "document," but a rather blunt call to arms.?
Commentary
Commentary
Commentary
Quotable & notable
"There are not many of you who know much about high-quality standardized tests. I know many of you can agree with me that most of our standardized tests right now are crap." * ?Becky Pringle, NEA Secretary-Treasurer
Commentary
Commentary
The "Poverty Matters" Trap
About two weeks ago, a new Twitter hashtag was born: #povertymatters. For a little over a week, hundreds of people came up with 140-character tweets that were essentially one-line zingers aimed at the policymakers?they believe are ?blaming? teachers for ?low achievement in urban schools, while ignoring the impact poverty has on students' lives and learning. Two examples: