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Finn on NBC
Fordham Institute President Chester Finn, Jr., appeared in an education segment last night (June 14) on NBC Nightly News.
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The Seuss bigotry of low expectations?
Pam Allyn, a literacy expert and executive director of LitWorld, penned an opinion piece in Education Week entitled ?Against the Whole-Class Novel.?
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Curriculum & Instruction
Dear Diane:
This is what I don't understand about Diane Ravitch.? After several years (more or less) of fairly relentless criticisms of school reformers, she is back to her old self today, telling the New York Times that the new NAEP history? test results are ?alarming.?? ?Well, of course, they are.
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Charter Schools
PA lawmaker: Protect districts, not kids
Pennsylvania is trying to fix a thorny problem with virtual schools. If two kids attend a virtual school, one from a high spending district that sends along $10,000 in their backpack to the virtual school, and another from low spending district that sends $6,000, the former child's district is subsidizing the latter's education. It's a tough issue.
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Could've seen this coming long ago
The New York Times has a long piece about how, because the Department of Education has now required colleges to wring more racial information from their applicants, and?because those colleges' application forms now include many more race-description options, it's become difficult for admission
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Education News Nuggets
To the class of 2011, I say remember to wear sunscreen, and can anybody sell me a pair of gloves?
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The New York MIRACLE... Continues
Or is it the shame of New York?? One can never be sure. According to Barbara Martinez in the Wall Street Journal, Gotham's four-year graduation rates are soaring, to a record 65% -- or so says Mayor Michael Bloomberg.? ?A great day for NYC? Yes and No. As Martinez says,
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Arnius Duncanus?
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Quotable & notable
?People talk about teacher effectiveness, but it really is about the principal. If you have an amazing leader and if you give them the tools, they will recruit the best, they'll sustain, retain and push out people who shouldn't be in front of kids.''
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"Slush fund" in Montgomery County schools?
The Washington Post this weekend lobbed some serious accusations at the Montgomery County Board of Education, calling recently revealed health care savings a "slush fund." This is the latest development in a battle between the school board governing this high-spending, wealthy suburban district and the County Co
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From lottery to auction
I had a conversation today with a friend, a mother of two young boys, who recently won for them, through a lottery, places in a Washington, D.C., charter school. My friend mentioned that she has been approached by several people looking to buy the spots she won; these people are offering cold, hard cash. The highest?offer so far, she said, has been $1500 per slot.
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Federalism schmederalism
In his recent post, ?Preempting the Naysayers,? Chris points out that the ELA standards of two states and one kind-of-state?California, Indiana, and Washington, D.C.?received from Fordham Institute standards reviewers higher marks than did the new Common Core ELA standards.
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Quotable & notable
?If we want to build a good system, we cannot only rely on testing at the end of learning. Testing implies that the student has finished the educational system. The most important thing is not just to see the testing results, but to pay close attention to the educational process.
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Charter schools: Let's find out what they do
In a recent post in Time Andy Rotherham asks whether it may be the ?end times for public charter schools? and he cites a number of setbacks in the charter world to whet your doubting appetites.
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Charter Schools
Charter-school hullabaloo
First came the recruitment of State Superintendent Deborah Gist; next came winning $75 million in Race to the Top (RTTT) funds. Rhode Island has been on a whirlwind track toward education reform over the past couple years. And?as one with boatloads of Ocean State pride (who doesn't love coffee milk, water fire, and Dels lemonade?)?it's been fun to watch.
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Preempting the Naysayers
We're not opposed to criticism here at the Fordham Institute. In fact, we welcome healthy dialogue involving more than just one perspective on a given issue or topic. The release of Fordham's new Standards Central online clearinghouse, a one-stop-shop for all of the Thomas B.
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Charter Schools
Charter start-ups are 4 times as likely to succeed as district turnarounds* (Note big asterisk)
An analysis released in today's Education Gadfly finds that new charter schools in disadvantaged communities are almost four times as likely to reach above-average rates of student achievement as the closest district school.
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Nothing says "gifted" like "Welcome Back, Cotter"
If you want to get re-elected, whatever you do, don't follow Rick's advice
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The qualities of a good teacher: A student's perspective
One Cristo Rey student explains her peers' views on solid teaching
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Want less fed in your ed?
Join us on June 15 for a discussion of Uncle Sam???s future role in edu-accountability
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Are Bad Schools Immortal? The Scarcity of Turnarounds and Shutdowns in Both Charter and District Sectors
Stubbornly resistant to significant change