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Likely round 2 RTT applicants
The Department has released the list of states intending to apply in round 2 of RTT.
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RTT legislation in CT
Reform legislation is on its way to the governors desk in CT. It wouldn't have happened with the outstanding reform organization ConnCan.
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School Choice: A Hot Topic
Charles Murray's New York Times op-ed on the merits and limitations of charter schooling coincided quite well with Fordham's event yesterday on the very same topic.
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Literary Study in Grade 9, 10, and 11 in Arkansas
Sandra Stotsky, Christian Goering, David JolliffeUniversity of ArkansasSpring 2010
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The Endurance of Centralized Governance Systems in an Age of School District Decentralization
Heather Schwartz, Columbia UniversityFord Foundation Project on Choice District GovernanceJanuary 2010
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College and Career Ready: Helping All Students Succeed Beyond High School
David T. ConleyJossey-Bass2010
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Still troubling bed partners
Not long ago, I laid hold of this space to voice my concern that private foundations are getting entirely too palsy-walsy with Uncle Sam—and that he’s doing his ardent utmost to draw them into an intimate embrace.
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Don't get your culottes in a twist
The New York Times is making a habit of putting charter schools on the front page.
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5, 6, 7, 8, reformers learn to advocate
It wasn’t so long ago that reformers were regularly out-hustled by the education establishment. While we were mostly putting out white papers and writing op-eds, they were making campaign donations and marching on statehouses. Unfortunately, our compelling ideas were no match for their raw political power.
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Duncan to parents: Look in the mirror
The issue of parental involvement is vexing for education reformers. Everybody knows that it matters, but nobody really knows how to encourage it. In a free society, how do schools, or governments, make sure that parents provide the love, attention, discipline, nurturing, and care that their kids need to succeed? The short answer is: they can't.
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Now that's a good investment
JPMorgan Chase announced yesterday that it is providing $325 million to support charter schools. It appears that the funding will be sent through local partners that help charters access facilities.
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Strange LA TImes editorial
This editorial from the LA Times has me scratching my head. It makes it sound like California made a deal with the Department of Education regarding its RTT application. The claim is that ED has agreed to consider CA's application even if the state only has a couple districts signing on.
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Quotable and notable
?I don't know of another time when we've done as much education reform in Connecticut as we've done tonight..? ? Connecticut State Representative Jason Bartlett ?Spurred by the Lure of Federal Aid, House Approves Major Education Reforms,? Connecticut Mirror
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More damage control from Arne Duncan
The campaign continues to dispel the myth that ?stakeholder buy-in? is the key to winning Round Two of Race to the Top.
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Quotable and notable
?We've never had an agreement fully implemented.? ? George Parker, President, Washington (DC) Teachers, on the new DC teachers contract
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Quotable and notable
?We're never going to be like France, where the education minister can look at his watch and tell you what every fourth grader is doing.??Terry W. Hartle, Senior Vice President at the American Council on Education
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CA's RTT mistake
Like Connecticut before it, California learned the wrong lesson regarding its rejected round one RTT application.
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Rick Hess on Cleveland's ?Sound of Ideas? show
This morning Rick Hess, Fordham friend and director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, was a guest on the Sound of Ideas show on Cleveland's public radio station, WCPN (tune in around minute 34:00).
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Education news nuggets
Some of today's news makes me happy (like Deborah Gist making Time's Top 100, graduation going green
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Quotable and notable
?I think this is full of baloney.? ? Andrew Pallotta, Executive Vice President, New York State United Teachers
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Commencement challenge down to three
Today, the White House announced the three finalists in the Race to the Top Commencement Challenge: Clark Montessori Junior & Senior High School?(Cincinnati, OH) Kalamazoo Central High School (Kalamazoo, MI)
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Education news nuggets
President Obama announces his Teacher of the Year just as we gear up for Teacher Appreciation Week.
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Quotable and notable
?Teachers should speak good grammar because kids pick up on what they hear.? Where you draw the line is debatable.? ?Johanna Haver, English-language immersion proponent
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Is this really happening?
A major Chicago voucher program is gaining steam in the Illinois legislature. This is highly unexpected but absolutely fantastic.
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Is this really happening?
A major Chicago voucher program is gaining steam in the Illinois legislature. This is highly unexpected but absolutely fantastic. The city can continue to support the district's reform efforts, expand chartering, and give kids options in the private schools sector as well.
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Last chance to vote in the White House Commencement Challenge!
Just a reminder that today is the last day to vote for the White House's Race to the Top Commencement Challenge. The winning high school will receive a visit from President Obama where he will speak at their commencement.