Convergence and Contradictions in Teachers' Perceptions of Policy Reform Ideas

Learning Point Associates & Public AgendaJane Goggshall, Amber Ott, & Molly LasagnaJanuary 2010 

Our limits on school choice are better than your limits on school choice

In the brouhaha over last week's UCLA Civil Rights Project reporton charter school "segregation," one talking point seems unimpeachable: that it's??paternalistic or

In the news...

Post's Hiatt on Obama's "killing off DC's voucher program" Will Alabama ever pass a charter school law?

What a work ethic!

Those in the Mid-Atlantic region know that we've been drowned in the white fluffy stuff. I'm talking about snow and lots and lots of it.

ED's ?Plan B? budget

We've been talking about the Administration's FY 2011 education budget for a week or so now.

Hey charter folks: "Integration" is not a dirty word

As Andy reported, yesterday's release of a new UCLA Civil Rights Project report on charter school diversity (or the lack thereof) has sparked another

The toughest part of school closures

Not long ago, I??praised NYC's charter team for moving to close a Brooklyn school that had violated important parts of its performance contract.

Data use at the local level

One of the US Department of Education's unsung heroes is its??Policy and Program Studies Service, which produces all sorts of interesting and unbiased evaluations and reports. Too few people know about the office's publications (I hope Secretary Duncan's team is working on increasing PPSS's public profile), which are often very valuable.

Late take on 2011 ED budget

I was busy finishing the first draft of my book (whew!) when the President's 2011 budget came out, so all of the budget publicity and punditry passed me by. I've finally had a chance to give all of the documents a read, so at the risk of being late and repetitive, here are my 8 big takeaways.

The myth of the meritocracy

New York Magazine has a cover story entitled ???The Junior Meritocracy.??? The crux of the article is that administering standardized admissions and IQ tests to 4-year-olds???a common practice for entry into top public and private NYC kindergartens???is pointless.

RTTT Commencement Challenge Winner

The Race to the Top Commencement Challenge winner has been announced: Kalamazoo Central High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Quotable and Notable

???This isn't about stopping money.?? This is a huge civil rights travesty going on in Boston.?? People need to open their eyes and deal with that.??? - Jane L??pez, attorney at Multicultural Education, Training & Advocacy

This year's funniest education-related Super Bowl commercial

Terminating DC vouchers

The administration's cruel treatment of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program continues. The Washington Post editorializes here. There are so many angles to this, it's hard to decide on which to focus.

Charters segregate?

The Civil Rights Project released a study today going after charters for being racially segregated.

Quotable and Notable

???I hope you you'll come away from this meeting with a knot in the pit of your stomach about how far we have to go.?? It should keep you up at night.??? -Larry Shumway, Utah Superintendent of Schools

"Proficiency" Pollyanas

The No Child Left Behind hard-liners are striking back at President Obama's call to move beyond the goal of getting 100 percent of American students to "proficiency" by 2014, and working instead to get most students "college and career-ready" by the time they graduate.

New leadership at EEP

The Education Equality Project announced this morning that its board of directors will be led by a troika of big names. NYC's schools chief Joel Klein, UNCF head Michael Lomax, and La Raza president Janet Murguia were elected co-chairs of the advocacy organization's board of directors.

Quotable and Notable

"For them, it's like standing in a soup kitchen line desperate for some sustenance." ??? Stephen M. Saland, NY State Senator (Rep.), on how??states view Race to the Top funding

Reform realists, unite!

It's Groundhog Day, and like Bill Murray, I'm experiencing a serious case of deja vu. But I have to admit, I don't mind it one bit.

Interesting news

I'm back after some time buried in other projects. Here are a few interesting things I found while trying to catch up:

Can failing schools be turned around or is it better to close them?

Watch our debate on school turnarounds vs. closures, and don't miss insightful and provocative comments from the panelists, including this one from Andres Alonso, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools:

Messy democracy

That's certainly what the LAUSD vote on which of 30 schools to hand over to outside operators sounds like.

Quotable and Notable

???It really marks the passing of an era. The push for proficiency may have been unattainable for everyone, but it did get states to move in the right direction.??? - Jamie Gass, Director of the Center for School Reform

To renew NCLB, redefine "reform"

The folks over at the National Journal's education experts blog are starting to debate whether the No Child Left Behind act (a.k.a. the Elementary and Secondary Education act) can be reauthorized in 2010.

The President's budget request: More pro than con

Today is budget day; all of Washington is abuzz. The U.S. Department of Education's budget details are here. What to make of them?

Budget day winners and losers

A few minutes ago I shared my main thoughts about the President's budget request for education. Now let's read between the lines and examine the big winners and losers. Winners

Quotable and Notable

"I know it's a strong statement, but it's actually quite accurate.?? It was a pathetic system before the storm." ??? Paul Pastorek, Louisiana State Superintendent

Rewriting ?No Child Left Behind? a heavy lift

Sam Dillon writes in today's NY Times about the outlook for reauthorizing/rewriting No Child Left Behind. In a nutshell, experts say it'd be a heavy lift to get it done this year. Still, Sec. Arne Duncan/the admin & lawmakers are apparently starting to move on it. According to the story:

Quotable and Notable

???Shining a spotlight on those teachers and those principals who are doing a great job, rewarding them, learning from them--cloning them, if possible--is part of the solution.??? --Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education