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How Bold is Bold? Responding to Race to the Top with a Bold, Actionable Plan on Teacher Effectiveness
The New Teacher ProjectNovember 2009
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New report from The New Teacher Project hopes to inform upcoming teacher contract negotiations in Cincinnati
Yesterday representatives from The New Teacher Project (TNTP), alongside Cincinnati superintendent Mary Ronan and president of the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers (CFT), Julie Sellers, gathered for the release of TNTP’s Cincinnati-focused teacher effectiveness report.
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Camping out for school choice
…Shoppers across the nation will prepare for the madness known as Black Friday.
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Errata: Mislabeled chart
The first chart in the email version of our November 30 Special Ohio Education Gadfly had one mislabeled data point. The correct chart is available online here.
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Mark North, Superintendent of Lebanon City Schools
The Ohio Education Gadfly recently caught up with the Lebanon City Schools Superintendent Mark North about House Bill 1, the state's rating system for school districts, and how his district is achieving success while spending far less money per-pupil than comparable districts.Q: What’s your opinion of House Bill 1?
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All-day kindergarten mandate and rating system up for changes
Senate Bill 173, sponsored by Senator Gary Cates (R-West Chester), would delay for one year a major tenet of Governor Strickland’s education reform plan and marks the legislature’s first attempt to address problems with implementing the mandates in the evidence-based school funding model.
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Who says America is in decline?
Today is December 1st, and that means I'm back from my book leave. (Please don't tell me you didn't notice I was gone.) More on the book in the weeks and months to come.
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Early morning news
Michele McNeil on Duncan's Ed Week interview (some very interesting stuff) Young, talented duo lead Louisiana's RTT bid
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Re: Mike Petrilli's response to Dusk (America in decline)
Dear Gadfly, It's certainly good to have Mike back in the saddle. The old horse was moving slower and slower without his spurs.
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Important ARRA evaluations
The Department's independent research arm, IES is going to be conducting several studies to determine the effectiveness of the various education programs under the ARRA, including the Race to the Top.
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Today's Quotable and Notable
Quotable: "The issue of space really plays on that emotional level. Everything is about ???they are taking your space' even if it's not clear who ???they' are." -Spencer Robertson, founder of PAVE Academy Charter School
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Duncan-Bloomberg event
Despite the rainy weather, early morning start, and day-before-Thanksgiving scheduling, the CAP event with Secretary Duncan and NYC Mayor Bloomberg was standing room only.??Going in it wasn't at all clear what the actual purpose of the event was (
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Today's Quotable and Notable
Quotable: "We want members to be proactive, and have an impact on what reform looks like. We don't want teachers thrown under the bus. We don't want teachers blamed for everything that's going wrong."
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Jolting Maryland, take two
This Baltimore Sun editorial excoriating Maryland for its lassitude on the Race to the Top hits the bull's eye. It's pitch perfect.
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More closures
According to the Post, 14 more Catholic schools in the DC area are in danger of closing. When great schools in urban America in are such short supply, it is senseless to allow these schools to disappear.
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States' RTT self-evaluations
I've been reading lots of local and regional newspaper articles to figure out how states see themselves stacking up in the RTT competition. I've found a couple fascinating patterns (most interesting: just about all state leaders are telling the media that they are well positioned to win).
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Today's Quotable and Notable
Quotable: "The bottom line is teachers need to be retained based on their achievement, not on how long they've been at a job...This is where the United States is going and we're just with the early leaders." - Rep. Rich Crandall, chairman of the Arizona House Education Committee, Title
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Accountability & Testing, Charter Schools
Seeking Quality in the Face of Adversity: 2008-09 Fordham Sponsorship Accountability Report
As a charter school sponsor (authorizer), Fordham submits an accountability report to the Ohio Department of Education at the end of November each year. The report includes profiles of each Fordham-sponsored school, as well as graphics comparing the achievement data of our schools, their home districts, and statewide averages. You'll also find pertinent information on Ohio charter school spending over the last decade, and in the introduction, a timely analysis of the political and legislative environment impacting Ohio charters in 2008-09 that explains why the title, "Seeking Quality in the Face of Adversity," is befitting.
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Dell and performance management
The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation is out with a worthwhile report on performance management, one of the foundation's major investment areas.
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Amazing
What a story. Earlier this week city council members in Philly held a hearing about charters and the traditional school system.
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Worth considering
In Australia, the government just agreed to provide more than $400 million in new funding to Catholic and other private schools in Victoria.*
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Huge shot and an assist for Arne
In a major and much-welcomed move, Florida has begun using the FCAT to evaluate colleges of education with some fascinating results:
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Iowa Gov. Culver and reform
Iowa Governor Chet Culver is obviously auditioning for Democrats For Education Reform 's Ed Reformer of the month.
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Gargantuan education grants
An email about Gates' latest gargantuan investment in education appeared in my inbox today. I've now picked my jaw up off of the floor and thought I'd pass it along:
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Interesting stuff
More reason to be excited about Baltimore (despite this) Florida to ask for $1 billion in RTT funds???
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Today's Quotable and Notable
Quotable: "The civil right is to an excellent education. It's not about having an art room." -Miriam Lewis Raccah, founder and executive director of Girls Prep Charter School
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Are High Quality Schools Enough to Close the Achievement Gap? Evidence from a Social Experiment in Harlem
Will Dobbie and Roland G. Fryer, JrNational Bureau of Economic ResearchNovember 2009
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Blinded by the (green) light
The education bill that made it through the Massachusetts state senate, replete with a whopping 95 amendments, late Tuesday is being lauded as the biggest reform bill since