Taking another look at preschool

Checker argues in this morning's Washington Post that universal preschool as currently conceived should be reexamined.

Checker calls for lower expectations

About government, that is. Check out his Forbes.com piece, "Our Government, For Better Or Worse." Here's his thesis:

Detroit

Big news out of Detroit. ????Emergency financial manager Robert Bobb is making some tough but desperately needed changes--closing????nearly 30 failing schools.

Achieving Excellence at Scale: State Support for High-Performing Charter School Expansion

National Governors AssociationApril 2009

Smart Options: Investing the Recovery Funds for Student Success

Coalition for Student SuccessApril 2009

Teacher shortage short-circuited

With money tight, the New York City Department of Education has issued an interdiction on hiring new teachers from outside. Instead, principals looking to fill faculty gaps will have to look within the system, in particular to teachers who were previously "excessed" as a result of unsatisfactory performance or downsizing.

Parent power

Steve Barr, labeled "The Instigator" by last week's New Yorker, is living up to his new sobriquet. He's launched (or instigated, if you will) a Parent Revolution to give voice to frustrated parents, put pressure on the LA Unified School District, and counterbalance the power of that city's teacher union.

Pro-voucher viceroy

Could New York learn a thing or two from Milwaukee? Definitely, if the newly-relocated Archbishop has anything to say about it.

Grade doctoring

It might be the worst Canadian import since Celine Dion: Ken O'Connor's dubious notions about "standards-based" grading. This Toronto-based consultant, who dubs himself "The Grade Doctor," argues that students shouldn't be dinged for missing deadlines, assignments or tests or, for that matter, cheating.

Expecting too much from government

(Don't read this if you're easily depressed. It's about the limits of government.)Ever since I came into contact with government, both state and federal, and especially in the four decades since first going to work in it, I've been struck by the reality gap between what many Americans expect of it and what it's actually good at doing.

A loaded euphemism

Ah, the unexpected consequences of budget woes. Low on funds, the Warwick High (PA) class of 2010 couldn't afford silver picture frames and gold money clips--pricey prom mementos from years past when class coffers were, ahem, loaded.

Work hard, take it easy

Who doesn't count down the days to the end of school? For high school students in Mesquite, Texas, that day may be sooner than they think--provided they pass all their classes and the state tests. District leaders are proposing a deal for students: pass your classes and TAKS and you can get out of school a week early.

The neutralizer

I apologize that the Reform-o-Meter has been slacking as of late. I have suffered from a nasty cold for the last two weeks, which has cut into my productivity, blogging and otherwise. But the Administration marches on and so must our analysis of it.

OCR and OSP

Diane Piche is headed to the Dept of Ed to be DAS in the Office of Civil Rights. ????Diane is sharp, experienced, and a big ed reformer. ????Congratulations.

Speaking truth to power

The US Senate held a hearing on the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program today. Watch the video here.

The Fiscal Impact of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, 2009 Update

This report, issued by the University of Arkansas' School Choice Demonstration Project (see here), examines the taxpayer burden of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) (see here).

The governor needs all the help he can get but falls short with Arne

Politically, everybody got a little something from last Friday's education rally at Ohio State University. Gov. Ted Strickland got media attention and the presence of a national education rock star to boost his education plan. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan-the rock star-got to talk about his education vision without directly endorsing the governor's school reform plan.

School funds should follow the child

"Money should follow the child, not the school building," said Ohio Senate President Bill Harris last week. In one simple sentence, the senate president captured the complexity of the debate around Gov. Strickland's school-funding plan in the way that only a veteran political leader could. There is much here to unpack.

New book: Is universal preschool really a good idea?

Among many educators and public officials in Ohio, and across the U.S., there is a drumbeat for "universal pre-school"-and for government to provide it to all 4-year olds so as to close school-readiness gaps and prepare kids to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.

about the importance of classroom instruction

Jim Cowardin commented on the recent Gadfly story concerning Paul Hill's testimony to the Ohio Senate Education Committee.

Catching the bribe vibe

While Andy grows increasingly pessimistic about the education stimulus, I am starting to see some more reasons for hope.

Obama endorses education industry's goal to rein in costs

From the Washington Post: In his quest to transform American education, President Obama appeared yesterday to put his faith in pledges from some of the interest groups that helped scuttle reform in years past, but the industry's promises fell well short of the White House's expansive claims.

New York, New York

The very positive test results out of NYC showing significant gains for the city's traditional public schools seem to validate many of

Closures, con't

Expert author David Whitman alerted me to an important video on the Duncan closures-starts issue (click here then scroll to "Part 2:????Arne Duncan on the McKinsey

Degrees of separation

Got a really interesting note from an excellent program officer at the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.

The sky is falling. Seriously.

Collectively, we should be increasingly alarmed about the education portion of the ARRA. ????States have begun to file their applications for the first big batch (~$33 billion) of stabilization funds.

The David Brooks book club

???????Checked Out??????? still worth checking out

Last week's Fordham Institute and Catalyst Ohio report, Checked Out: Ohioans' Views on Education 2009, still has people talking in the Buckeye State.????

The students behind the education policy talk

Students at Dayton View Academy walk silently through the school halls.

No turnarounds; close and start new

As I've alluded to a number of times, I'm convinced that turnarounds are not a scalable strategy for fixing America's struggling urban school systems.