The best time to teach '21st century skills' is after school

That's the gist of this Washington Post column by Jay Mathews, and was also the gist of a Gadfly

Reading Team Obama's temperature

My composite rating so far is "luke warm."

President Bush left behind

There's a lot of talk about bipartisanship right now, what with the stimulus bill making its way through Congress and President Obama obviously yearning for Republican support.

The future of Catholic schools.....

.....is the main focus of these two recent write-ups.

Not quite as shameful as Wall Street bonuses

But this is close: 2 Miami-Dade legislators push bill to protect teacher raises.

Is the stimulus spending spree "dialable back"?

That's what House Appropriations Chairman David Obey has been saying, but

Getting to know Arne Duncan

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sat down for a series of one-on-ones with the national education press yesterday, and their stories are starting to paint a picture of the man, his policy leanings, and his priorities. What do we know about him?

Getting to know Arne's team

Earlier we looked into Arne Duncan's eyes and got a sense of his soul. But what about his team? Who is likely to get jobs in the new administration?

Going head-to-head with Arne Duncan

Well well. Look who's going head-to-head with the new education secretary. Our own Mike Petrilli! Check out this USA Today piece about the stimulus and its big payday for schools.

Amusing...

So, just a funny Friday-afternoon tidbit.

"Front-loading" compensation for new teachers

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Congress's proposed spending on schools should be linked to reforms

So says the Washington Post's editorial board.

Ostrich Syndrome

According to the New York Daily News this morning, NY Chancellor Joel Klein is making some big cuts for next year--15,000 jobs, specifically, and most of them teache

Education reform and the gloomy economy

Checker and Mike tackle the bleak question "Will the recession kill school reform?" in a commentary just published on Forbes.com. They write:

Batter up, Colorado

Sounds like Colorado heard Obama's clarion call for responsibility loud and clear. Centennial State citizens and lawmakers spent the better part of last week debating the merits of a bill to promote parental and community involvement.

Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy

National Endowment for the ArtsJanuary 2009

2009 Annual Letter from Bill Gates

Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationJanuary 2009

Yes we can (close the achievement gap overnight)?

It seems three researchers have some provocative news: President Obama may already have eliminated the black-white test score gap. But the findings, and the accompanying Kool-Aid sodden New York Times article, have all the makings of an infomercial: lots of pizzazz, not so much substance.

Grading the graders in the Sooner State

Last week, when Barack Obama said that "those of us who manage the public's dollars will...do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between and people and their government," he must

All aboard

Is Ron Huberman, president of Chicago Transit Authority, the perfect guy to keep Windy City students on the right track? Mayor Richard M. Daley seems to think so. He has named him to fill Arne Duncan's moccasins as he heads to 400 Maryland Avenue.

A new (Bos)tone on charters

Has Governor Deval Patrick done a 180 on charters in Massachusetts? If you were to believe the latest coming out of Boston, that's certainly how it sounds.

Will the recession kill school reform?

Few deny that we're living through a time of immense change on many fronts.

The quote of the year (so far)

Take a look at this dandy from AEI's Rick Hess, in today's New York Times article about the federal stimulus package's largesse for the nation's schools:

Re: You can call him 'Arne'

I think Mike has it exactly right when he says, "There's no doubt in my mind that the implementation of No Child Left Behind could have been much more successful had we engaged the Department's career staff earlier and in a more meaningful way."

Stimulating discussion

"It's Raining Ed$." That's the headline the National Review Online's "The Corner" chose for a recent post on the economic stimulus package.

Olive branch or death knell for charter schools?

In today's State of the State address , Ohio Governor Ted Strickland clarified his position on charter schools:

OMG, LDH 4 Dep Sec?

That's the rumor circulating today at a Gates Foundation regional convening I've been attending: Linda Darling-Hammond is going to be named the next Deputy Secretary of Education.

Is the honeymoon over?

Well, that didn't take long. I'm not referring to Republican resistance to the stimulus bill .

Return of the Obama Administration Reform-o-Meter: The House stimulus package

Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) headaches

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