Courting common sense

A post from guest blogger and Fordham writer and researcher Emmy Partin .

Scalpel, meet ineffective federal programs

In the debate Friday night, Barack Obama responded to John McCain's idea of freezing federal spending by arguing that "the problem with a spending freeze is you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel." Then, on Face the Natio

The activities gap

Erin Johnson debates Neil McCluskey so you don't have to

Check out the latest battle over school choice in the comments section here .

Obama's values

Alyson Klein at Education Week 's Campaign K-12 picks up on my "scalpel " post to dig into the likely candidates for Barack Obama's knife, were he to win the pr

Hirin' and firin'

I don't always agree with Jay Mathews, but he has written an excellent column this morning. The crux of his argument is particularly well put:

Joel Klein "friends" Thomas B.

As many of you, I hope, know, I, Thomas B. aka The Gadfly, have entered the social networking world--on Facebook. ??Just this morning, in fact, Joel Klein, Chancellor of New York City Schools, requested to become my friend on said networking site. I accepted his request with alacrity.

Everyone needs standards

"Responsibility! Accountability! Discipline! Oversight!

Slipping Science standards

Education journals get a lot of flack for their low research standards and willingness to publish almost anything. I've heard many people say that what education needs is something akin to JAMA or Science.

"Good" does not appear in front of "teacher" automatically

Kudos to Jay Mathews for writing this:

Schoolchildren heed John McCain's example

GADFLY NEWS SERVICE: HUNTSALOOSA, TN. A fourth-grade class in this small town gained national attention yesterday when a group of students petitioned their teacher to postpone their spelling test scheduled for Friday in light of the financial crisis on Wall Street.

After Sol Stern, and After Milwaukee

Rick Hess's recent piece in The American is finally online.

Maybe 'school' isn't the answer for the world's poor

According to Campaign K-12, Senator Barack Obama told the Clinton Global Initiative gathering today that he would invest $2 billion to close the international "education gap" by 2015--which I think means he'd work to get all kids across the world into schools by that date.

Gadfly--It's hot!

You won't want to miss this week's Gadfly. Checker and Stafford explain why community schools (as espoused by the Broader, Bolder folks and Randi Weingarten over at the AFT) are the antithesis of David Whitman's paternalistic model.

San Francisco Bay Area KIPP Schools: A Study of Early Implementation and Achievement

SRI InternationalSeptember 2008

The Misplaced Math Student: Lost in Eighth-Grade Algebra

Tom LovelessBrown Center on Education Policy, Brookings InstitutionSeptember 2008

The Seven Outs

Brian L. CarpenterNational Charter Schools Institute2008

The community schools con

When Randi Weingarten introduced her brainchild, the "community school," in her speech accepting the presidency of the American Federation of Teachers, we found it sorely wanting. And, of course, we found it not the least bit new, either.

Outward bound

In what has become a regular autumnal occurrence, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, and Broward Country, Florida, school systems find themselves embarked upon yet another year of declining enrollments. And they're not alone.

How schools can survive the financial downturn

Back-to-school time, soaring fuel prices, and a wobbly economy are all upon us, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that the papers are brimming with sad stories about schools getting slammed by skyrocketing costs and slumping tax revenues. "Hard Times Hitting Students and Schools," reported the New York Times recently. "Schools eye four-day week to cut fuel costs," declared Reuters.

Nanny state

Does Junior have a sour attitude? Tired of his aberrant adolescent behavior? Just drop him off at a local hospital to become a ward of the state. That's right. No need to ground him for attending that raucous party last weekend. Of course, you may have to move to Warren Buffett's neighborhood to pull this off.

Troubling indecision

That there still exist parents who have not yet extricated their children from Wake County's public schools is a marvel.

Tragically not so different after all

Educators, researchers, and policy types around the world admire (and envy) Finland's students, who repeatedly demonstrate remarkable academic prowess on international assessments.

Cut bad teachers, not art programs

When times get rough, why do school districts cut the good stuff? It's a very good question and one we should be outraged about, explains Mike. Read the whole argument on National Review Online.

Another take on merit pay

When I first read this article, I was skeptical. Giving bonuses to teachers and principals at failing schools? Doesn't that undermine the whole concept of merit pay--as in, rewards for meritorious performance? But perhaps not.??

The push for diagnostic testing

Ohio is in the midst of a debate about how best to use its student assessments and ever- increasing amounts of student-achievement data to improve student performance. The data is used by the state for accountability purposes, but how can this data also be used to improve teaching and learning in all schools?

Strickland slashes state budget, while state board asks for more

Facing constitutional requirements for a balanced budget, Gov.

Guide to 21st Century Skills, Education, and Competitiveness

Partnership for 21st Century SkillsSept. 2008

Has Barack Obama been reading The Gadfly?

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's head-turning education speech in Dayton Sept. 9 was notable for stepping away from several planks dear to traditional Democratic thinking. The national audience surely paid attention. But did his fellow Democrats in the Buckeye State?

Where We Stand: America's Schools in the 21st Century

Public Broadcast SystemAired Sept. 15 on WOSUOhio stood out on Sept. 15 when PBS aired Where We Stand: America's Schools in the 21st Century. The special's host, Judy Woodruff, used four Ohio schools to describe the current state of American education. Viewers should have come away feeling uncomfortable.