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Welcome, Melody
According to New York Sun reporter Elizabeth Green, Flypaper is among two-dozen education blogs being monitored by the city ed department's new "Truth Squad," composed of press secretary David Cantor, five of his deputies, and a deputy communications director, Melody Meyer. Ms.
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No, they didn't pay me to write this
While we're on the topic, Checker had this to say of the New York City ed department's new Truth Squad (from the same New York Sun article):
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Details, details
Karl Priest comments on Liam's recent post: If you thing evolution is "modern science" you need a healthy dose of reality?
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Algebra in California
From the Los Angeles Times: "California mandates testing every eighth-grader in algebra--ready or not"
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Beer smear
Re Coby's post: It's worth noting that if frat houses throughout the country substitute video game beer pong for the real kind, then it stands to reason that fewer drunken antics will ensue. And why all this beer bashing, anyhow?
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Compelled to volunteer
Re my post about a national service academy, Jonah Goldberg makes some fine, related points in the Los Angeles Times by arguing against what he calls "national service mania." His piece
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Party liners?
That's how this Investor's Business Daily (IBD) article describes Senators Barack Obama and John McCain when it comes to education. While both senators have tried to build an independent image on other issues, on education they are staunch partisans.
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Re: Party liners?
Mike writes??that merit pay and charter schools are "anathema to the teachers unions." They're not at all anathema to the Democratic Party, though.
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A victory for the good guys
The rigorous-math crowd continues its string of victories in California with this decision to test all eighth graders in algebra.
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Re: Re: Party liners
Yes, Liam, some Democrats like charter schools and merit pay. But the base of the Democratic Party (the teachers unions) doesn't. And most politicians are careful not to alienate their core supporters. (Except on The West Wing.)
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Department of misleading headlines*
Kindergarteners urged to learn key languages WASHINGTON, DC (A.P.) -- Speaking to the National Association of Kindergarten Students (NAKS) today, presidential hopeful Barack Obama called on five-year-olds to embrace change and challenge themselves with languages from around the world. "Si se puede," said Obama. "Si se puede."
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Reading First death match
Check out the war of words happening at USAToday.com in response to its editorial (and a ridiculous
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Why math matters
Chinese students are, overall, far more advanced in mathematics than their American peers. Which is probably why they can create Segway armies.
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Holy unions
Great article in today's Wall Street Journal about the Catholic church vs. Catholic school unions.
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Adult beverages
Eduwonkette introduced her readers to some new blogs yesterday, including one chronicling the day-to-day life of "Mimi" the teacher. I know we've had some contentious back-and-forths about teachers on this site, but I think everyone can find some humor in this story from Mimi's site.
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No-school school
We love charters. They're a great idea. But even great ideas can go wrong, and when I read this great idea gone wrong, I thought it was a joke.
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Would you like some cheese with that whine?
Recently chastened, I offer this less controversial fare:
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Has Student Achievement Increased Since 2002?: State Test Score Trends Through 2006-2007
Nancy Kober, Naomi Chudowsky, Victor ChudowskyCenter on Education PolicyJune 2008
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No se puede!
That's the message South Carolina is sending to undocumented students now that it's become the first state in the nation to bar illegal immigrants from attending its public colleges and universities.
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One nation, indivisible?
Watching the "Capitol Fourth" concert and ensuing fireworks on TV the other evening, four-year-old granddaughter in my arms, I grew as misty, sentimental, and patriotic as I usually do on America's birthday (which happens also be be little Emma's "half-birthday"). The next morning, however, I awoke with my ever-more-frequent sense of foreboding about the nation's future.
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Green means go
Michelle Rhee wants to pay teachers in Washington, D.C., close to $131,000 a year--but there's a catch. To make the big bucks, educators will have to sacrifice job security. The D.C. schools chancellor has proposed to establish two pay tiers, red and green.
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Discovering "academic freedom"
By all means spare yourself the burden of reading, as I did this week in the esteemed National Review Online, that criticizing sneaky attempts to undermine evolution in k-12 science class is somehow akin to promoting eugenics.
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WSF: Grand idea?
Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam, referred to always as "young conservatives," have written a much ballyhooed book, Grand New Party, which purports to show Republicans how they can win in November and beyond. The key, say the authors, is to appeal to Sam's Club voters--i.e., working people without college degrees.
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WWTJD?
Must've been a slow day at the G-8 Summit. The Washington Post reports, on A1, that "Asian American students will outnumber white classmates for the first time" at Thomas Jefferson High School (colloquially known as T.J.) in Fairfax County, Virginia. Some fret that the highly selective school, which garnered the top spot in U.S.
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TJ
Here's more on TJ, i.e, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Fairfax County, Virginia.
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McCain to talk schools
AP reports that he'll do it next week when he speaks at the NAACP convention. Update: More from Campaign K-12.