High-achieving students: The story in pictures

Some refreshing honesty about high-achieving students

I've been enjoying the print media's and blogosphere's reactions to our new report, High-Achieving Students in the Era of NCLB. Most of the commentary is entirely predictable.

They're everywhere, they're everywhere!

As if teachers unions haven't caused enough headaches for charter schools, now labor unions are getting in on the act.

Getting high school in sync with college is a good step

Talk about streamlining education. This month, some Ohio high school seniors will be earning not just high-school diplomas but also associate-college degrees. In Columbus, 19 seniors have already taken enough courses to earn associate degrees from DeVry Advantage Academy (see here).

Cleveland schools see spike in homeless kids

CLEVELAND-The city has poverty, a troubled education system, too little opportunity, an epidemic of home foreclosures, crumbling city infrastructure, and now a 43-percent jump in homeless children in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

More money does not equal more learning

Can Ohio afford Gov. Strickland's education reform plan?

Appropriations bill stuffed with extras, including some for education

The General Assembly approved the state's $1.3 billion biennial capital appropriations and budget-correction bill (H.B. 562) last week and it is now awaiting Gov. Ted Strickland's signature. Like every appropriations bill, H.B.

They were just too busy being videographers to help

CINCINNATI-A Taft High School student has been suspended for 80 days after a videotaped fight with another girl, in May, was posted on YouTube. The fight broke out just before a sophomore English class May 20, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer's Eileen Kelley. 

Casey Foundation series provides valuable lessons learned

The Annie E. Casey Foundation (of which Fordham board member Bruno Manno is a Senior Associate for Education) recently released a series of publications entitled Closing the Achievement Gap (see here).

Ed blog alert

Richard Whitmire--USA Today editorial writer, president of the National Education Writers Association, and father of two girls--has started a blog all about "why boys fail." Find it at www.whyboysfail.com.

More on the demise of clear, coherent writing

From Sunday's Washington Post.

WWOD?

Wall Street Journal columnist Bill McGurn wonders where Obama will come out on the question of D.C. vouchers for poor kids.

Detroit Public Schools: In a class by itself

Studies schmudies

Quick and the Ed writes about the recently released study of D.C. vouchers' effectiveness:

WWOD? Now we know.

The Wall Street Journal's Bill McGurn (and lots of others) wonders: What will Obama do on school choice? Now we know (via The Corner): TAPPER: You talked about the need to change the status quo in education today. OBAMA: Right.

Off her beat

Diane Roberts--author and NPR commentator--is a fine, fun writer. She's an eighth-generation Floridian, descended from some of the state's foundational families, and often insightful when commenting on occurrences odd and ostentatious, which are quite at home in Florida's past and present.

Deathbed conversion

The long-anticipated conversion of seven inner-city District of Columbia Catholic schools to charter schools is finally official .

A definite difference

Diane Ravitch, Fordham board member and peerless education commenter, writes:

On the other hand

I'm with the union on this one. Let my weekends go!

Educational defeatism, now a full-length book

Check out this Education Week article for a preview of Charles Murray's latest book,

The reality of rigor (more on the D.C. vouchers study)

Mike opened the door for my response to the Washington Opportunity Scholarship Program external evaluation, and I've just completed a fairly quick read of it.

Remembering Tim Russert

So much has been written, said and televised regarding the late Timothy J. Russert that I can constructively add only this small bit to everyone's memories and biographies of this great guy.

It's the economy, Mike

Mike thinks I'm overzealous in questioning the zeal with which ed reformers tie America's sub-par schools to forecasts of economic doom.

Hidden costs

Last week the Wall Street Journal editors defended D.C.'s voucher program after the Washington Post reported that its days could be numbered.

Student accountability? Say, wha?

Education poobahs from everywhere will??go this week to??Orlando for a k-12 summit hosted by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and friends.

If it looks like a duck and it sounds like a duck...

Fordham has previously come out in favor of religious charter schools.

Another Catholic conversion

While Washington, D.C., works it way through a big debate about turning its inner-city Catholic schools into charters, a Catholic high school in Houston q

Still at risk

Nigeria's teachers' union threatens to unleash the "mother of all strikes." (Gadfly has previously commented, in op-art form,??on Nigeria's trials.)

Too-calm Coby

I've returned from a long weekend in New Hampshire to find my colleague Coby continuously questioning the concern that America's economic might will be damaged by her educational mediocrity.

D.C. vouchers work

That's what the headlines should say about this recently released study on Washington's federally-funded school scholarship program, though they probably won't.