Education news nuggets
I wonder if surfing and break-dancing are forms of vigorous physical activity under
I wonder if surfing and break-dancing are forms of vigorous physical activity under
?The culture of bullying won't end until people across the country take action and show children and teens that they care'' * ? Julie Hertzog, Director of Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights Center's National Bullying Prevention Center
Differentiation, tracking, and the needs of high-achievers are hot topics these days, thanks in part to Fordham's recent study Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude? Performance Trends of Top Students.
Representatives from twenty states are hard at work developing Next Generation Science Standards—and using as their starting point the National Research Council's recently released Framework for K-12 Science Education. This review of that framework, by Paul R. Gross, applauds its content but warns that it could wind up sending standards writers off track. This appraisal find much to praise in the Framework but also raises important concerns about a document that may significantly shape K-12 science education in the U.S. for years to come. Download to learn more.
?It's the old business of if you want your test scores to go up, don't test the lower-scoring students'' * ? Doug McRae, Retired testing consultant
I've been traveling a bunch the past few weeks, making it harder to blog. (Though there's always time to tweet!) So I'm a little late to the party on the recent report from Complete College America, Time is the Enemy.
Part of the answer to Mike's Single-minded Focus question this morning about the depressing college completion data is in Sam Dillon's front page New York Times story, also this morning, on the
Guest blogger Christine Wolfe served in the George W. Bush Administration as the Associate Deputy Secretary for Policy and is currently President of Wolfe Policy Consulting.
?We need to be careful about making judgments about one year of data.'' * ? Mary Peters, Senior director of research and innovation at Battelle for Kids
Fordham's latest study, Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude?
Education reformers are often accused of being stats-crazy, but are they ignoring important numbers like sports participation rates and athletics spending?? The D.C.
?It's immaterial where they go to school. Are they all succeeding?'' * ? Ellen Gilligan, head of Greater Milwaukee Foundation
As a journalist for the better part of 30 years (not counting the samizdat paper I wrote and published (on my dad's mimeograph machine) in my high school seminary), I worship our first amendment.?
This week the U.S. Department of Education awarded grants totaling $25 million to charter school networks that have been extremely successful in raising student achievement. The grants went to nine different charter networks across the country, all of which serve mostly low-income students.
?Being up on technology is not considered a luxury or an option anymore.'' * ? Kristin Hayman, Teacher at the Haverford School in Haverford, PA.
With both Mike and Rick at the PIE-Network annual summit, the podcast got a little crazy (in a good way). Co-hosts Chris, Janie, and Daniela talk NCLB waivers, the efficacy of the MCAS, and the truth about delaying Kindergarten. Amber shows that high property taxes don't buy you an internationally competitive education and Chris trains a service animal. [powerpress]
According to a PTSA email sent from Walter John High School in Montgomery County,
?Where there is a great school leader, great students and great teachers will follow. If there isn't that person who can galvanize a team and bring folks together around a common vision, the school is not going to move forward.'' *
In case you missed it, Mike beamed in from Seattle this morning to explai
Follower's of Fordham's work know that for the better part of three years, we've been pushing an approach to federal education policy that we call "Reform Realism"--a pro-school reform orientation leavened with a realistic view of what the federal government can get right in education.
Last week, Fordham released a groundbreaking new study on high-achieving students, titled Do High Flyers Maintain Their Altitude? Performance Trends of Top Students.
Students are pushing boundaries and bursting bubbles, but will they speak up about
?Bullying causes kids to drop out of school, and violence in schools can cause permanent damage to a child's mind'' * ? Valerie Dixon, Hill District-based Coalition Against Violence
As much as it pains me every time I hear Checker Finn say it, school boards may indeed be irrelevant.?
?You're not guaranteed anything with a diploma or a degree. But you're guaranteed a lot of misery without one.'' * ?Tito Jackson, Boston City Councilor