Pop quiz on Common Core
Michael J. PetrilliHere's a quick test; true or false? 1. Arne Duncan coerced many states into adopting the Common Core via his Race to the Top application. 2. The Obama Administration carelessly hinted that adoption of Common Core might become a requirement in a new ESEA or for states wanting a waiver from the current law.
Quotable & notable
?It's been that way since elementary school. We behave better when the teacher looks like us.''* ?New York City public school student
College for all! Please!
Peter MeyerI stewed most of the week about how to respond to Deborah Meier's recent Bridging Differences post on ?college for all.??
College for all, part 2: It's not about corporations
Peter MeyerOne of the noteworthy things about Deborah Meier's post about ?college for all?
UK to see "biggest public sector strikes in a generation"
Chris TessoneGreat Britain's largest teacher unions have declared a strike for Thursday over proposed changes to their pensions, and they'll be joined by another 700,000 other workers from the public sector.
Education news nuggets
Being an adult is hard: as the economy continues to struggle, many of the unemployed have had to change careers, taking jobs as teachers, princi
Don't waive NCLB??non-enforce? parts of it instead
This guest post is by Christine Wolfe, a former hill staffer and George W. Bush Administration appointee at the U.S. Department of Education who helped to craft NCLB and many of its regulations. She consulted on Fordham's recent ESEA Briefing Book.
Quotable & notable
?NAACP is on the wrong side of history''* ?Ny Whitaker, charter school parent Advancing coloured people? The Economist
Education news nuggets
Harry Potter fans, C+ students and smokers alike have reason to rejoice today.
Tax Cap Monte: Keep Your Eyes on the Union
Peter MeyerWhile everyone is following New Jersey's public union bombshell vote, my friend E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center in Albany reports on a new maneuver by the New York State United Teachers to end run?
Charter school pensions: The sum of teacher unions' fears
Michael J. PetrilliAs if the teachers unions need another reason to hate charter s
Major omission in Ravitch article
Washington City Paper has published a lengthy article about Diane Ravitch.
Education news nuggets
If you are a physics professor who has trouble finding a date, you should not resort to flirting or crude jokes.
Quotable & notable
?What difference does it make how the parents feel about school performance when by almost all objective measures they are not good?'' ?Anonymous Washington Post Reader
PODCAST: Mike and Richard play cops and robbers
Mike sits down with guest host Richard (Lee) Colvin of Ed Sector to hash out what Michigan's new reform efforts may mean for Detroit, what the CCSSO accountability blueprint may mean for the feds, and what NAEP history scores may mean for the country. Amber puts a magnifying glass on teacher pensions in charter schools and Chris crosses the pond to play Cowboys and Indians.
Honors Classes For All?
Chris IrvineI have been an avid follower of Jay Mathews' work since starting here at Fordham, but his recent argument with a Fairfax County parent over Fairfax's decision to get rid of honors courses across the district caused me to panic.
Maintenance of effort madness in SC
Chris TessoneSouth Carolina is in hot water with the Education Department over the state's failure to meet federal maintenance of effort requirements for special education spending. ED is threatening to dock South Carolina $111 million in federal aid after rejecting a waiver request.
Charting a New Course to Retirement: How Charter Schools Handle Teacher Pensions
Amanda Olberg, Michael PodgurskyIn this "Ed Short" from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Amanda Olberg and Michael Podgursky examine how public charter schools handle pensions for their teachers. Some states give these schools the freedom to opt out of the traditional teacher-pension system; when given that option, how many charter schools take it? Olberg and Podgursky examine data from six charter-heavy states and find that charter participation rates in traditional pension systems vary greatly from state to state. When charter schools do not participate in state systems, they most often provide their teachers with defined-contribution plans (401(k) or 403(b)). But some opt-out charters offer no alternative retirement plans at all for their teachers. Read on to learn more.
Charter schools & teacher pensions
We asked a few experts to share their thoughts on our newly published paper, "Charting a New Course to Retirement: How Charter Schools Handle Teacher Pensions"?an online forum of sorts.
Charting a new course to retirement
Today, Fordham released our latest, "Charting a New Course to Retirement: How Charter Schools Handle Teacher Pensions." Authors Amanda Olberg and Michael Podgursky explain the report's findings here.
Learning from charters
We asked a few experts to share their thoughts on our newly published paper, "Charting a New Course to Retirement: How Charter Schools Handle Teacher Pensions"?an online forum of sorts.
Quotable & notable
?People don't want to take a chance. That's the problem D.C. schools face. You don't want to experiment on your own children.'' ?Bruce Lehman, Lawyer
The no-pension 'innovation'
We asked a few experts to share their thoughts on our newly published paper, "Charting a New Course to Retirement: How Charter Schools Handle Teacher Pensions"?an online forum of sorts.
Education news nuggets
Would you be caught wearing mandals? How about voting for a Mormon candidate? Careful:?
How do charter schools handle teacher pensions?
The Fordham Institute has published a new paper today that readers might find quite interesting.
Government unions: Are the patients running the asylum?
Peter MeyerDon't miss this morning's front-page New York Times story on public unions. ?Writer Charles Duhigg offers a comprehensive report on the mess we've gotten ourselves into by giving away public money, we now don't have, to public unions, which want more.?
Checker Finn: It's time to scrap our calamitous edu-governance model
Daniela Fairchild2011 may already be a banner year for education reform (in part thanks to the foundation laid in 2010). Policymakers and education activists in many states (and in D.C.) have just cause to smile?and to soak in the victories that have been won.
Quotable & notable
? Basic numeracy skills are a greater predictor of later success in life than basic literacy skills.'' * ? Daniel Ansari, one of the pioneers in the neuroscience of dyscalculia