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I'l be back to regular blogging soon. This battle between unions and the Race to the Top is heating up. Very interesting article and map on racial diversity among students by states
I'l be back to regular blogging soon. This battle between unions and the Race to the Top is heating up. Very interesting article and map on racial diversity among students by states
This sane and constructive piece by Indiana University education professor Robert Kunzman says that many states are following the wrong approach when it comes to "regulating" home-schoolers, trying to control the "credentials" of home-schooling parents, to decree what curriculum they should teach and more. This doesn't work, he says, and fosters unnecessary controversy and political conflict.
Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert C. Bobb has garnered much national publicity as he struggles to save what is arguably the most troubled big-city school system in America from both financial bankruptcy and academic ruin.
The article deluge continues. CA's RTT chances are improving Ed Week on NCLB and Dodd's retirement
Per #8 on this list, this year, I'm keeping track of the prolific ed reformer Whitney Tilson's use of the uber-emphatic "STOP THE PRESSES!!!" in his mass emails.
The now famous (or infamous) CREDO charter study from last June generated a ton of hype. (See our analysis here.) The results were largely mixed, seemly putting numbers behind the assertion that putting "charter" in front of (or after) a school name does not guarantee success.
Quotable: "There is a recognition we can't do everything. We really need all hands on deck from the private sector and the philanthropic sector because the government can't foot the whole bill for this." - John P. Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
If you're like me, you're still trying to dig out of the massive article pile that Google Reader collected over the holidays. Ugh. So apologies in advance if these stories are old hat by now.
Quotable "New York's charter school experiment has led to some promising innovations, but as a group New York City charter schools have become a separate and unequal branch of public education." -Michael Mulgrew, President, United Federation of Teachers
Kevin Huffman, winner of the WaPo's America's Next Great Pundit contest and a VP at TFA, has a looking-ahead themed piece on Saturday's opinion page. One part stuck out in particular (my emphasis):
If you're interested in the expansion and development of the portfolio approach in urban districts, check out this great article about Baltimore. Lots of choices within the system and a growing number of charters. --Andy Smarick
Tom Vander Ark, former head of the Gates Foundation's education efforts and now leader of innumerable intriguing initiatives, has put together two interesting and compelling education reform top ten lists for 2010--one on the individuals likeliest to have a big impact and one on reformers to watch.
I can't help but point out the hilarity of this statement in Mike's post from yesterday: "Go ahead, Mr. President???be a tiger." I know this expression dates way back before the rise of infamous Mr. Woods, but it certainly has been hijacked by him.
The Gadfly is currently speeding through cyber space to your inboxes, but in the meantime, take a gander at Fordham's 2010 resolutions. Sure, they're mostly for other people (after all, the role of a Gadfly is to stick its nose in other people's business!) but don't miss number 10, which is surely the most exciting resolution of all. (And, p.s.
Quotable: "We're in for a showdown. The unions aren't going to give in most cases, and I think the [Obama] administration is going to have to see what it's got in front of it." -Charles Baron, Director of Federal Policy for Democrats for Education Reform
Harold Pashler, Mark McDaniel, Doug Rohrer, and Robert BjorkPsychological Science in the Public InterestDecember 2009
Carol C. Burris, Kevin G. Welner, and Jennifer W. Bezoza The Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice December 2009
Christopher Condon and Matthew CliffordLearning Point AssociatesDecember 2009
A discerning reader pointed out to us over the holiday break that there are actually three city-states in Germany. In the Recommended Reading “Party of Nein” (December 17, 2009) we erroneously stated that there were two: Berlin and Hamburg.
As 2009 comes to a close, it’s time to look forward as well as back. For many folks, it’s a time to consider purposeful ways of making the future different from the past (stop smoking, lose weight, quit kicking the cat, etc.).
Join us as we revisit some of 2009’s highlights (and lowlights), from NCLB to the stimulus, from Sarah Palin to de facto segregation.
In this thoughtful U.S. News piece, Andy Rotherham sticks up for one of America’s most marginalized populations of students: the incarcerated. There are more than 100,000 behind-bars juveniles around the country, and they attend school just like other students, but do so in prisons or youth detention centers.
What do you get when schools are on vacation, lawmakers are in recess, and readers are distracted by the holidays? Fluff. This Boxing Day, New York Times readers were treated to a titillating story--on page A14 no less--about the number of hours the federal Department of Education estimates it will take states to complete their Race to the Top applications.
Charter schools have a notoriously difficult time finding facilities, so they take put down in all sorts of incongruous places: churches, office buildings, warehouses.
Berkeley High School has long faced a stubborn achievement gap between its white and minority pupils. What to do? At a recent meeting of the school's governance council, a proposal was put forward to eliminate science labs, which predominantly serve high-achievers, so as to redirect resources to underperforming students.
I'm a bit behind on my reading, but Frank Rich's??column from last week is worth noting. I usually don't agree with Rich on much--and I don't agree completely with where he takes this argument--but I was struck by his observation at how easily we are bamboozled by the big-wigs...
Quotable: "Chicago is nowhere near the head of the pack in urban school improvement, even though Duncan often cites the successes of his tenure as he crusades to fix public education." -Nick Anderson, Washington Post Staff Writer
Checker's now few-week-old editorial "Dusk" sparked a debate amongst our ranks. Is America in decline? Or are we really on the upswing, despite our economic woes?