Political risk and pensions
We don't often talk about the political risk borne by public-sector workers in traditional pension systems, but that risk is now very real for cops and firefighters in Detroit.
We don't often talk about the political risk borne by public-sector workers in traditional pension systems, but that risk is now very real for cops and firefighters in Detroit.
"I don't think they should get rid of [standardized tests]. They gotta know how much we're learning.''* ?3rd Grade Student in Boulder County, Colorado
John Merrow has been covering education for more than thirty-five years?first as a reporter for NPR and now as a correspondent for PBS's NewsHo
Winning RTT states got a lot of points for promising to adopt CCSS and implement the standards by adopting some fairly bold reforms. Now the rubber meets the road and it's time to look at whether states are beginning to do what they promised.
In a major profile of the new chancellor of New York City's schools, the Sunday Times headline writer sums up Dennis Walcott nicely: A Schools Chief With a Knack for Conciliation.
If you make an infographic colorful enough and confusing enough, people won't pay attention to how absurd your methodology is. That seems to be the theory motivating this chart, posted by Alexander Russo and originally developed by the futurejournalismproject:
Well, restraints are certainly needed?a new school shooter video game is available.
In honor of Earth Day, I thought I'd bring back an oldie but goodie, from the December 14, 2009 edition of the Wall Street Journal. Whole Foods Republicans
"I see this as the civil rights issue of our generation?the poorest kid, from the toughest community from the most dysfunctional family?can thrive when given a good education?but put that child in school that has a 40, 50 or 60 percent dropout rate?then we as educators, we're perpetuating poverty, we're perpetuating failure.''
The Centennial State has a great track record in education reform--bipartisan, even--which is why it was so disappointing to so many people when Colorado didn't win Race to the Top funds last summer, and now it looks like we're going to be disappointed once again.
This article originally appeared in the April 21 edition of The Education Gadfly newsletter.
Kevin Carey calls a recent Daily Caller article by Kay Hymowitz ?generally silly? and ?an alarmed reaction to female college attainment.? No, the piece is none of those things.
You don't want to miss this opening act! Be sure to mute your cell phone and get ready to enjoy the show.
Mike and Checker explain how NCLB got it backwards, and what ?reform realism? would look like in practice.
?We're talking about questions of fundamental fairness ? issues that have always played out in our schools. Our kids can't succeed if we don't give them the tools they need. No matter where you sit on the political spectrum, how could we not?''*
Mike and Rick conjure up some crazy weather this week during Pardon the Gadfly: a hailstorm of ideas from Fordham's new ESEA briefing book, the landfall of Hurricane Winerip, and the epic J.C. Brizard-snowpocalypse. Amber heats things up with an NBER paper on teacher evals, and Chris, well, he just thinks Canada is crazy. [powerpress]
In science, statisticians must frequently grapple with interaction effects. Let's say, for example, that a scientist wants to study the impact of diet and exercise on lowering cholesterol. They have one group follow a low-fat diet, another a new running regimen, and a third group both. It's possible that both the diet group and the exercise group see a modest dip in cholesterol.
Results are in! We had ninety-two respondents to Tuesday's survey asking two simple questions: Do you align yourself with the education-reform community, and did you go to public school?
We've got a true multimedia experience for you in this week's Education Gadfly. Mike and Checker lead the way with an editorial on a little thing we like to call ?Reform Realism?
Esther Quintero, a research associate at the Albert Shanker Institute, blogs today that focusing on teacher quality and accountability is un-American, because it "views students exclusively as passive recipients of their own learning." She goes on to criticize school reformers for portraying students as "devoid of agency."
Former Bush White House adviser (and NCLB drafter) Sandy Kress turned in a very compelling New York Daily News op-ed on Monday arguing that President Obama has gone "wobbly" on education accountability.
Students come to the rescue in response to the smackdown of those ?spoiled teachers." Thank goodness
?The funding available for performance pay represents an opportunity to provide meaningful incentives and rewards for exemplary teachers in a significant number of Virginia schools.'' * ?Robert McDonnell, Governor or Virginia
In my interview with outgoing New York education commissioner David Steiner, whose passion for curriculum has been no secret, I asked about curriculum and the common core and I think it is worth excerpting some of our conversation:
Kelley Williams-Bolar made national headlines back in January when she was caught sending her two daughters across district lines from the woeful Akron Public Schools to the plusher Copley-Fairlawn School District.
Political leaders hope to act soon to renew and fix the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, also known as No Child Left Behind). In this important paper, Thomas B. Fordham Institute President Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Executive Vice President Michael J. Petrilli identify 10 big issues that must be resolved in order to get a bill across the finish line, and explore the major options under consideration for each one. Should states be required to adopt academic standards tied to college and career readiness? Should the new law provide greater flexibility to states and districts? These are just a few of the areas discussed. Finn and Petrilli also present their own bold yet "reform realist" solutions for ESEA. Read on to learn more.
If Michael Winerip is to be taken at his word, then his latest New York Times piece, published Sunday, is meant merely to make the reader ask?himself?whether the fact that?lots of?so-called ?education reformers?