L.A. redux
The New York City teachers' union is requesting a ?restraining order? that would block the release of ?reports that rank thousands? of its members ?based on how much progress students made on state standardized tests,? reports the New York Times.
Ed profs not hip to the nitty-gritty
Janie ScullDoug Lemov's Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College offers teachers nitty-gritty tips and tools for improving effectiveness in the classroom?and it made a big splash this past spring and summer, rising to one of the top-selling books on Amazon
Be quiet! Sit up! Listen! Tie Your Shoes! Character Ed Takes it on the Shins!
Peter MeyerWhy was I not surprised to read the Education Week story on a new federal study, ?the largest?to date,?
Governance and Urban School Improvement: Lessons for New Jersey from Nine Cities
Chris IrvineSurprise! Mayoral control is no panacea
Housing Policy is School Policy: Economically Integrative Housing Promotes Academic Success in Montgomery County, Maryland
Daniela FairchildPoor kids do better when they live in affluent neighborhoods
Measuring Progress in Public and Parental Understanding of Learning Disabilities
Janie ScullAmericans have a lot to learn about learning disabilities
Common Core standards: Now what?
Michael J. Petrilli, Chester E. Finn, Jr.One foot before the other, say we
Education News Nuggets
iPhones for toddlers? Just how young is too young? No wonder youngsters are having difficulty paying attention and thinking critically these days.
Quotable & Notable
?The greatest crime in education is accepting the status quo, and Baltimore Superintendent Andr?s Alonso and the Baltimore Teachers Union deserve a lot of credit for crafting this bold proposal.? Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education
Not embarrassed
The U.S. secretary of education is feeling just fine about the proposed teacher contract in Baltimore, thank you very much. ?Liam Julian, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow
Full of it
Yesterday Randi Weingarten was interviewed by host Neal Conan on NPR's Talk of the Nation. Had I been listening, and had I learned that Weingarten was the program's guest, I would have turned the dial.
Michelle Rhee to NJ?
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ?has reportedly offered the former District of Columbia's schools chancellor the job of New Jersey education commissioner.? ?Liam Julian, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow
Cracks in the ivory tower? Education professors on standards
Janie ScullFordham's recent survey of education-school professors, Cracks in the Ivory Tower? The Views of Education Professors Circa 2010, reveals a remarkable openness among teachers of teachers to many K-12 reform initiatives sweeping the reform landscape today.
Whither ? or withering ? CMOs?
Peter MeyerEd Next lives up to its mission statement ? ?in the stormy seas of school reform? giving voice (without fear or favor) to worthy research, sound ideas, and responsible arguments?? ? with its new ?forum? on Charter Management Organizations.
Major Victory for Charters in NYS
Peter MeyerThe New York State Charter School Association's Peter Murphy is reporting some good news from the Empire State, via the state's highest court:? charter schools are exempt from the onerous ?prevailing wage? laws.
Toward excellence in charter school authorizing
Emmy L. PartinTerry and Kathryn are in Arizona this week for the annual NACSA Leadership Conference where they are sharing lessons learned from Fordham's five years as a charter school authorizer in the Buckeye State.
Common Core implementation: Who should do what?
Michael J. PetrilliEveryone knows that there's lots to be done in order for the Common Core standards to impact what actually happens in the classroom. Here's an ?Implementation To-Do List,?
Common Core standards: Now what?
Michael J. PetrilliToday, Fordham released a new paper by Checker and me: Now What? Imperatives and Options for Common Core Implementation and Governance. Everyone knows that the Common Core standards won't implement themselves, but unless they are adopted in the classroom, nothing much will change.
Quotable & Notable
?We have spent a lot of time in the last two years looking at ourselves in a mirror, trying to figure out what we've done right and what we've done wrong, and we're trying to reform.'' Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
Education News Nuggets
If you think you had some rough patches in middle school, at least you're not this girl.?
Eduvoting
Education Week's Alyson Klein supplies an informative overview of upcoming, education-related ballot measures. ?Liam Julian, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow
Cease-fire
Hoover Institution Fellow Eric Hanushek writes in today's Wall Street Journal that there is no war on teachers. ?Liam Julian, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow
Field Notes: Blah-blah-blah and the art of school board miscommunication
Peter MeyerIt was over a year in the making ? not planning, just making a date: ?A Special Board of Education Meeting devoted to ?board communication.?
Doing more for less?
Daniela FairchildEdu-gossip surrounding Michelle Rhee is rampant nowadays. The newest of the big headlines: She might be heading to New Jersey.