Grading writing
From The Tallahassee Democrat: "According to the Florida Department of Education, more students statewide are writing at or above grade level." (The results are here.)
Who's next?
One wonders: To laugh or to cry? Break down test-score data by the ethnicity of Asian students?
Double standard?
Coby LoupBacked against the wall by recent labor controversies, the United Federation of Teachers has launched a counter-offensive:
Jay sets 'em straight
Coby LoupMost ed reformers are drawn to their calling by one, or sometimes both, of two considerations: civil rights and economics. The first concern addresses the achievement gap between mostly white, upper-class students and their mostly minority, low-income peers. That this gap exists--and that it's shameful and unacceptable--is undeniable.
Cola wars
Coby LoupOver at the Cato blog , Andrew Coulson reports that New Jersey lawmakers have taken a step toward approving a tax-credit scholarship program, muc
Not playing favorites
Coby LoupAmidst criticism over her principal firings, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has dismissed the principal of the school that her own kids attend.
Friday happy-hour fodder
Eric OsbergThe Center for Education Reform released an analysis of 2006 charter school funding , claiming that charters receive 39 percent less funding than district schools, on average. That's a huge, unfair difference, if it's true.
Black principal makes Hispanic students eat on floor
New Jersey education officials have admitted that an African-American vice principal inappropriately punished 15 Hispanic elementary students in Camden.
City of charterly love
Michael J. PetrilliCleveland can be a tough place, what with its harsh winters and difficult economic times.
Teacher's career up in smoke
Michael J. PetrilliIt's one thing if you unwittingly do this, but you can't do thi
Brighter idea
Yesterday, we noted that Kevin Donnelly, authority on all things related to Aussie-ed, was displeased that Victoria was offering its teachers a massive, across-the-board pay raise decoupled from accountability.
Good news for charter schools (and school reform in general)
Michael J. PetrilliNo, I'm not referring to this survey from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, though there are some promising tidbits.
AP doesn't deserve deification?
Tom Stanley-Becker is an AP dropout. The young man writes today in the Los Angeles Times:
All kids to college...or else
Another interesting bit in The Gadfly is this piece, which describes how thousands of Massachusetts students who pass the MCAS and graduate high school nonetheless have to take remedial courses at 2- and 4-year colleges--i.e., they're not ready to do college-level work. Many drop out.
More generational warfare
Michael J. PetrilliWhile childlike Liam takes Checker to task for questioning the incalculable contributions of twenty-somethings, in Boston they're
On one hand, on the other hand, and things stay the same
Over at Quick and the Ed, Kevin Carey turns in a lengthy post, replete with percentages and bullet points, that draws lessons from Ed Sector's newest report, Waiting to Be Won Ov
A scandal in Los Angeles
The Catholic Church is not the only institution facing a sex abuse crisis. The Los Angeles Unified School District has an ugly scandal of its own--and teenagers are again the victims.
Evolution update
Coby Loup1. Bills proposed by Florida lawmakers to allow teachers to caveat their teaching of evolution have, for the time being, fizzled out. 2. Cool video on how the eye, that amazing bit of complexity that's often proffered as proof of intelligent design, likely evolved:
AP ain't to blame
Eric OsbergAs with any program, implementation in AP really matters, so it's disappointing that Tom Stanley-Becker doesn't say more about how history is taught at his school. Was the AP class his only recent exposure to American history?
This Week's Fordham Factor: The next president
Mike and Christina discuss what kind of ed talk to expect from the presumptive nominees as we near the general election. httpv://youtube.com/watch?v=p3sUyP-c8AE
The hunted have become the hunters
Coby LoupJapan has slipped in international science rankings, so the government has announced a plan to train a special cadre of "super science teachers." Gotta love the enthusiasm.
No news is good news?
Eric OsbergWouldn't it be great if the candidates were to duke it out over education reform?
The Advantage of Abstract Examples in Learning Math
Jennifer A. Kaminski, Vladimir M. Sloutsky, and Andrew F. HecklerScienceApril 25, 2008