Whoa there

Mike makes good points about Thompson's article. But modesty about the lengths to which the KIPP/Amistad/SEED models can be stretched is warranted.

Dress for success

So, after posting this, Mike drops me an email asking if I've got his back... I, of course, ask if he is insinuating that my blond highlights are not completely au naturelle.??

Mainstream media flubs it

We must excavate the salient parts. If the title of this AP story is true, then the chaperone in question possesses a supreme mastery of duct-tape techniques??and probably should write a book. It's not true, though. I know. It's impossible to seal a door with duct tape.

Gotta have The Gadfly

The newest Gadfly is out. In it, Checker and I write about how states, loath to see their dropout rates rise, are backtracking on high school exit exams.

South of the border

From The Economist: Mexico is making moves to fix its broken educational system (a system that affects the U.S.??in obvious ways).

VP watch: The education angle

The New York Times reports today that Senator John McCain is set to meet with three contenders for the VP slot on his ticket: former Massachus

Re: VP Watch: The education angle

We've written before about Governor Bobby Jindal. There's lots to like.

Re: Re: VP Watch: The education angle

Liam makes a good point. Did I mention that Mitt Romney is smart and savvy on education reform?

Choice for parents, not for schools

This article out of New Orleans is about several selective charter schools that admit only those students that pass entrance tests or navigate complicated admissions processes. This is a big no-no with charter supporters. According to the piece:

Wikipedia: Enabling the "dumbest generation"

Mark Bauerlein, the Emory professor, Phi Beta Cons contributor, and author of

It's more than hygiene...

I'm encouraged this morning reading this article about Idaho's work in crafting standardized performance evaluations for teachers.

Quote of the day

At a news conference yesterday, New York City teachers union boss Randi Weingarten called Joel Klein's protestations over Albany's inflexibility on school funding the "height of chutzpah."

Ten is the new five

Once upon a time, major federal education legislation was authorized for five years at a time and funds could only be appropriated for programs so long as the authorization remained valid. As a result, big fat laws such as E.S.E.A. and the Higher Education Act were, in fact, reauthorized every five years, always with amendments and additions, sometimes with improvements.

Wimping out on standards?

The connection between rhetoric and reality in discussions about reforming America's high schools wears thin.

Say NOPE to NAEP

The ed reform crowd genuflects before the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the holy grail of testing. And in most cases, its deification is appropriate. But when comparing charter schools to traditional public schools, the holy grail becomes a Dixie Cup.

Sorry, Goldilocks--it's hot or cold

Advanced Placement enrollment has exploded, and several schools in the Washington, D.C., area have gone so far as to eliminate conventional honors courses altogether because, they claim, AP provides students more academic rigor and holds them to higher expectations.

Schools That Work

David Jason FischerCenter for an Urban FutureMay 2008David Jason FischerCenter for an Urban FutureMay 2008

Don't pass me the ball

Baltimore schools chief Andres Alonso, taking a page from Fordham's playbook, is remaking the city's funding system to push dollars and decisions down to the school level. Several principals (and their union bosses) are displeased, however.

Fizzy Fruit forever

The genesis of Fizzy Fruit's success arguably comes from Genesis, in which we learn that fruit is one temptation from which mankind simply cannot abstain. For kids, however, fruit holds less allure--but soda is a Godsend.

Sizing Up State Standards 2008

American Federation of Teachers2008

Islam in the Classroom: What the Textbooks Tell Us

Gilbert T. SewallThe American Textbook CouncilMay 2008

Thoughts and prayers

Helping homeschoolers

Jeff calls California's governor a "dismal failure" when it comes to fighting for better education.

The voc-ed solution

Joanne Jacobs features a thorough article, from Houston, about the new voc-ed--you know, voc-ed for the 21st-Century, not your grandfather's voc-ed, etc. The benefits of such programs are numerous.

Schools' job regarding childhood obesity: Just do no harm

The Washington Post has been running a series all week on the childhood obesity crisis and our society's inadequate response to it. Today's article is about the schools' role:

Reform is no slam dunk

Eduwonk Andy Rotherham is a business-minded fellow, and yesterday he made the point that as districts downsize, schools close, and some teachers (mayb

Rotherham revealed

Speaking of Eduwonk.... You may think you know Andy Rotherham. You've sat with him on panels, chit-chatted??with him??over cocktails, rubbed elbows with him in the corridors of power, enjoyed a??cigar with him while lounging in leather chairs in??the smoky wicket-doored rooms where American ed policy is crafted.

Newsflash: Teachers want smaller class sizes

That's one finding from this new Public Agenda survey.

Everyone loves Core Knowledge except for Alfie

First it was Randi Weingarten, who yesterday embraced Core Knowledge as the sort of program New York City's schools need.

John McCain loves poor children

So reports Charles Barone, a former (Democratic) hill staffer: Memo to Democrats: Bush used a message similar to McCain's to good effect in 2000.