Commentary
Weighted student funding in Indiana?
An op-ed in today's Indianapolis Star??argues for a statewide weighted student funding (WSF) system to deal with the state's budget challenges.
Commentary
Commentary
Last post of 2008 - Happy New Year!
In case you're perusing Flypaper to gather some interesting, timely info with which to wow fellow party-goers tonight?????? here are two interesting AP stories involving funding and schools:
Commentary
More support for D.C. charter schools
In response to the Washington Post's unfair article about a pseudo-scandal at the D.C.
Commentary
NY: overfunding schools about to close
I feel like we've turned reporting on the shenanigans in the Big Apple into a weekly event. The latest? Overfunding schools that are slated to close in 2010.
Commentary
Bennett interviews Checker
Fordham President Checker Finn discusses Fordham's Open Letter,??new research, school funding, and more Bill Bennett's Morning in America??radio show this morning, December 30.
Commentary
Commentary
President Bush, the hall monitor for the civil rights lobby
Rick Hess and I have a piece on National Review Online today about President Bush's education legacy. I guess you might say it's not really in the Christmas spirit. We argue that Bush??sold out??his principles when negotiating the No Child Left Behind act:
Commentary
Eduwonk Andy misses a chance to claim victory
Andy Rotherham, the go-to New Dem on education for the better part of the last decade, doesn't seem to grasp the opportunity at his fingertips.
Commentary
Re: The Post makes amends
This weekend the Post also published a letter of support from D.C. Public Charter School Board member Will Marshall, whose day job is president of the Progressive Policy Institute.
Commentary
PA's teacher strike problem
According to an op-ed in this morning's Wall Street Journal, Pennsylvania has the highest incidence of teacher strikes in the country.
Commentary
NOLA--50% charter and growing?
Usually school districts see themselves as competing with charter schools for students. Not the Recovery School District. Superintendent Paul Vallas plans on increasing the market share of charters in New Orleans by converting more schools to charter schools.
Commentary
The Post makes amends
We lambasted WaPo last week for its inappropriate and overly harsh treatment of DC Charter School Board Chairman Tom N
Commentary
Today's announcement about "common state standards" an important milestone
They said it was an impossible dream.
Commentary
Reading Arne Duncan's tea leaves
What's the cosmic significance of the Arne Duncan pick???The Wall Street??Journal's Gerald Seib, channeling Checker, says that it proves President-Elect Obama's pragmatism:
Commentary
Common standards a laudable goal, but watch for perils
Leaders here at Fordham praised the report Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education, released today by The National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers and Achieve, Inc.
Commentary
NY may cut funds for private schools
Governor Patterson has proposed cutting nearly $88 million over two years in aid to private independent and parochial schools.
Report
Governance
An Open Letter to President Obama, Secretary Duncan and the 111th Congress
In this exciting, unique and challenging time, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute wants to congratulate President-Elect Obama and other new federal leaders. The federal government has a key role to play in creating a world-class education system in America but it's challenging to get that role right. This letter provides some guidance. Fordham experts review the current education policy landscape and its main players and offer their view of the ideal K-12 federal role. They also address the ten big policy battles looming on the horizon. The hope is that the letter will provide critical advice, insights and ideas for the new federal education leaders who are about to take on a big job.
Commentary
21st century skills have been around for at least 21 centuries
That's one of the great points in this strong U.S. News and World Report piece by Eduwonk Andy Rotherham.
Commentary
Introducing "Reform Realism"
Now that there's a Secretary-Designate for the Department of Education, we at Fordham are ready with some advice for him.
Commentary
Holiday gifts for astute Flypaper readers
Surely you already know that Bethany Little was the uber-insider that first put bi
Commentary
Sayonara SES and choice?
The one part of our "open letter" to the incoming Administration and Congress that seems to be surprising folks the most is our call to eliminate No Child Left Behind's public school choice and supplemental educational services (tutoring) provisions. Yes, this proposal is counter-intuitive.
Commentary
Mo' money, mo' problems
In light of this morning's release of Fordham's open letter, this article from Tuesday's NY Times seemed all the mo
Commentary
The 'Fly is here
Sad news: the 'Fly is flying home for the holidays--and will remain out of your inboxes for two whole weeks! It's tough, we know, but that's why we made this week's edition such a humdinger.
Commentary
Malicious muckraking
Shame on the Washington Post. A recent barrage of charter school coverage by said paper, including a front page story brazenly entitled "Public Role, Private Gain," has wrongly raked a civic minded business man over the metaphoric coals. He's Thomas A.
Commentary
Fourth and long
Here's a hypothetical that's sure to alarm a San Diego Chargers fan: What if Ryan Leaf had been granted tenure?
Commentary
Acting on Data: How Urban High Schools Use Data to Improve Instruction
Amanda Datnow, Vicki Park, Brianna KennedyCenter on Educational GovernanceUSC Rossier School of Education (commissioned by New Schools Venture Fund)2008
Commentary
Value Added Assessment of Teacher Preparation in Louisiana: 2004-2005 to 2006-2007
George Noell, Bethany Porter, R. Maria Patt, and Amanda DahirLouisiana State UniversityNovember 2008