Education journals get a lot of flack for their low research standards and willingness to publish almost anything. I've heard many people say that what education needs is something akin to JAMA or Science.
As many of you, I hope, know, I, Thomas B. aka The Gadfly, have entered the social networking world--on Facebook. ??Just this morning, in fact, Joel Klein, Chancellor of New York City Schools, requested to become my friend on said networking site. I accepted his request with alacrity.
GADFLY NEWS SERVICE: HUNTSALOOSA, TN. A fourth-grade class in this small town gained national attention yesterday when a group of students petitioned their teacher to postpone their spelling test scheduled for Friday in light of the financial crisis on Wall Street.
According to Campaign K-12, Senator Barack Obama told the Clinton Global Initiative gathering today that he would invest $2 billion to close the international "education gap" by 2015--which I think means he'd work to get all kids across the world into schools by that date.
You won't want to miss this week's Gadfly. Checker and Stafford explain why community schools (as espoused by the Broader, Bolder folks and Randi Weingarten over at the AFT) are the antithesis of David Whitman's paternalistic model.
When Randi Weingarten introduced her brainchild, the "community school," in her speech accepting the presidency of the American Federation of Teachers, we found it sorely wanting. And, of course, we found it not the least bit new, either.
That there still exist parents who have not yet extricated their children from Wake County's public schools is a marvel.
In what has become a regular autumnal occurrence, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, and Broward Country, Florida, school systems find themselves embarked upon yet another year of declining enrollments. And they're not alone.
SRI InternationalSeptember 2008
Does Junior have a sour attitude? Tired of his aberrant adolescent behavior? Just drop him off at a local hospital to become a ward of the state. That's right. No need to ground him for attending that raucous party last weekend. Of course, you may have to move to Warren Buffett's neighborhood to pull this off.
Back-to-school time, soaring fuel prices, and a wobbly economy are all upon us, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that the papers are brimming with sad stories about schools getting slammed by skyrocketing costs and slumping tax revenues. "Hard Times Hitting Students and Schools," reported the New York Times recently. "Schools eye four-day week to cut fuel costs," declared Reuters.
Tom LovelessBrown Center on Education Policy, Brookings InstitutionSeptember 2008
Educators, researchers, and policy types around the world admire (and envy) Finland's students, who repeatedly demonstrate remarkable academic prowess on international assessments.
When times get rough, why do school districts cut the good stuff? It's a very good question and one we should be outraged about, explains Mike. Read the whole argument on National Review Online.
When I first read this article, I was skeptical. Giving bonuses to teachers and principals at failing schools? Doesn't that undermine the whole concept of merit pay--as in, rewards for meritorious performance? But perhaps not.??
Ohio is in the midst of a debate about how best to use its student assessments and ever- increasing amounts of student-achievement data to improve student performance. The data is used by the state for accountability purposes, but how can this data also be used to improve teaching and learning in all schools?
Public Broadcast SystemAired Sept. 15 on WOSUOhio stood out on Sept. 15 when PBS aired Where We Stand: America's Schools in the 21st Century. The special's host, Judy Woodruff, used four Ohio schools to describe the current state of American education. Viewers should have come away feeling uncomfortable.
Facing constitutional requirements for a balanced budget, Gov.
Partnership for 21st Century SkillsSept. 2008
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's head-turning education speech in Dayton Sept. 9 was notable for stepping away from several planks dear to traditional Democratic thinking. The national audience surely paid attention. But did his fellow Democrats in the Buckeye State?
Today in Education Week: "NCLB Testing Said to Give 'Illusions of Progress'" Last October from Fordham: "No Child Left Behind's ???Proficiency Illusion'"
"Stand-up desks provide a firm footing for fidgety students" "Teachers report improved focus, behavior"
Enrollment continues to decline in a number of big-city school systems. In Washington, DC , the student population is down 8 percent from last year, in large part because of charter school expansion.
Fraud! Misleading information! A huge price tag for America! I'm not talking about the mortgage-backed securities meltdown. I'm referring to the new TOM LOVELESS ALGEBRA STUDY.
"Polygamous community school gets NCLB honors"
Or so Liam argues in the Weekly Standard. With his usual panache, Liam reviews Charles Murray's new book, Real Education.
Arrival was on time; blog notification was not. Nevertheless, the issue is spectacular. Lesson from this week?
