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A hard line on the bottom line
National Review Online must have been a fan of Fordham's Education Olympics, for this week it has articles by not one, but two of its stars, Roy Romer and our own Mike Petrilli.
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From NRO's mouth to Governor Granholm's ears?
I didn't expect my call for Michigan to declare Detroit Public Schools bankrupt to lead to action so quickly. But it doesn't sound like the state is willing to go far enough.
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The search is over
David Hoff has found the 10,000 pound gorilla that is NCLB, and the "Washington Consensus" to boot.
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Obama vs. Strickland?
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's head-turning education speech in Ohio last week was notable for stepping away from several planks in his party's traditional platform. The national audience surely paid attention-but did his fellow Democrats in Ohio?
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Batty lawsuits
What do safe sex, reading, and proper admonition of Mexican free-tailed bats have in common? They're just a few of the topics people think schools should teach. The latter, free-tailed bats (so named because a bit of their tails project beyond their uropatagia, of course), have taken up residence in some Salt Lake City schools that lie along the mammals' migratory route.
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Positive energy
Senators McCain and Obama might momentarily suspend their energy-policy and economic-policy bickering and pay a visit to Michigan Technical Academy, where students have converted used cooking oil from a nearby tortilla factory into biodiesel. The school's automotive technology teacher, Marty Depowski, is a master certified automotive technician who once worked for Ford.
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Diploma troubles
Should policymakers force students with cognitive disabilities to take high-stakes tests? This is one of the core controversies of the No Child Left Behind act, and states are wrestling with it, too. In California, for example, critics are crusading against a state law requiring students with disabilities to pass the high school exit exam if they wish to receive a diploma.
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Mass exodus
Beantown is experiencing a talent migration. As go Pedro and Damon, so go the educational leaders?
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From the Lehman board to the board of ed
How refreshing to watch Wall Street reintroduced to "market discipline" this weekend, and how depressing to see "moral hazard" return by Tuesday night. The government's refusal to rescue Lehman Brothers seemed to indicate that financiers would have to face the consequences of their own risky actions. But then AIG was deemed "too big to fail."
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Whitman in the flesh
On Wed. September 3, Fordham hosted a lively panel discussion of the David Whitman's new book, "Sweating the Small Stuff: Inner-City Schools and the New Paternalism." On hand were Jay Mathews of The Washington Post, and Charles Adams, head of school at the SEED School in D.C. For your viewing pleasure, we've posted a video of their discussion online.
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Experience matters for cabinet secretaries, too
I've been musing for days (here and here ) about who should be the next Secretary of Education.
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Head shake for the morning
It's stories like these that just make you shake your head . Sorry Springfield, no new school options for you until your district schools completely tank.
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Hard road to hoe
There's a lot of political lip-service of late given to ridding schools of bad teachers. But be aware if you're looking to do so in Dallas.
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The market meltdown and the public schools
It's hard not to be shaken by the financial news emanating from Wall Street these days. I can't help but wish I'd studied more economics in college (or that I'd sold our house and started renting a few years ago). But I also can't help but wish that dysfunctional urban school systems could experience some of the "market discipline" that Lehman Brothers is enjoying right now.
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Re: Education Secretary Watch: Who will lead 400 Maryland Avenue?
About this post , several smart reporters have written in to ask, don't I know that Arne Duncan will be the pick as Secretary of Education if Barack Obama is elected president?
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Don't get queasy about John Deasy
The Washington-area media is abuzz about the news that the University of Louisville is investigating the PhD awarded to Prince George's County superintendent John Deasy.
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Naming names
The Jay Mathews contest to name the high-flying schools in David Whitman's book has come to a close. The winner?
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Education Secretary Watch: Who will lead 400 Maryland Avenue?
I just got off the phone with a reporter wanting names of the primary contenders for the Secretary of Education spot if either Barack Obama or John McCain wins in November. Here are my thoughts: John McCain
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In this week's Gadfly
This week's Gadfly is up. In the editorial slot, on this day of reflection, we present excerpts from our 2003 report, Terrorists, Despots, and Democracy: What Our Children Need to Know. You'll find offerings from Richard Rodriguez and William J.
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More bad news for Ed in '08
Remember when Ed in '08 hired Kanye West to say that education needs to be a top priority?