"I hope that this chapter has explained how a liberal Democratic legislator could conclude that choice, which in America is often associated with the political right, is essential to reform of education. In recent years, my party has suffered from a tendency to defend past ways of doing things."
A bill sponsored by State Senator Gary Cates (R- Butler County) would lessen the blow to otherwise high-performing districts that fail to make adequate academic progress with a few subgroups of students.
Republican George Allen and Democrat Paul Goldman (Virginians both) have teamed up to write an interesting piece in the New York Time s urging Congress to modify certain tax credit rules so that they include school renovations.
Checker, Terry, and Fordham board member David Driscoll offer up their opinions on school governance at the state and local levels over at Education Week
Excellent Ed Week articles on school boards and governors and education and use of ARRA funds
Checker writes on EducationNext's blog today about the inability of Title I and various versions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to bring about achievement gains for
If you missed last week's coverage of our new report on national education standards, check out this Washington Post article from today.
Quotable: "It's very exciting.?? This is the first accountability system for school meals in the history of the school system." -Jonathan Stein of Community Legal Services in Philadelphia
Expert reviewers appraise the Common Core drafts -- which outline college and career readiness standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and in math -- and also evaluate the reading/writing and math frameworks that undergird the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA). How strong are these well-known models?
New NY education commissioner Steiner fails first test? Wise cautions about "innovation" and the i3 from former IES head Whitehurst Good Toppo article??on Latino aspiration gap
ED just hosted a webinar on the i3, led by OII head Jim Shelton. Though the basic information in the presentation tracked faithfully with the priorities document (so nothing terribly new or different), some of the Q&A was quite interesting.
Our new report is discussed in two interesting articles---one in the Washington Post and one in
What should schools do in the face of massive budget cuts? Not what they’re doing in Hawaii, that’s for sure.
The Fordham Institute's newest report???-Stars By Which to Navigate? Scanning National and International Education Standards in 2009--reviews the ???Common Core???
Quotable: "I just don't want to see us sell our soul as we are racing to the top and not making philosophical decisions along the way." - Connecticut School Board Vice Chairwoman Janet Finneran
The tragic and violent death of Chicago honors student Derrion Albert raced across YouTube and internet news.
At Sam Placentino Elementary School in Holliston, Mass., a significant number of parents enroll their kids in programs that are basically guaranteed to reduce their child’s state test scores. In an interesting twist on the idea of parental choice, the school offers three separate pedagogical tracks: traditional, Montessori, and French immersion.
It might actually happen. Planets and stars are beginning to align. Some sort of national education standards may actually become a reality.It’s a heavy lift, to be sure, but the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, in partnership with Achieve, ACT, and the College Board, have embarked on just such an undertaking.
Steven R. Nelson, James C. Leffler, and Barbara A. HansenNorthwest Regional Educational Laboratory2009
Step away from the snickerdoodles. Banish the brownies--and the blondies. This is the Big Apple, not the Big Glazed Apple Cinnamon Fritter. In a nod to healthier living, the New York City Department of Education has effectively banned bake sales--that ubiquitous fundraising staple of soccer teams, debate clubs, and school bands.
William J. Hussar and Tabitha M. BaileyNational Center for Education StatisticsSeptember 2009
Yesterday, ED released its "proposed priorities" for the Investing in Innovation (or i3) fund, a $650 million program embedded in the federal stimulus legislation.??I give the document a full treatment here, but??here's a quick and dirty explanation and analysis with a bit of
I had the pleasure of attending Fordham-Ohio's conference on standards on Monday.
Quotable: "There's a history of violence associated with moving kids from one area to another.?? You have a trail of blood and tears ever since they launched (Renaissance 2010)." - Tio Hardiman, director of CeaseFire Illinois
Here's a recent??interview with Fordham Institute's Andy Smarick about NCLB prospects and the administration. It ran this week on Ednews.org.
Schools and non-profits can get extra stimulus dollars, Libby Quaid of the AP reported this afternoon. The Department of Ed today issued rules for a $650 million competitive grant fund for school reform, according to the piece.
