Washington Post's Jay Mathews has a new column out this morning, about election day and what it might mean for education policy if Republicans gain control of the U.S. House (and,?according to?some daring suggestions, maybe even the Senate).
I'll admit it: while she's not perfect, I'm still a huge fan of Michelle Rhee, what with her ?let's not mince words? style and her all-in approach to school reform. So it's not surprising that her Wall Street Journal ?manifesto?
Huh? Guess the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is really hurting for op-eds these days. ?Liam Julian, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow
Bellwether Education's Andrew Rotherham has penned an atypically sensible article on income-based integration?atypically sensible, that is, for pieces about income-based integration, which tend to be flowery and na?ve, and not for pieces that Rotherham writes, which are often quite prudent.
Hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! Not everyone was celebrating, though.
Florida's ?no-win? class-size situation is a foreshadowing for Ohio, as we're bound to come to the same obvious conclusions about universal class-size reduction (CSR) requirements: does it really add value and even so, how the hell do we afford it?
Review: Sounding the Alarm: A Wakeup Call with Directions
A love/hate relationship sums up what's happening across the country when it comes to district-charter collaboration. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is trying to spread the love by providing support and encouraging cooperation among district and charter leaders in places like New York City, New Orleans, Denver, Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
?Four years ago, we both found a cause that inspired us to work hard every day. Reformers nationwide need to take up that mantle. Now is not the time to go soft on tough decisions. Fixing our schools will require courage and persistence, but young lives are at stake. What could be more worth the risks?''
No sooner had I hit the ?publish? button on my recent post on school closures than my new issue of Education Week arrived (yes, in the mailbox on the front porch). And after glancing at the front page ? ?Turnaround Team Picks Up the Pace in Ky.?
A chicken in every pot and a playground in every school. Along with healthy lunches, we can go a long way toward improving schools.
If you're following the school closure / school turnaround debate, the story in today's NY Times ? ?In Sharp Rise, 47 City Schools May Close Over Performance? ? will offer some insights, if not a great deal of , er, closure.
Listen to a good radio debate between Michael Kirst and William Evers (by way of Andy Rotherham) on education and the California gubernatorial race.? It's money and more.
While our education system obsesses over the latest socio-pathological?disease (e.g. bullying) or vacuous phrase (e.g. 21st century skills),? more of the rest of the world seems to be keeping its eyes on the education prize.?
On Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reported that more than half of the state's schools failed to meet federal testing targets.?? This isn't a widespread indictment of the performance of public schools, however.??
?No one in the mainstream of the education debate wants segregated schools. But while such schools are not an immutable condition, they are an unfortunate fact of life.'' Andrew J. Rotherham, Co-Founder and Partner, Bellwether Education
A week before the mid-term elections, Arne Duncan and his team have taken a courageous stand: they're against bullying children. ?Bullying is a problem that shouldn't exist,?
We've got a great issue of the Education Gadfly for you this week. To whet the appetite, here's a smattering of the articles and analyses that you'll find within its wings:
Review: Efficacy of Schoolwide Programs to Promote Social and Character Development and Reduce Problem Behavior in Elementary School Children
If a recent spate of Wall Street Journal articles is any clue, a week before the election we could be sitting on a tectonic fault with the potential to turn into an education earthquake?and that might actually be a blessing. It has to do with teachers, their unions, and U.S. politics?all of which would benefit from some profound movement.
That's my random question of the day. It dawned on me that this Big Idea, circa 2005, has all but vanished. Thirty seconds of Googling indicates that Patrick Byrne, the Overstock CEO who spent big bucks pushing the notion, has been embroiled in some controversy in recent years. Is that why it fell off the radar screen?
What's worse for students: having a moldy gym or spending too much time texting and browsing Facebook?
October must be the month for manifestos. Earlier this month there was the ?how to fix our schools?
What makes a good school? If you're to believe the Century Foundation, good schools are defined by the number of affluent students they serve. Too few? Bad school. Nearly all? Good school. This is, of course, the idea behind economic integration. Give more poor students the privilege of attending wealthier schools and student achievement will improve.
Or is the fact that charter operator Eva Moskowitz has just won a charter for a new school on Manhattan's upper west side a sign that??rich people (this needs to be checked)?can live with (among?) poor public schools too?
The latest Education Gadfly Show is now available for download. This week Mike and Rick answer life's mysteries as they pertain to the election, OCR overreach, and publicly-available teacher ratings. And if that's not enough, Amber questions character education and Chris brings in the dogs.
?America needs a high bar so everyone is on a level playing field. Reform can't be led from Washington. It has to be led by state.? Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
It seems that teachers in Buffalo, NY, racked up nearly $9 million worth of taxpayer-covered cosmetic procedures in 2009. This is according to the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority, the state-appointed authority overseeing public school finances. That's right?chemical peels, skin treatments, etc.
