Check out the all new Gadfly here, and don't miss this Short Review by Fordham's research director Amber. She takes a look at the TAP merit pay program in Chicago, one of the federally-funded teacher performance schemes. Unfortunately, not much doing in Chi-Town, or anywhere else for that matter.
?Early childhood education is one of the most effective ways to close the achievement gap, which we know occurs well before kindergarten.? ? Amy O'Leary, Director of the Early Education for All Campaign
How serious are we about preparing everyone for college? This is perhaps the most widely avoided question in American education. It’s politically dangerous. Merely asking it seems to raise doubts about our core belief in equal opportunity. And it sounds crabby, cranky, arrogant, and classist.
Last year we criticized Roland Fryer’s “pay for performance” programs in part because kids were getting mixed messages about incentives. Should we really pay youngsters for doing things they already should be doing?
David N. Figlio and Cassandra M.D. HartNational Bureau of Economic ResearchJune 2010
Steven Glazerman and Allison SeifullahMathematica Policy ResearchMay 2010
Bryan Hassel and Emily HasselPublic ImpactJune 2010
Private school enrollments tend to ebb and flow with the economy. And so fall 2009 private school numbers expectedly dipped in response to 2008’s economic downturn. But fall 2010 might be another story.
English is a complicated and often counterintuitive language. “I” before “e” except after “c” and when it sounds like “a,” as in neighbor and weigh? A group of phonetics die-hards agree.
Jay Greene is upset that nobody has addressed his concerns about the Common Core State Standards initiative.
Detroit mayor wants control of schools. I bet he gets it. McNeil continues to follow the important and troubling RTT?side deals issue.
I'm a bit behind on my reading, but did you hear the good news last Friday? The unemployment rate dipped last month, with over 400,000 non-agricultural jobs added, the largest bump in 10 years!
?Any time you tell the complete story, the accurate story of history, some people are not going to be happy.? ? Jonathan M. Seinz, Director of Legislative Affairs, Liberty Institute of Plano, Texas
When it comes to performance in the classroom, Teach For America corps members measured up well against traditionally prepared teachers who had graduated from the University of North Carolina, according to a UNC study released in April.
Jean Johnson, Jon Rochkind, and Amber OttPublic AgendaJune 2, 2010
A change has been made to a provision of Ohio’s school rating system that caused otherwise high-performing districts to see their ratings plummet when they failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) with particular student subgroups.
Shannon Marsh and Paul HillCenter on Reinventing Public EducationMay 2010
The State Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to adopt the Common Core State Standards for English language arts and math, an action we’ve lauded as a smart move for Ohio’s youngsters.
Andrew Boy, founder and co-director of Columbus Collegiate Academy (one of Fordham’s six sponsored schools), was recently selected for Columbus Business First’s “Forty Under 40,” a highly selective award that recognizes young professionals who are not only outstanding at their jobs, but have also made a difference
?A virtual education is expensive.? ? Katrina Abston, Head of Schools for California Virtual Academy ?Public Financing Supports Growth of Online Charter Schools,? The New York Times
Yesterday, thanks to a random article, I was reminded of the remarkable philanthropic program widely known as?MacArthur ?genius? grants.
Tony Bennett, Indiana's state superintendent, has made waves during his short tenure?almost always for the right reasons. He's pushed a number of greatly needed reforms and has run into opposition from some of the state's establishment organizations.
?We want to make sure students who have access to the stellar education at the exam schools live in the city.? ? Rachel Skerritt, Chief of Staff for Boston Superintendent of Schools
I spent the last two days at a top-notch conference on teacher performance pay hosted by the Kennedy School's Program on Education Policy and Governance.
You won't want to miss this week's Gadfly, which is up now over on our website. But perhaps you are also looking for a good book to enjoy with your Sunday coffee.
Cato Institute hosted a lively discussion of the Common Core State Standards this week, and the video of that event is now up on their website. There's some good back-and-forth.
