Quotable & notable
? We've got to go where we can get the most quality in one swoop, and that happens to be Teach For America, both for teachers and future school leaders.?* ? Aylon Samouha, chief schools officer for Rocketship Education
PODCAST: Real-life Breaking Bad
Mike and Rick get down to brass tacks on Duncan's waivers and Wisconsin's recall elections before making wagers on Education Reform Idol 2011. Amber maps state proficiency cut scores (again) and Chris calls out a principal who wishes he was on ?Breaking Bad.?[powerpress]
Ed Reform Idol 2011 Replay
On Thursday, August 11, Five states, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, battled for the title of "Reformiest" in the 2011 legislative year at the Education Reform Idol!
Andrew Porter has a point (its just not clear what it is)
Kathleen Porter-MageeAdding fuel to a small but growing anti-Common Core fire, Andrew Porter penned an op-ed in Education Week this week that questioned the value and rigor of the Common Core ELA and math standards. He explains:
To Whitney Tilson on Damon: Civility urgently needed
I wrote a blog post here on Flypaper this week in response to what I'd seen as some unnecessary and unproductive personal jabs at actor Matt Damon, after he gave a brief speech at the Save Our Schools rally in D.
Putting Dayton's back-to-school season in context
Terry RyanEducation is and always has been profoundly shaped by demographics and economics. Ever since James Coleman's celebrated 1966 study showed that student achievement is strongly affected by nonschool factors, Americans have understood the manifold tribulations facing anyone bent on improving student achievement among our poorest children.
The lesson from Education Reform Idol: Elections matter
Michael J. PetrilliIt was hardly a surprise that Indiana took home the Education Reform Idol trophy today.
Quotable & notable
?If we're going to make sure we truly look out for the best interest of kids, we have to take a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to cheating.?* ? Greg Meyers, HISD trustee
More claptrap about sex education
Peter MeyerExcuse the pun, but here we go again.? News out of New York is that Gotham's public schools will ?mandate sex education? (how not to have sex, why not to have it, or to have it safely, whatever).?
Like It or Not, Matt Damon Has a Relatively Nuanced Perspective on Charter Schools
In case it needs reiterating, Matt Damon is actually a pretty smart guy. He holds a Best Original Screenplay Oscar. He went to Harvard. He produces documentary films. He volunteers and donates to whole host of NGOs and non-profits. Sure, he's no authority of education, but he's probably the kind of person worth at least giving the benefit of the doubt.
What our Education Reform Idol contestants accomplished this year on teacher effectiveness
Which of the five states competing to be America's next Education Reform Idol did the most to advance teacher effectiveness during the 2011 legislative session?
If you support Common Core, oppose Arne Duncan
Michael J. PetrilliArnius Duncanus is at it again. Unmoved by pleas that he "first do no harm" when it comes to promising reforms like the Common Core State Standards Initiative, he seems compelled to attach mandates to his forthcoming NCLB waivers that will require adoption of the Common Core standards.
We can't predict the future; we can teach the essential
Kathleen Porter-MageeEvery so often educators and reformers think, if we're educating kids for the future, we need to do a better job of adapting our education system to meet the needs of tomorrow. That our education systems needs to, in some sense, ?get with the times? so that we can better serve our students today.
Back to school in Atlanta -- did someone say cheating scandal?
Peter MeyerAbout three-quarters of the way through Alan Schwarz's story in today's New York Times, "Atlanta School Year Begins Amid a Testing Scandal,? a parent of a first grader is quoted as saying, ?But I love the principal.? Was she named?? No. Was her previous school named?? No. Are the cheaters still there?? No?.?
What our Education Reform Idol contestants accomplished this year on school choice
Which of the five states competing to be America's next Education Reform Idol did the most to advance charter schools and private-school choice during the 2011 legislative session?
Quotable & notable
"[AFT] knocked me out, but in the end we gave parents power. We gave them power under statute." * ? Jason Bartlett, former Connecticut State Representative
Education news nuggets
What is the best way to draw attention to your cause? Should you commission a tank? Accuse your interviewer of incompetence??
Meet the Ed Reform Idol contestants: Wisconsin
The following is a guest post from Ryan Murray, Policy and Legislative Affairs Director for the Office of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, on why Wisconsin should be considered the reformiest state at our Ed Reform Idol event next week.
The schools--and the deficits--we deserve
Michael J. PetrilliThe latest Education Next poll results are packed-full of interesting findings on topics ranging from choice to merit pay, from NCLB to tenure reform. But particularly timely, in this era of fiscal austerity, are new insights about the public's views on school budgets.
Education news nuggets
Now that we've reached the age of digital learning and the online university and
Quotable & notable
?Educators and policymakers must boil the chatter down to two essential questions: To what degree will this policy enhance student learning and how will we know?" * ? Marilyn Rhames, third-grade teacher
PODCAST: When the cat's away?
Mike and Rick are in the zone this week analyzing the Save Our Schools March, how states can improve ed schools, and the merits of Missouri's anti-Facebook-friending legislation. Amber gives Teach For America a high-five and Chri$ gives NC charter schools the flat-out deny. [powerpress]
There's good news, and then there's really good news
Michael J. PetrilliA few weeks ago, I wrote about our schools' ?secret success.? Simply stated, poor and minority students are achieving at dramatically higher levels today than they were two decades ago?in some cases two or three grade levels higher.
Quotable & notable
?If a kid gets out of school hungry and the first thing he sees is pizza on the side of his bus, he's going to ask for pizza when he gets home.? * ? Limor Baum, Dietician
Education news nuggets
As you know by now, Fordham is on a mission: to find the reformiest state in the country!
Meet the Ed Reform Idol contestants: Indiana
The following is a guest post from Tony Bennett, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, on why Indiana should be considered the reformiest state at our Ed Reform Ido
What Ed Sector gets wrong
Michael J. PetrilliEducation Sector is one of my favorite groups in K-12 policy, and not just because I have lots of friends who work there. Since its creation five years ago its analysts have produced a steady stream of thoughtful, thought-provoking papers and posts on the most important issues facing education policymakers today.