Commentary
Props
It is by no small accident that Gadfly was able to get his pulvilli (as in the plural of pulvillus, of course, the sticky footpads on the feet of flies) on a copy of the OECD's Australia report.
Topics
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Psychics! Prom!
This week, Mike and Rick chat about whether we can be excellent and equal, whether the College Board is too obsessed with race, and whether Detroit is too obsessed with having bad schools. Jeff Kuhner thinks Canadians are great, unless they frequent soothsayers, and Education News of the Weird spikes the punch bowl.
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Puppies and kittens
This week, Mike and Rick chat about the Navy, incarceration in Buffalo, and the aesthetic pleasures of Brown Center Reports.
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Putting data to use
Every day, teachers, administrators, superintendents, and policy officials make important decisions based on insufficient or unreliable information. What if you could help? As a Strategic Data Project (SDP) fellow, you could be placed in a school district, charter network, or state education agency to bring your statistical know-how and high quality research methods to bear on those decisions.
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Quality education should trump district damage control
In order to fully understand the magnitude of claims that districts don’t collaborate very well with charter schools, despite much jabber to the contrary, conside
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Quality reading
The Teacher Quality Bulletin is the National Council on Teacher Quality's bi-monthly newsletter of scintillating, must-read commentary for anyone interested in issues affecting in-the-classroom education. Its latest issue is a real peach, plump with juicy opinion about the complacency of American parents when choosing their children's teachers, among other items.
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Quality teachers by any means necessary
There are a variety of ways for people from nontraditional backgrounds to enter teaching, from state alternative certification policies to programs like Teach for America and the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE). But is it enough?
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Question authorities
Gather the family ‘round the fire for a live chat with Checker Finn and Rick Hess, today (10/4) at 3 p.m. They'll be taking your questions and live-chatting on Ed Week about their new book, No Remedy Left Behind. Click here.
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Race to Delaware
Round one Race to the Top winner Delaware is poised to put their plans into action. But to do so, they need to fill a number of positions, including some managerial ones. Folks are needed to head and help in the turnaround, charter school, and teacher and leader effectiveness strands, and the state’s department of education wants to hire quickly, so act now.
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Race to the Top seeks reviewers
As states scramble to win money from Arne Duncan’s discretionary fund, the Education Department has its own scramble: finding reviewers for the Race to the Top applications. Are you one of Duncan’s “disinterested superstars”?
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Smith Richardson seeks talent
The Smith Richardson Foundation is looking to hire folks with savvy and drive to work in its Westport, Conn., office. The Foundation supports research and public policy projects on a wide range of domestic topics.
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So long, farewell...
This week, Mike and Rick talk about "teacher proofing"; why Florida should be like the IRS; and LDH, which sounds like a drug but isn't. Punctuation Man stops by to chat, and Education News of the Weird is very good, sir.
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So many AEI edvents, so little time
Two gatherings at the American Enterprise Institute you won't want to miss: Tomorrow, February 1, at 9:15 a.m., you can attend an event all about university endowments and their possible reform. And on February 13, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee speaks about urban education reform at 3:30 p.m.
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Songs named "Laura"
This week, Rick and Stafford discuss the role of social media in schools, new education leadership graduate programs, and 2010 resolutions for Arne Duncan. Then Amber tells us about new research that further debunks “learning style” theory and Rate that Reform is on paternity leave.
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Soon-to-be-Chairman Miller added to Tuesday's conference agenda!
On December 12, Fordham is hosting a probing symposium to examine curriculum narrowing in the NCLB era and what we can do about it. You won't want to miss this downtown-Washington event (or the very nice reception to follow). Find out more, here.
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Soothsayers
This week, Mike and Rick discuss the Upper East Side, adolescent flirting, and the French armed forces. Our interview reveals the true future of relations between charter schools and unions, and Education News of the Weird is better than you. Barack Obama might be a regular listener to this 20-minute podcast.
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Sorry sass
This week, Mike and Rick talk civil rights, redshirts, and why veteran teachers in St. Louis aren't all that. Grammar Girl stops by to chat, and Education News of the Weird is rowdy and unrestrained.
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Spago, Paris Hilton, and you?
The Broad Foundation has some job openings in its education division. All are located in sunny Los Angeles. Find them here.
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Speaking of the future (at AEI)???
While we're speculating on Secretaries and technology, how about the future of school choice? You can have all your questions answered about that future in the very near future at this AEI event!
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Speaking of the future (at AEI)???
While we're speculating on Secretaries and technology, how about the future of school choice? You can have all your questions answered about that future in the very near future at this AEI event!
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Speech! Speech!
For anyone who missed the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s Education in Action summit last week (a.k.a. “Jebfest”), videos of some key speeches are now available online.
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Spellings's amnesia: Nothing to sneeze at
The Newest New Republic recently suggested that Vice President Dick Cheney's erratic behavior and "darkening persona" can be explained by his long history of heart disease. Which got us thinking: could Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings's frequent bouts of amnesia (still
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Spellings to speak about charters
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools recently confirmed Education Secretary Margaret Spellings as a keynote speaker for its upcoming charter schools conference in Albuquerque in April. Other speakers include Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham and former hoops star Kevin Johnson. Click here for more.
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Spencer, Heidi, and Rick
This week, Mike and Rick discuss the 46-state pledge for national standards, Andrew Coulson's proposal that DC pick up the tab for its dying voucher program, and the place of texting and cell phones in schools. Then, Amber tells us about a depressing new report on teacher self-sorting by student demographics and Stafford cuts the College Board some slack on Rate That Reform.
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Spencer job opening
The Spencer Foundation, an organization that seeks to foster the development of new knowledge about education with the aim of educational improvement, wants to add a creative and forward-looking colleague to its team of Senior Program Officers.
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Stafford makes Rick cry
This week, Rick and Stafford contemplate eleventh-hour RTT-minded legislation, the most creative ideas from AEI’s and Fordham’s conference on school finance, and Randi’s overtures on teacher quality. Then Amber explains the new NAPCS state charter law rankings and Rate that Reform forgets English.
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Stafford's Got Talent
This week, Mike and Stafford discuss ACORN-affiliated schools, Texas’s stand against the common core standards, and the rise and fall of helicopter parents. Then Amber tells us about the affects of NCLB accountability on student achievement and Rate that Reform grades grades.
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Stafford's write-in campaign
Mike and Stafford debate the long-term merits of Waiting for 'Superman,' throw down about standards for virtual education, and see eye-to-eye on inclusion. Amber dissects a meaty study on value-added metrics and Rate that Reform goes dumpster diving.
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Standards, standards, and more standards
Do you love the feel of a real report in your hands? Always print out the web PDF version?
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Stand up for Kevin Johnson
Mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson is currently seeking an entrepreneurial leader to be the Executive Director of a new non-profit, STAND UP. This organization works directly with the mayor’s office on issues related to accountability, school choice, human capital, parental involvement, and resource development in that city’s schools.