Hurrah, the Fordham Fellows are here. Who are they? Eight extremely talented individuals at the start of their education policy careers--most of them former teachers. They will spend the next four months working in some of Washington's premier education think tanks and advocacy groups.
Who could tell you whether, "With charter schools ascendant, is there still a future for vouchers?" Simple: our panelists for this event! Join us for the wisdom of Kevin Carey (Education Sector), John F.
So, too, does the American Federation of Teachers, the newest edition of the magazine of which, American Educator, devotes pages to covering the topic. Find the articles here.
This week, Mike and Rick chat about illegal immigrants, rich suburbanites, and Bobby (formerly Piyush) Jindal. Amber brings us a Research Minute, and Education News of the Weird is a swing state. Click here to listen through our website and peruse past editions.
Fordham seeks a research assistant for our Washington, D.C., office to help us launch a new organization advocating for improved curricula in schools. It's an exciting opportunity for a bright, talented self-starter. For more information, see here.
Fordham is moving. Our new address, beginning December 19, 2005, will be: 1701 K Street, NWSuite 1000 Washington, DC 20006Our phone and fax numbers will remain the same.
Last week, Gadfly editorialized that "Putting most of the available energy, political capital, brain power and money into 'helping' districts engage in chartering rather than devoting those (limited) assets to advancing the frontier of independent charter schools: removing caps on their numbers and enrollments, creatin
I love Joel Klein. He made New York City a magnet for reform-minded entrepreneurs, sent forth more than a few excellent leaders to other big city school systems, and is never afraid to speak his truth.
A month ago, I wondered what Sonia Sotomayor might think about teacher tests, as the more rigorous ones typically have a "disparate impact" on minorities; African-American and Hispanic candidates fail them at much higher rates than whites do.
Here’s a piece of unsurprising news: More students are failing Advanced Placement exams. We could have told you this last spring, when we surveyed AP teachers about the push to offer the program’s rigorous content to more students.
This week, Mike and Rick blast the Times Magazine for its naiveté, puzzle over the effect of crack dealers on math scores, and bemoan the error of testing companies' ways. We have an interview with education columnist Linda Seebach, who puts Gadfly in his place, and Education News of the Weird is probably in the Axis of Evil.
Education Next's Summer 2006 edition is out, and it contains some gems. Paul Peterson and The Education Gadfly Show's Rick Hess investigate a possible "Race to the Bottom," Laura LoGerfo gives teachers another reason to believe they make a difference, and Eva Moskowitz bemoans teacher (and custodian) union contracts.
The new issue of Education Next is now available, and it's packed with goodies. Readers will learn how teacher pension plans encourage the most-experienced educators to retire early, why voters don't hold school boards accountable, why single-sex schools are a fine idea, and much more.
This week, Mike and Rick chat about the suburbs, the College Board, and Raleigh. We've got an interview with Liam Julian, who tells us about the newly launched Fordham Fellows program, and Education News of the Weird is less education, less news, less weird, more jokes!
Patriciorum numerum auxi consul quintum iussu populi et senatus. Senatum ter legi, et in consulatu sexto censum populi conlega M. Agrippa egi. Lustrum post annum alterum et quadragensimum feci, quo lustro civium Romanorum censa sunt capita quadragiens centum millia et sexaginta tria millia. Tum iterum consulari cum imperio lustrum solus feci C. Censonno et C.
Have you bought your copy of Troublemaker, by Gadfly-in-Chief Chester E. Finn, Jr.? If not, here's some motivation.
Are you fed up with the status quo in education? Do you have an idea for an innovative new venture, but lack the guidance and funds to operationalize it? Then you might be the perfect candidate for Mind Trust’s Education Entrepreneur Fellowship.
Here’s what we know about previous attempts to fix America’s most persistently failing schools. Turnarounds in other fields seldom work. Turnarounds in education have even lower success rates. Despite decades of effort, we still don’t have a reliable playbook for turning a very low-performing school into a good school, much less a great school.
LOL, txting is tot. nbd, so says the prelim fndings of a nu stdy from Coventry University. In fact, students who used the most phonologically-based text abbreviations--such as “nite” instead of night--were the best spellers.
A New York Times bestseller currently declares “free” to be a “radical price,” and incomparably better than “inexpensive.” Perhaps said book was on E.D.
Don't forget. Next Monday, February 23, from 4:30 to 5:45 pm we'll be hosting a "team of rivals"--i.e., four Fordham board members--to discuss our new report, The Accountability Illusion.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is looking for a new Assistant Director-General for Education. That's the highest ranking education job within the organization and is responsible for the overall formulation, planning and coordination of UNESCO's strategy, programs, and plans of action in education.
"I read stuff like this and think it's some kind of joke. That teachers in Los Angeles are required to spend one hour of the school day protesting outside school, or else, according to union president A.J.
...New York City's education personalities will play. In case you've missed the latest goings-on at eduwonk, Chris Cerf, deputy chancellor of the NYC Ed Department, and Randi Weingarten, UFT president, have lately been blogging away. (Weingarten's first post was nearly 2,000 words!) Check out the fun here.
Rick and Mike bring the heat this week as they discuss extending the school year, the Congressional teacher-jobs bailout that simply won’t die, and Michelle Rhee’s D.C. teacher layoffs.
In this short video, Mike interviews AEI’s Rick Hess about Fordham’s new report: America’s Best (and Worst) Cities for School Reform. What was the study’s underlying question? And what did we find? Rick explains.
Common Good is hosting a forum on school discipline and its educational and legal implications. It takes place on October 31, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (lunch provided), at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The panels are packed, and UFT President Randi Weingarten will give the keynote address.
This week, Mike and guest host Kevin Carey, of Education Sector, chat about girls and boys, colleges, and AP. Jeff Kuhner is outraged about Bill Ayers, and Education News of the Weird doesn't look quite right. Click here to listen through our website and peruse past editions.
It’s the Arne Duncan edition, as Mike and Rick discuss his new budget, new plan for NCLB, and (not so) new but so true comments on NOLA. Then Amber gives us the lowdown on the new “Hope, Fears and Reality” report and Rate that Reform stands up for dictionaries.
