More than 1.7 million American children attend what we've dubbed "private public schools"—public schools that serve virtually no poor students. In some metropolitan areas, as many as one in six public-school students—and one in four white youngsters—attends such schools, of which the U.S. has about 2,800.
The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation is pleased to share our 2009-10 Sponsorship Accountability Report. The report, Renewal and Optimism: Five Years as an Ohio Charter Authorizer, contains a year in review for Ohio's charter school program, detailed information on the Fordham Foundation's work as a charter school sponsor, and data on the performance of our sponsored schools during that year.
The Senate HELP committee voted last night to send the Harkin-Enzi ESEA bill to the floor. It passed 15-7, with support from all of the Democrats and three Republicans (Mike Enzi, Lamar Alexander, and Mark Kirk).
This is the second in a series of blog posts introducing Fordham's latest report, Halting a Runaway Train: Reforming Teacher Pensions for the 21st Century.
[pullquote]"I got to tell you, the only viable political strategy for getting broad-based support of school reform on that premise is to get those middle-class parents drunk.? -AEI's Rick Hess[/pullquote]We wrap up coverage of Monday's panel discussion, ?The Other Achievement Gap,?
?It shouldn't be a rite of passage for students to feel bad when they come to high school.'' * ?Mark Frank, dean of Parke House at New Albany High School
When it comes to public-sector pensions, writes lead author Mike Lafferty in this report, "A major public-policy (and public-finance) problem has been defined and measured, debated and deliberated, but not yet solved. Except where it has been." As recounted in "Halting a Runaway Train: Reforming Teacher Pensions for the 21st Century," these exceptions turn out to be revealing—and encouraging. As leaders around the country struggle to overhaul America's controversial and precarious public-sector pensions, this study draws on examples from diverse fields to provide a primer on successful pension reform. Download to find valuable lessons for policymakers, workers, and taxpayers looking for timely solutions to a dire problem.
Microsoft just reported its quarterly earnings, posting $5.7 billion in profits but disappointing investors, who had hoped for more. News like this naturally excites Wall Street more than it does education wonks.
Mike and Janie hold down the fort this week, discussing the Harkin-Enzi bill, same-sex schooling, and St. Louis (both its new gifted-ed program and the Cardinals). Amber evaluates teacher-prep programs and Chris finds a novel way to hide a bald spot. [powerpress]
Monday's panel discussion, ?The Other Achievement Gap,? provided a chance for critics and supporters of the Fordham Institute's recent study Do High Flyers Maintain their Altitude? to make their cases in person.?
?The genie of school choice is out of the bottle'' * ?Terry Ryan, Vice president for Ohio programs and policy, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
In case you missed the entertaining back-and-forth at Monday's panel discussion, you can now watch the ?The Other Achievement Gap? in its entirety on our website.?
The left-leaning Think Tank Review Project reviews virtually every analytic report that Fordham publishes—and they have yet to find one that they like.
I wonder if Sesame Street and the movies can teach math to our students more efficiently than a
In this guest blog post, the team at?
Guest blogger Alex Medler is the VP for Research and Evaluation at the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA). Medler chaired the board of directors of Colorado's Charter School Institute, a statewide charter authorizer.
?Kids are barometers of truth. ?They know whether you care for them.'' * ? Angelique Jacques Marcoulis, Principal of Opportunities Unlimited Charter High School
[caption id="attachment_19702" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Photo from colorlines.com"]
Guest blogger Roxanna Elden is a National Board Certified Teacher in Miami, and the author of See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers.
?At the end of the day, you can't give a death sentence for stealing a turkey.'' * ?Derrick Bass, Dean at Marshall High School in Chicago
While Checker dispenses with the United Educators of San Francisco on one coast, a more worthy opponent has emerged much closer to home.?
It's official: Federal policymakers across the political spectrum are finally willing to admit that Congress overreached when it passed No Child Left Behind and put Uncle Sam in the driver's seat on education accountability.
Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) kicks off its annual summit today out in San Francisco.
Mike takes back the driver's seat, with Rick, once-again, in his sidecar. Together, they offer up substantive takes on Harkin's new ESEA bill, Jerry Brown's API veto, and the role of for-profits in education; chat with Amber about controlled-choice programs; and go on a sting operation with Chris. Then they ride off into the sunset. [powerpress]
