ED bullies schools over bullying
A week before the mid-term elections, Arne Duncan and his team have taken a courageous stand: they're against bullying children. ?Bullying is a problem that shouldn't exist,?
Gadfly while it's hot!
We've got a great issue of the Education Gadfly for you this week. To whet the appetite, here's a smattering of the articles and analyses that you'll find within its wings:
Character programs lack social intelligence
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Review: Efficacy of Schoolwide Programs to Promote Social and Character Development and Reduce Problem Behavior in Elementary School Children
The welcome earthquake
Chester E. Finn, Jr.If a recent spate of Wall Street Journal articles is any clue, a week before the election we could be sitting on a tectonic fault with the potential to turn into an education earthquake?and that might actually be a blessing. It has to do with teachers, their unions, and U.S. politics?all of which would benefit from some profound movement.
To Close or Not to Close? Not a Question in Gotham
Peter MeyerIf you're following the school closure / school turnaround debate, the story in today's NY Times ? ?In Sharp Rise, 47 City Schools May Close Over Performance? ? will offer some insights, if not a great deal of , er, closure.
Trick or Treat
Peter MeyerListen to a good radio debate between Michael Kirst and William Evers (by way of Andy Rotherham) on education and the California gubernatorial race.? It's money and more.
STEM the Tide of Distractions
Peter MeyerWhile our education system obsesses over the latest socio-pathological?disease (e.g. bullying) or vacuous phrase (e.g. 21st century skills),? more of the rest of the world seems to be keeping its eyes on the education prize.?
NCLB's teeth now sinking into high-performers
Emmy L. PartinOn Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reported that more than half of the state's schools failed to meet federal testing targets.?? This isn't a widespread indictment of the performance of public schools, however.??
Whatever happened to the ?65 percent solution??
Michael J. PetrilliThat's my random question of the day. It dawned on me that this Big Idea, circa 2005, has all but vanished. Thirty seconds of Googling indicates that Patrick Byrne, the Overstock CEO who spent big bucks pushing the notion, has been embroiled in some controversy in recent years. Is that why it fell off the radar screen?
Education News Nuggets
What's worse for students: having a moldy gym or spending too much time texting and browsing Facebook?
The Education Gadfly Show ? Rick the Pumpkin
The latest Education Gadfly Show is now available for download. This week Mike and Rick answer life's mysteries as they pertain to the election, OCR overreach, and publicly-available teacher ratings. And if that's not enough, Amber questions character education and Chris brings in the dogs.
Quotable & Notable
?America needs a high bar so everyone is on a level playing field. Reform can't be led from Washington. It has to be led by state.? Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
Cosmetic procedures for NY teachers
It seems that teachers in Buffalo, NY, racked up nearly $9 million worth of taxpayer-covered cosmetic procedures in 2009. This is according to the Buffalo Fiscal Stability Authority, the state-appointed authority overseeing public school finances. That's right?chemical peels, skin treatments, etc.
The data is already holding everyone else accountable; why not teachers?
Jamie Davies O'LearyOctober must be the month for manifestos. Earlier this month there was the ?how to fix our schools?
Focus on instruction, not integration
Kathleen Porter-MageeWhat makes a good school? If you're to believe the Century Foundation, good schools are defined by the number of affluent students they serve. Too few? Bad school. Nearly all? Good school. This is, of course, the idea behind economic integration. Give more poor students the privilege of attending wealthier schools and student achievement will improve.
New Trend: Charters for the Wealthy?
Peter MeyerOr is the fact that charter operator Eva Moskowitz has just won a charter for a new school on Manhattan's upper west side a sign that??rich people (this needs to be checked)?can live with (among?) poor public schools too?
Efficacy of Schoolwide Programs to Promote Social and Character Development and Reduce Problem Behavior in Elementary School Children
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Character programs lack social intelligence
Sounding the alarm: a wakeup call with directions
Nick JochWe don't need innovation, but problem-solving
Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness: How Teacher Performance Assessments Can Measure and Improve Teaching
Chris IrvineWrong methods for the right ideas
Cuomo to unions--Be nice, or else!
Peter MeyerThe death and life of the great American teachers union
Everything you need to know about the recent school spending bubble
Michael J. PetrilliCan be summarized by this short passage in today's Ohio Education Gadfly:
Education News Nuggets
NJ teachers don't have very nice things to say about Chris Christie behind closed doors, which Christie's not exactly thrilled about?
Quotable & Notable
?There's not a hint in the Constitution that we ought to have it, and there's not a shred of evidence that it's done anything to improve education.'' Representative Roscoe G. Bartlett on the Department of Education
Money matters
Washington, D.C.'s mayor-in-waiting, Vincent Gray, wants to assure private foundations that education reform is high on his agenda. ?Liam Julian, Bernard Lee Schwartz Policy Fellow
Getting nasty in the Ivy
Things are not well at Dartmouth and Cornell: But in an effort to spur gifts among young soon-to-be alumni, students at two Ivy League institutions are trying a different approach: publicizing the names of seniors who don't contribute to their class gift.