Worth your attention
Two things you might want to check out. A flyer from the Los Angeles teachers union. Tomorrow, they are holding a candlelight vigil to protest district reform efforts.
Quotable and notable
"I've learned as an author over the years that I am not perfect. So, if somebody in Iowa sees something in my book that they perceive is wrong, I am absolutely willing to give them the benefit of the doubt." ??? Neil F. Comins, Author, "Discovering the Universe"
Quotable and notable
???I think anything that offers parents more choice is positive.?? One size doesn't fit all.??? ???Nina Gilbert, Principal of Ivy Preparatory Academy
Cleveland teachers union: If you can't beat ???????em, join ???????em
Emmy L. PartinThe Cleveland Teachers Union (CTU) has launched a campaign to unionize the city's charter schools. The union made public records requests to area charter schools asking for teachers' names, years of experience, current salary, and other information, presumably in preparation for reaching out to the teachers about joining the union.
'Public' schools in name only
Michael J. PetrilliA new report from Fordham today, authored by yours truly and our research assistant Janie Scull, identifies some
Did YOU attend a "private public school"?
Michael J. PetrilliOur new report, America's Private Public Schools (described below), is meant to pierce the tired rhetoric used by so many defenders of the status quo in education.
Is NCLB reauthorization moving?
The Post is reporting that a bipartisan group of House members is going to begin work on an NCLB reauthorization bill.
Very good job opportunity
I'm sure many of you skipped over this job opening mentioned in this week's Gadfly. The bureaucratically named federal Office of Management and Budget may not sound like the hottest place to work. But if you or anyone you know is looking for a great edu-job, definitely give it some attention.
Quotable and notable
???This is the best opportunity we have had to have really substantial change in how we meet the educational needs of our kids. Congress would love to go home and say, ???We fixed No Child Left Behind.'??? ???Rep. George Miller, D-California
Resources for Districts and Charter Management Organizations
This collection of papers and “toolkits” is meant to help districts and charter management organizations navigate through some of the most complicated issues facing school systems. These papers distill “best practices” from 10 urban districts and are supposed to serve as set of guidebooks that school leaders can adapt to fit their particular needs.
Social Entrepreneurship in Education: Private Ventures for the Public Good
This book recounts the author's experiences in the for-profit education industry. It starts out at the Harvard Kennedy School, winds its way through New American Schools and the Edison Project, and ends with Sandler’s development of an education consulting firm named EduVentures.
Ringing the Bell for K-12 Teacher Tenure Reform
Building on previous work of The New Teacher Project, data from the National Council for Teacher Quality, and other research, this overview of teacher tenure policies asserts that the tenure bar is set too low, that student achievement has nothing
Choices without Equity: Charter School Segregation and the Need for Civil Rights Standards
Janie ScullAlready the subject of much consternation in the blogosphere, this report investigates the current state of charter school demographics and chastises the charter movement for the proliferation of racially-isolated schools.
Pay to play
Moving to Michigan? You might want to check out the website BestSchoolsinMichigan.com to pick a promising school district--or you might not. The nine districts featured on that site, and highlighted in a special half-hour TV segment recently aired in the Detroit area, paid $25,000 each for the honor.
Lone Star looniness
Did you know that a group of fifteen people basically control your child’s curricula?
Adding value, subtracting teachers
Houston Superintendent Terry Grier’s plan to link value-added student test scores to teacher evaluation and dismissal decisions drew attention when he proposed it early this year. Now, the school board has unanimously agreed.
Will political winds cause Duncan's sails to droop?
Michael J. PetrilliIt’s hard not to get the sense right now that the Democrats are in free fall.
Will the political winds clip Arne Duncan's sails?
Michael J. Petrilli[caption id="" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Clipping Arne Duncan's sails?"][/caption]
Quotable and notable
"I am saddened and shaken at the core by the enormous ramifications of my responsibilities. The only solace I have is that I know I provided every opportunity possible, in fully public and transparent ways, the means to avoid this."
Rick Hess in the house
Michael J. PetrilliWatch out edusphere, here comes Hess. Our good friend (and Gadfly show co-host) Rick Hess has launched a new blog, Rick Hess Straight Up on the coveted real estate of edweek.org.
Thanks and best wishes to Nelson Smith
In 2004, after realizing that the Charter School Leadership Council, a loose coalition of pro-charter school organizations, couldn't meet the needs of the burgeoning charter school sector, a number of the nation's top charter leaders created the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
Quotable and notable
???We've gotten all of these accolades, and our schools are showing such success, so do we change policies to go after ones that we're not even guaranteed to get???? ???Paul Pinksy, Maryland State Senator
Teacher policies in the Deep South
This new report from NCTQ about state policies on teachers deserves attention for lots of reason (Daniela writes it up here.)
School Improvement Fund
In this week's Gadfly, I take a look at the massive School Improvement Fund, the federal government's primary tool for funding and directing school turnarounds.
Quotable and Notable
???The solution to underperforming schools is much more complex than who's in charge.?? To suggest that this is a silver bullet is na??ve at best.??? -Tom Madden, Minneapolis School Board Chairman