Gates' self scrutiny
Stafford PalmieriFordham Board member Diane Ravitch takes to the (web)pages of Forbes.com to discuss the Gates' small schools movement. It was a well-intentioned effort, she argues, but ultimately not the "silver bullet" the Gates Foundation had hoped.
Brain dead
Isn't the show over when the fat lady sings? Not for these four chronically failing schools in Miami-Dade. The story goes something like this: four schools that have consistently earned "F's" on Florida's state report card were slated to close at the end of last year.
What Happens When States Have Genuine Alternative Certification?
Paul E. Peterson and Daniel NadlerEducation NextWinter 2009
A Tale of Two Districts: A Comparative Study of Student-Based Funding and School-Based Decision Making in San Francisco and Oakland Unified School Districts
Jay Chambers, Larisa Shambaugh, Jesse Levin, Mari Muraki, Lindsay PolandAmerican Institutes for ResearchOctober 2008
Randi's rewind
Ah, the two faces of Randi Weingarten. Perhaps overcome with election-induced fuzzies, she boldly proclaimed on Monday: "with the exception of vouchers... no issue should be off the table, provided it is good for children and fair to teachers." Reformers, take heart!
School kids with lice--no dice?
Should the louse, that age-old creepy crawly elementary school pest, keep kids out of school? That's what a few school districts in Ohio are pondering. Some have strict "no nit" policies, insisting that kids can only return when all signs of lice are gone. Others take a more live and let live approach, permitting students to stay in class while being treated for their pesky visitors.
Disturbing development
New York Times columnist David Brooks began his June 13th piece with a question: "Is Barack Obama really a force for change, or is he just a traditional Democrat with a patina of postpartisan rhetoric?"
Janet Napolitano, back in the running for Secretary of Education?
Michael J. PetrilliSeveral news outlets are reporting that President-Elect
Janet Napolitano moves into second place in the ed sec race
Michael J. Petrilliv\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
The Republican innovators take on the Democratic innovations
Michael J. PetrilliNormal 0 false false false
Will Obama kill education reform?
Stafford PalmieriIt's a good question. When he made Linda Darling-Hammond (cue: Mike groaning) his lead education advisor, we thought the odds were good.
The Financial Crisis and State/Local Defined Benefit Plans
Mike LaffertyCenter for Retirement Research, Boston CollegeNovember 2008
Former top teacher offers Ed Trust meeting ideas for better teaching
Emmy L. PartinOhio's worsening economy and powerful teacher unions make tough the prospect of reforming how teachers are trained, hired, paid, and fired in this state. If policymakers are serious about improving teacher quality, however, they'd do well to follow the advice of Jason Kamras. Kamras is a former Washington, D.C., middle-school teacher and National Teacher of the Year who now works as D.C.
about the Obamas' school choices
Chad Aldis, executive director of School Choice Ohio, has some thoughts on the Obama family's considerations concerning where to send their daughters to school in Washington, D.C.
The Year in Review: Big changes in Fordham's charter-school profile
Terry Ryan, Kathryn MullenThe Thomas B. Fordham Foundation became a charter-school sponsor in September 2004 when we signed a sponsorship agreement with the Ohio State Board of Education to serve as a sponsor of no more than 30 schools statewide.
Data-palooza
Michael J. PetrilliFordham's newest book, A Byte at the Apple: Rethinking Education Data for the Post-NCLB Era, is now available for your reading pleasure.
Bill Richardson for Secretary of Education
Michael J. PetrilliFlypaper readers know that I've been partial to the selection of former North Carolina governor Jim Hunt as the n
Education insiders still think it's going to be Secretary Duncan
Michael J. PetrilliChicago superintendent Arne Duncan maintains his big lead today in our education insiders poll. Former South Carolina state superintendent Inez Tenenbaum has solidified her hold on the second-place spot, a proposition that makes libertarians nervous.
Put your money where your mouth is
Michael J. PetrilliLibby Sternberg, a writer and onetime Gadfly contributor, issued the right retort to Representative Pete Hoekstra*, not
It's the states, stupid
Michael J. PetrilliLast week I made the fairly obvious argument that GOP governors are the key to the Republican Party's renewal, including on the education issue.
Education secretary poll: New week, same results
Michael J. PetrilliOur ten Washington insiders are back at work today, making their predictions for who will lead the U.S. Department of Education. And not much changed over the weekend, though Arne Duncan has certainly solidified his overwhelming lead:
Reading the scholarship of our Fordham Scholar
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Earlier this year, we ??tapped three young promising scholars for our new inaugural research grant program, known as the Fordham Scho
Disturbing news from the UK
Stafford PalmieriThe American testing system has often been blamed for the simplification of curriculum, the cutting of art, music, and physical education classes, and the decline of quality education overall. Perhaps a laser-like focus on reading and math has produced some unintended consequences but it's a far cry better than recent developments in the United Kingdom.