Think Tank Research Quality: Lessons for Policymakers, the Media, and the Public
Janie ScullKevin G. Welner, Patricia H. Hinchey, Alex Molnar, and Don Weitzman, eds.Think Tank Review Project2010
The AP Arms Race: Is Grade-Weighting to Blame?
Daniela FairchildKristin KlopfensteinUniversity of Texas Dallas, Texas School Project2010
Common Core State Standards: Better than ever
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Yesterday marked the release of the final “Common Core” standards&—symbolically occurring in a state capital (Atlanta) rather than Washington, D.C.
Deal or no deal?
New York charter advocates celebrated victory this week over the raising of “the cap”: 260 additional schools may now open in the Empire State. But the higher ceiling came with strings.
Distractions are jinzhi!
We often lament the distractions of the Internet for American students. In China, they do something about it. As the country gears up for its annual college entrance exam on June 7 and 8, the provincial government in central China has shut down all of the area’s Internet cafes to “encourage” students to study.
After RTT comes the power of states
Marc Porter MageeOn May 26, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell signed into law a sweeping education reform bill that lifts the cap on high-performing charter schools, requires every district in the state to evaluate teachers based on their students’ achievement, and creates the state’s first alternative pathway to certification for principals.
An education in the politics of special ed
Richard Nyankori, D.C.’s top special education official, has found himself at the confluence of red tape, angry parents, budget cuts, and education’s sacred cow.
Wall Street gets bullish on charter schools
JP Morgan is the latest member of the banking world to rally behind the charter school movement. It recently announced a well-articulated $325 million initiative to help build, expand, and renovate facilities of high-performing charter schools.
Common Core State Standards: Better than ever
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Today marks the release of the final ?Common Core? standards?symbolically occurring in a state capital (Atlanta) rather than Washington, D.C.
quotable and notable
?What makes any new school different is that the people who are in the school opt to be there.? ? Ms. Haskins, opened the Brooklyn Brownstone School in Bedford-Stuyvesant in 2008
Discussing national standards
The CATO Institute will host a forum tomorrow (at noon) to discuss national education standards and whether or not they'll improve educational outcomes.
quotable and notable
?It's a real nice idea if we're swimming in money, but we're drowning in debt.? ? Sean Elsbernd, San Francisco Supervisor
NY makes big play for RTT
New York just significantly increased its chances of winning in round two of Race to the Top.
Do black single-parent families explain the achievement gap?
Michael J. PetrilliAn article by Stephan Thernstrom in the Wall Street Journal last week caught my eye. I respect Steve immensely (along with his wife Abigail) and found this paragraph intriguing, especially the sentence in bold:
education news nuggets
Janie ScullPop quiz: How do we become?internationally competitive???For starters, we should all?
Needles report relevant to Cleveland transformation
On Wednesday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on the release of our new report, Needles in a Haystack, which highlights the achievements of eight high-performing, high-need urban schools in Ohio?and then draws lessons from the common denominators that make these school
quotable and notable
Quotable: ?The reintegration idea is one we're going to hold on to. The way it's being executed is not.???Richard Nyankori, deputy chancellor for special education, District of Columbia Public Schools
Weighted-student funding's funniest fan?
Emmy L. PartinAs part of his ongoing attempt to save his hometown of Cleveland, comedian Drew Carey met with members of the city council yesterday to talk about his ideas for bettering the city.??
quotable and notable
?There is no content-, value- or business-free education.? ? Jon W. Wiles, retired University of North Florida professor and textbook editor
Unique Schools Serving Unique Students: Charter Schools and Children with Special Needs
Daniela FairchildRobin Lake, ed. Center on Reinventing Public Education 2010
Charter School Funding: Inequity Persists
Stafford PalmieriMeaghan Batdorff, Larry Maloney, Jay May, Daniela Doyle, Bryan HasselBall State UniversityMay 2010
'Zona fide
This fall, the Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of Arizona’s thirteen-year-old tax credit scholarship program, under which credits (against state taxes) can be taken by those who donate to special “school tuition organizations” (STOs); these orgs then award scholarships for students to attend private schools of their choice.
Profiting from for-profits
Is there a place for for-profit organizations in public education? If i3 and higher ed are any indication, the Administration rejoinder seems to be no. Gadfly wonders, though, are we being distracted by tax status to the detriment of evaluating quality? Yes, for-profits may be tempted to cut corners to fatten the bottom line.
Rushing to judgment?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.You could be forgiven for thinking that the education messiah will arrive on June 2, considering all the hype, angst, dither and pother that already surround next week’s promised unveiling of the final “common core” state standards (CCSS).