Commentary
The horror and hope of Camden
The first time I drove through Camden, New Jersey, I was shell-shocked.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Dis-location: School choice, residential segregation and educational inequality
Attorney General Eric Holder’s claim that Louisiana’s voucher program contradicts federal des
Commentary
Five edu-reads to start the year off right
It’s that time of year when we guilt ourselves into better behavior—vowing to lead a more abstemious lifestyle, go to the gym more often, improve personal finances...Way too hard.Here’s a New Year’s resolution you can follow through on: five good edu-reads to start the year off right!
Commentary
2014: The year of universal proficiency
Each State shall establish a timeline for adequate yearly progress. The timeline shall ensure that not later than 12 years after the end of the 2001–2002 school year, all students in each group described in subparagraph (C)(v) will meet or exceed the State’s proficient level of academic achievement– No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, section 1111(2)(F)
Commentary
Charter Schools
Five edu-reads to close out the year in style
Tomorrow morning, some of you are going to feel bad about yourselves for tonight’s debauch. Not much I can do for headaches and queasy stomachs, but I can help you insulate your self-esteem: Read these five things before the festivities. You’ll head into the evening knowing you smartened yourself up.
Commentary
Top 10 Education Gadfly Daily Blog Posts of 2013
This year, readers beat a trail to our blogs for Common Core content; six out of ten of Fordham’s top ten blog posts in 2013 were from Common Core Watch, moderated by Kathleen Porter-Magee.
Commentary
Charter Schools
SIG in Colorado
I’ve obviously made up my mind about SIG and other school turnaround efforts.
Commentary
Video
Commentary
Coming Soon: 'Car-Key Kids'
Anyone with even a passing interest in science fiction, or in the latest advances out of Silicon Valley, surely gets a kick thinking about Google’s self-driving cars, now under development and ready for road testing.
Commentary
Charter Schools
ESEA waivers and charter school authorizing
As ESEA waivers change the school-accountability landscape, charter authorizers need to take the opportunity to rethink how we too can measure school progress. Ohio, as part of its Title I waiver, moved to an “A” to “F” rating system for schools, is implementing new standards and assessments, and is providing some flexibility around various reporting requirements.
Commentary
DCPS and TUDA
One of the biggest stories coming out of the 2013 NAEP TUDA data release, especially for those inside the beltway, were the results for District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS).
Commentary
Greater than gaffes: Arne Duncan’s impediments to Common Core implementation (Transitioning to the Common Core, part 4)
As Rick Hess and Michael McShane stress in their recent volume Common Core Meets Education Reform, it is foolhardy not to consider how the Common Core standards fit into the broader education-reform agenda.
Commentary
Ohio's value-added model of growth is not the only game in town
We look at A Practitioner's Guide to Growth Models.
Commentary
Looking ahead: Top 5 education stories for 2014
We count down the top five education issues that we'll be talking about in 2014.
Commentary
The 10 things to know about NAEP TUDA 2013
Today, NAEP TUDA results are released. Actually, I should say the results are being packaged.
Commentary
Starting out $30,000 in debt? Don’t just blame your college
Two weeks ago, we read that many Ohio college students graduate tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Commentary
Are teachers good and ready to implement the Common Core? (Transitioning to the Common Core, part 3)
This is the third post on how a handful of states are approaching accountability during the transition to the Common Core State Standards.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Charter advocates should demand only the best
According to the newest assessment from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools regarding the charter sector’s share of the public school market, the number of school districts where at least 20 percent of students attend charters has
Commentary
Charter Schools
How about a cap on bad schools?
Arbitrary caps on the number of charter schools or charter school students are still bad ideas.
Commentary
Netflix Academy: The best streaming videos on ancient Egypt
Note: This post is part of our series, "Netflix Academy: The best educational videos available for streaming." Be sure to check out our previous Netflix Academy posts on
Commentary
Charter Schools
Weekend reads
I can’t tell you how much I like the annual charter school “market-share” report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. It’s my favorite annual publication.
Commentary
The Common Core, human capital, and Ohio's long-term prosperity
The Common Core—the state’s new academic content standards for math and English language arts—has lit a fiery debate across Ohio. Vocal skeptics raise questions such as: Will the state lose its sovereignty in how students are educated? Will curricula become too “narrow”? Will technical manuals replace literary stalwarts like Hawthorne and Twain?
Commentary
An update on the Common Core reading wars
Long before the Common Core State Standards were on anyone’s radar, the “reading wars” raged furiously.
Commentary
Charter Schools
A Growing Movement: America’s Largest Charter School Communities
According to the newest assessment from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools regarding the charter sector’s share of the public school market, the number of school districts where at least 20 percent of students attend charters has
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Little learners need better curriculum
Mayor Bloomberg is justifiably proud of the big gains New York City made in boosting the high-school graduation rate on his watch, with about two-thirds of students now graduating in four years, up from half a decade ago.
Commentary
Proceeding with caution (Transitioning to the Common Core, part 2)
In this blog series, we’re examining how five states—Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York—are approaching accountability in the transition to Common Core.
Video
Creating Sustainable Teacher Career Trajectories: A 21st Century Imperative
The greatest challenge to staffing the nation's classrooms with the most motivated, highly qualified teachers is making teaching an attractive profession with career opportunities for those who seek those challenges.
Commentary
The efforts of hardworking teachers: the Common Core’s best kept secret
Recent articles detailing Common Core implementation in 26 Northeast Ohio districts are a must-read primer on what's really going on in classrooms in preparation for Ohio's new academic standards.
Commentary
Common Core and Reading: Which one of these things is not like the other?
Long before the Common Core State Standards were on anyone’s radar, the “reading wars” raged furiously.