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Quotable & notable
?This bill that we have will not solve every problem in elementary and secondary education. ... No bill has everything everybody wants'' * ? Tom Harkin, United States Senator from Iowa
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Tennessee's report card on teacher prep programs even cooler than TFA results
A new report from Tennessee's Higher Education Commission shows that Teach For America teachers outperformed traditionally trained teachers (regardless of experience level) in reading, science, and social studies.
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The secret to good parenting? Good schools.
I'm not so sure Mike is right that ?we have a parenting problem, not a poverty problem,? and I'm even less sure that he is right that educators should ?start talking about the problem."
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Quotable & notable
?It's not money in a vacuum. What they do with it is buy more academic programs, more technology; they pay more to teachers and attract better students.'' * ?Ralph Martire, executive director for the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability
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Quotable & notable
?Under the status quo in most school districts, good classroom teachers are not only undervalued in pay, but as professionals generally.'' * ?Michelle Rhee, Founder of StudentsFirst
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More money to the parents; more power to the people***
Feeling worried for me after reading my post suggesting that Mark Zuckerberg hand out his $100 million to Newark parents, a friend alerted me to a study about a similarly ?crazy idea? ?
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We have a parenting problem, not a poverty problem
I glimpsed a quote from Kati Haycock yesterday, kicking off the Education Trust annual conference, saying that we can't let "bad parenting" be an excuse for poor educational results. She's absolutely right, of course. It's not like our schools are running on all cylinders (especially schools serving poor kids), and if only parents were doing their jobs too, achievement would soar.
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Quotable & notable
?What if you just have someone tell you you're not going to get far in life?'' * ? student at the Galileo Academy of Science and Technology in San Francisco
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What could ESEA reauthorization mean for high flyers?
The performance of high achievers should give policymakers
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Closing underutilized schools is still a good idea
A penny saved is a penny earned, right? Not according to the Pew Philadelphia Research Initiative, which just released a study throwing cold water on the idea that closing underutilized schools can save money in strapped district budgets.
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Quotable & notable
?For too many years, our state has spent more and more money on education, without producing the results our students deserve.'' * ? Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York
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Podcast: Planking, Tebowing, and more
Everyone's favorite guest host, Dave DeSchryver, joins Mike to discuss the 2011 NAEP results, ESEA reauth, and charter schools in middle-class locales. Amber dissects the Chinese education system and Chris extols the virtues of eating red meat. [powerpress]
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Feared teacher layoffs mostly didn't happen
Despite doomsday projections of huge layoffs as a result of the "new normal" of lower or flat education funding, NCTQ found in a recent survey that layoffs in large urban districts were modest ? 2.5 percent on average ? and only affected roughly half of surveyed cities.
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Quotable & notable
?We want to be lean and scrappy.'' * ?Gregory Taylor, president and chief executive of the Foundation for Newark's Future
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Curriculum & Instruction
Postcard from China: Constructivist Theory in Chinese Classrooms? Good Luck
Amber Winkler, Fordham's VP for Research, recently traveled China as a Senior Fellow with the Global Education Policy Fellowship Program (GEPFP).
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A simmering scandal? Gotham cheating won't go away
According to Sharon Otterman, writing in today's New York Times, the New York State education department has been documenting cheating allegations in the state's schools for almost a decade ?
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Are teachers overpaid?
In a new AEI/Heritage paper that is sure to create some buzz, Andrew Biggs and Jason Richwine say yes, teachers are overpaid relative to similar workers based on several different metrics.
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Curriculum & Instruction
NAEP 2011: The Reading First effect?
Last night was fun for the kids, but today is every education wonk's favorite holiday: NAEP release day! Kevin Carey is already out with some savvy analysis; let me add some thoughts on the trends in reading.
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Quotable & notable
?If the district is interested in putting together a reasonable, intellectually honest ? and legal ? evaluation system, you have to have teachers involved'' * ?Warren Fletcher, UTLA President
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Postcard from China: China's Tiered Cake of Educational Governance
Amber Winkler, Fordham's VP for Research, recently traveled China as a Senior Fellow with the Global Education Policy Fellowship Program (GEPFP).
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More fluff and circumstance from Michael Winerip*
When he's good, New York Times education columnist Michael Winerip is very good (see his report on Atlanta cheating).?
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A is for Accountability*; What's at stake in the ESEA debate**
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="148" caption="Picture by Bryan Bennett"][/caption]
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Quotable & notable
?Listen to the claims of both sides, discount them each by 50 percent and then go with your gut.'' * ? Bill Seitz, Ohio state senator
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