Commentary
Duncan vs. Perry
The gloves are off. What remained last week of bipartisanship on education in Washington has been buried. And education may yet turn into a major issue in the 2012 presidential race.
Commentary
Commentary
Quotable & notable
?I feel very, very badly for the children there.'' * ?Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, commenting on the state of Texas education
Commentary
Commentary
Quotable & notable
?Am I upset about the budget cuts? Yes. But I'm a positive person. This as an opportunity to teach my staff and my students how to make lemonade.'' * ? Diahann E. Malcolm, New York City High School Principal
Commentary
PODCAST: Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?
With Mike and Rick sipping Cuba Libres on the beach, Janie and Daniela speculate on what Montana's ?NCLB do-over? might mean for ESEA reauthorization, the potential of ?reform unionism,? and the merits of ?exam schools.? Amber makes a dry report on IDEA seem fascinating and Chri$ pitches districts a crazy idea: Turn off the lights when you aren't in the room. [powerpress]
Commentary
Commentary
Quotable & notable
?This poll today shows a much more sophisticated public that is willing and ready to invest in teachers'' * ? Barnett Berry, president and CEO of the Center for Teaching Quality
Commentary
Ed Next Book Club: Rick Hess' The Same Thing Over and Over
One of America's most prolific, provocative, and persuasive writers on education, Frederick M. Hess has published over a dozen tomes on schooling. Today we talk with Rick about his magnum opus, published by Harvard University Press: The Same Thing Over and Over: How School Reformers Get Stuck in Yesterday's Ideas.
Commentary
Follow the money: Winerip takes out after education philanthropists
The other day Michael Winerip raised what has come to be an increasingly contentious question in the public education reform debate ? the use of private money for public purposes.
Commentary
Commentary
Good for Texas. Good for America?
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="199" caption="Photo by Jim Bowen"][/caption]
Commentary
Quotable & notable
?We're so outside the box and education is so inside the box.''* ?Wes Hamner, Academic Coordinator at the Richmond Technical Center PLC
Commentary
The End of the Era of Accountability?
So suggests Sam Dillon in his New York Times report this morning, ?State Challenges Seen As Whittling Away Federal Education Law.??
Commentary
Quotable and Notable
?If we tested schools in efficient use of energy, many of them wouldn't get a passing grade''* ?C. David Myers, president of building efficiency for Johnson Controls
Commentary
Education news nuggets
Some new education norms are emerging, even while Arne holds our states ransom: Ramadan night football,
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Andrew Porter has a point (its just not clear what it is)
Adding fuel to a small but growing anti-Common Core fire, Andrew Porter penned an op-ed in Education Week this week that questioned the value and rigor of the Common Core ELA and math standards. He explains:
Commentary
Charter Schools
To Whitney Tilson on Damon: Civility urgently needed
I wrote a blog post here on Flypaper this week in response to what I'd seen as some unnecessary and unproductive personal jabs at actor Matt Damon, after he gave a brief speech at the Save Our Schools rally in D.
Commentary
Commentary
Quotable & notable
? We've got to go where we can get the most quality in one swoop, and that happens to be Teach For America, both for teachers and future school leaders.?* ? Aylon Samouha, chief schools officer for Rocketship Education
Commentary
Putting Dayton's back-to-school season in context
Education is and always has been profoundly shaped by demographics and economics. Ever since James Coleman's celebrated 1966 study showed that student achievement is strongly affected by nonschool factors, Americans have understood the manifold tribulations facing anyone bent on improving student achievement among our poorest children.
Commentary
PODCAST: Real-life Breaking Bad
Mike and Rick get down to brass tacks on Duncan's waivers and Wisconsin's recall elections before making wagers on Education Reform Idol 2011. Amber maps state proficiency cut scores (again) and Chris calls out a principal who wishes he was on ?Breaking Bad.?[powerpress]
Commentary
Ed Reform Idol 2011 Replay
On Thursday, August 11, Five states, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, battled for the title of "Reformiest" in the 2011 legislative year at the Education Reform Idol!
Commentary
Quotable & notable
?If we're going to make sure we truly look out for the best interest of kids, we have to take a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to cheating.?* ? Greg Meyers, HISD trustee
Commentary
Charter Schools
The lesson from Education Reform Idol: Elections matter
It was hardly a surprise that Indiana took home the Education Reform Idol trophy today.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
More claptrap about sex education
Excuse the pun, but here we go again.? News out of New York is that Gotham's public schools will ?mandate sex education? (how not to have sex, why not to have it, or to have it safely, whatever).?
Commentary
Commentary
Charter Schools
Like It or Not, Matt Damon Has a Relatively Nuanced Perspective on Charter Schools
In case it needs reiterating, Matt Damon is actually a pretty smart guy. He holds a Best Original Screenplay Oscar. He went to Harvard. He produces documentary films. He volunteers and donates to whole host of NGOs and non-profits. Sure, he's no authority of education, but he's probably the kind of person worth at least giving the benefit of the doubt.
Commentary
What our Education Reform Idol contestants accomplished this year on teacher effectiveness
Which of the five states competing to be America's next Education Reform Idol did the most to advance teacher effectiveness during the 2011 legislative session?
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
We can't predict the future; we can teach the essential
Every so often educators and reformers think, if we're educating kids for the future, we need to do a better job of adapting our education system to meet the needs of tomorrow. That our education systems needs to, in some sense, ?get with the times? so that we can better serve our students today.