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Quotable and notable
?There are a lot of folks on both sides who are pretty committed to keeping the debate alive on these terms, but I think on the overall balance scale, this study adds weight to the side that is suggesting that simply talking about charters versus noncharters is a distraction. There needs to be much more nuance.?
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More of the same in Cleveland
Anyone from Cleveland has definitely been feeling down in the dumps lately, but this recent article from the Los Angeles Times has me feeling particul
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Dayton Daily News appreciates ?Fordham's honesty? in new book
Today's Dayton Daily News lifts up Fordham's latest book, Ohio's Education Reform Challenges: Lessons from the Front Lines, which describes our history in the charter school movement in Dayton and what
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Quotable and notable
?Calling this a ?burden? on the district is irresponsible and just distracts people from the true and large areas of waste burdening the school systems.? - Jay P. Greene, professor of education reform, Arkansas University
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Lessons at the close of World Cup 2010
Yesterday Spain beat Netherlands to secure its first World Cup win in history. There is much to be said about the match, and the entire 2010 games, really ? like the fact that yesterday's?
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NACSA asks ?who's in charge??
Greg Richmond, president and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, penned a?thoughtful op-ed in Education Week about what constitutes ?quality? when it comes to charter school governing boards. Richmond's piece couldn't be more timely.
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On cue
Back in February, I made this dire prediction about how the School Improvement Fund would play out.
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Quotable and notable
?We're excited about it because it's the same benchmarks for students regardless of where you live. The standards are so much more clear and understandable, more consistent, more rigorous and aligned a lot more with college and beyond when kids graduate.?
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Edujobs: Congress will pay little attention to the education reform community
I've been monumentally disappointed with the complete lack of nuance and in the education reform community's debate about the Obey amendment to HR 4899, aka Edujobs.
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Education news nuggets
It seems the days when school children presented their teachers with apples are changing now that Steve Jobs is involved ?
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Quotable and notable
?The debate unfolding on Capitol Hill isn't about facts.? It's about politics and the stranglehold the teachers unions have on the Democratic Party.? ?The Washington Post Editorial Board
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Second chance or fresh start?
How much does a track record matter? Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says a lot. That’s why he’s encouraging the LA Unified School District to hand over more schools to charter operators in this year’s round of school takeover bids.
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Poor translation
Is Savannah’s Alfred Ely Beach High a “failing school”? After hiring a new principal in 2005, its graduation rate rose from 49 to 66 percent. Most students now meet state standards. Its school choir was even invited to sing at President Obama’s inauguration. But after seven years on the state’s academic watch list, it’s now primed for state takeover.
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The cold union shoulder
After many rounds of election-time Kumbaya, both of the nation’s big teacher unions seem to have had it with Change We Can Believe In. Nobody from the Obama administration will speak at either the American Federation of Teachers or National Education Association conventions this summer.
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The Evaluation of Charter School Impacts: Final Report
Philip Gleason, Melissa Clark, Christina Clark Tuttle, and Emily DwoyerInstitute for Education SciencesJune 2010
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The National Study of Charter Management Organization (CMO) Effectiveness: Report on Interim Findings
Robin Lake, Brianna Dusseault, Melissa Brown, Allison Demeritt, and Paul HillCenter on Reinventing Public Education, University of Washington and Mathematica Policy ResearchJune 2010
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Bullying goes viral
It used to be that a bully would punch Johnny in the nose and steal his lunch money. Now, he or she’s more likely to write a nasty note on Johnny’s Facebook wall and send a withering rebuke to his cell phone via text message. And he or she is more likely to do it outside of school time. So what’s a school to do?
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The education lives of team captains: ESP & GER
Yesterday Netherlands knocked out Uruguay and became the first team to advance to the World Cup 2010 finals, making a lot of fans happy.
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Education news nuggets
Arne Duncan is losing favor quickly with the NEA, but this teacher likes a lot of what he has to say.
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Quotable and notable
?We passed [national standards] as what was best for Wyoming. It was not attached to any kind of federal reason at all.? ?Sandra Barton, Chair of the Wyoming State Board of Education
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Education news nuggets
It was the 4th of July this weekend, and a blistering heat wave swept the east coast, but Congressman Obey's welcome might be cold enough for Arne Duncan.
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Quotable and notable
?In a lot of places we've had almost no incentives and a lot of disincentives to figure out who are the hardest working teachers and principals and how ?we systemically get them to the children ? inner city, suburban, rural ? who need the most help.? ?Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
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What if silver lined a harmless cloud?
In response to Stafford's previous post on edujobs and our discussion, I've got a couple questions for Stafford ? and also Mike, Rick, and Andy, and our audience ? when you all get a chance:
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The worst news in Cleveland this week has nothing to do with LeBron
The same week that Washington, DC's city council approved that district's landmark teachers union contract, an arbiter in Ohio has issued a ruling that may kill Cleveland's aca
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Education head-to-heads: ARG v. GER & PAR v. ESP
This morning Netherlands ousted Brazil to secure a spot in the World Cup final four. Ohio Gadfly wrongly?predicted Brazil's win, even though we know the Netherlands? is a tough contender in both futbol and in education.