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Quotable and notable
?We think it would be wrong to lay off teachers who are performing for students when we know there are teachers who are not? Ron Huberman, CEO of Chicago Public Schools
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Governance matters
As we’ve noted before, the Fordham Institute team with help from the Gates Foundation has embarked on a multi-stage think-fest concerning the long-term governance of the “Common Core” state standards and the forthcoming assessments that are meant to be
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Just say "Knowles" to teacher tenure
If he could make one significant change to public education today, Timothy Knowles, one of the founding fathers of teacher “residency” programs, would eliminate teacher tenure. Why? “The more difficult it is for principals to address underperformance, the more likely they are to use informal methods to do so.
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An extreme case for cost-cutting
According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Donovan Forde has “multiple disabilities.” He’s part of a fraction of a fraction of special education students served by the public school system. In this New York Times profile, Sharon Otterman explores Donovan’s experience as a student at P.S.
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While Rome burned
P.J. O’Rourke has just learned—some of us were there a while back—that not only is it expensive to send kids to school, but it isn’t yielding much bang for the taxpayer’s buck. He explains: We’re spending on average a reported $11,000 per pupil—and more like north of $20,000 in reality. The teacher-pupil ratio is roughly 15:1.
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The perpetuation of bachelorship
Richard Whitmire has been worried about the fate of boys in the classroom for some time now. He points primarily to lackluster overall high school graduation and college-going rates for boys, which are far lower than for girls.
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Student Characteristics and Achievement in 22 KIPP Middle Schools
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.Christina Clark Tuttle, Bing-ru Teh, Ira Nichols-Barrer, Brian P. Gill, & Philip GleasonJune 2010
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Managing by the Numbers--Empowerment and Accountability in New York City's Schools
Clara Hemphill and Kim NauerCenter for New York City Affairs, The New SchoolJune 2010
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Building Teacher Quality in Baltimore City Public Schools
Emily Cohen, Aileen Corso, Valerie Franck and Kate KeilherNational Council on Teacher QualityJune 2010
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Fires In the Mind: What Kids Can Tell Us About Motivation and Mastery
Kathleen CushmanJossey-Bass Publishing2010
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Standards
Common Education Standards: Tackling the Long-Term Questions
How should the "common core" state standards be governed? Who will "own" these standards (and related assessments) 20 years from now? To stir smart thinking about important aspects of these issues, the Fordham Institute invited knowledgeable experts to write background papers.
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Pessimistic scientists:1, State Teachers Retirement System:0
In 2007 we commissioned the well-respected economists Robert Costrell and Michael Podgursky to analyze Ohio's State Teachers Retirement S
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Education news nuggets
Some uproar over schools having better AP ratings from Hispanic students taking AP Spanish, but why is this a problem?
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Ivory Coast Soccer Academy - playing the beautiful game and getting an education
For all you die-hard futbol fans out there, you probably saw the World Cup special prior to this year’s kickoff. And if your timing was right, you saw this inspirational clip on the Ivory Coast Soccer Academy. If you missed it, take a minute to watch it. Not a fan?
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Much more on the Common Core
As we recently noted, the Ohio State Board of Education voted to adopt the Common Core academic standards.
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Quotable and notable
?Why not evaluate each teacher individually on a variety of criteria such as test scores, instructional quality, parent satisfaction and peer comments? Teaching is unique, but so are other professions where such evaluations are commonplace.?
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Devil in the Details: An Analysis of State Teacher Dismissal Laws
Saba BiredaCenter for American ProgressJune 2010 Momentum is building to reform teacher dismissal policies. Federal and state policymakers alike are calling for changes to K-12 education’s highly complex and costly dismissal procedures, especially as school districts face looming budget cuts.
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In case you missed it: Teachers union leaders can be reformers, too
In the national Gadfly, Checker Finn and Stafford Palmieri highlight and commend teach union leaders across the country who are reform-minded visionaries and pragmatists that don’t always let the short-term self-interest of adults blind them to the long-term interests of children.
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Libertad de la Educacion: School Choice Solutions for Closing the Latino Achievement Gap
Lori Drummer and Don SoiferLexington InstituteJune, 2010
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Search for cost-savings is nothing new for local school districts
Ohio remains firmly in the throes of the economic recession and analysts predict that recovery is a long way off. The state was able to postpone much of the financial pain in the current biennial budget but faces an estimated $8 billion deficit in the next two-year budget. Work to address this shortfall has been slow to start in the Statehouse.
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Policy changes necessary for Cleveland to see Baltimore-like success
The Cleveland Plain Dealer recently lifted up Baltimore City Schools as a possible model for Cleveland.
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US vs. the World (hint: we're not talking about soccer)
Digital-game-inspired instruction isn’t the only thing that makes one New York City charter school unique. At Quest to Learn, professional development is focused on helping teachers infuse technology with instruction, and it isn’t just a one-off session.
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What do you think -- second half of the charter school bargain?
The National Association of Charter School Authorizers recently issued its latest annual report on the policies and practices of the nation’s charter authorizers.
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NAPCS and The Lottery
The good folks at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools are hosting a free screening of The Lottery, the much-buzzed new ed reform movie, this Friday in the nation's capital. ?Sign up here.
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New Schools for New Orleans
No city has done more to redefine the delivery of urban public education than New Orleans. And no city-based organization in the nation is doing more to advance the most important education reforms than New Schools for New Orleans.
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MN and charters
Good article from Ed Week's Aarons on MN's attempt to improve charter authorizing. Takeaway: Because of a new law, many districts may get out of the business of authorizing.
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Education news nuggets
While it's no surprise that gifted students have the know-how to game the system, some are still questioning the certainly gifted and talented Bill Gates and his School of the
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National education standards that even conservatives can love
Mike and Checker write in today's National Review Online that part of the reason the Common Core education standards have fared well politically (adopted by 29 states at last count) is because they avoid the vagueness and politica
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Quotable and notable
?That would be robbing Peter to pay Peter.? ?Joel Packer, Executive Director of the Committee for Education Funding