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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.
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Education news nuggets
Hope everyone out there is preparing for a great Independence Day weekend, but if you have some time it might not hurt to watch a SEED grow on Sixty Minutes.?
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A silver lining to Obey's edujobs?
Don't let the title of this blog post confuse you: I still think the Obey amendment is an abomination. But Mickey just came in my office (on a tear!) to find out, having read my post from this morning, whether or not I think ?RTT is the most effective federal education program ever.? So let me clarify.
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Too late, Obey's edujobs amendment passes
Last night, the House passed that war bill with the $10 billion in teacher job bailout (H.R.
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Quotable and notable
?At the end of the day, we must always act?truly act?in the best interest of our students. That is why I am an educator, and that is what education must be about.? -Deborah A. Gist, Rhode Island Commissioner of Education
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Education head-to-heads: BRA v. NED & URU v. GHA
For those of us who are still utterly disappointed that Italy didn't even make it to the round of 16, or that the US couldn't pull off an equally stunning last-minute win against Ghana, there are still some great matches headed our way as World Cup 2010 heads into the final eight.?
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Bobb v. Detroit School Board: Round?20439580
We've been following the Detroit Public Schools' (nay, the entire city of Detroit's) makeover attempts for going on a