You can call him "Arne"
Michael J. PetrilliArne Duncan is hitting all the right notes, at least when it comes to building a strong working relationship with the Department of Education's career civil servants.
Could the recession be good for the charter school movement?
Michael J. PetrilliThe other day, Checker explained how charter school opponents are using the current budget-cutting environment as an excuse to clobber charter schools and to keep new ones from opening. ???We can't afford them,??? goes the argument.
Ideas from GreatSchools about how to create great parents
Michael J. PetrilliHow to encourage parents to take their responsibilities seriously has been a major theme this week.
Obama and test performance
Clearly President Barack Obama has a lot on his plate right now. But he should take heart ??? some are saying he may have already boosted test scores!
Getting higher ed involved in the charter school movement
Emmy L. Partinst1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }
Karl Rove: Please go away
Michael J. PetrilliMany conservative commentators blame the dismal state of the Republican Party on the talk-show crowd: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and the other blowhards who play on people's fears for a living.
Re: Karl Rove: Please go away
Eric OsbergMike may be right about the many ways Karl Rove gets it wrong
How to help parents seize this "new era of responsibility"
Michael J. PetrilliMy post from yesterday about President Obama's call for a "New Era of Responsibility" sought ideas from readers about how policymakers and sch
Get your Gadfly
Stafford PalmieriIt's here and it's hot. In the top spot, you'll find Mike's ideas on how we should couple responsibility with accountability.
Global Perspectives in the Geography Curriculum: Reviewing the Moral Case for Geography
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Alex StandishRoutledge PublishersOctober 2008
Alternative Routes to Teaching: Mapping the New Landscape of Teacher Education
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Pam Grossman and Susanna Loeb, eds.Harvard Education Press2008
The terminator
If the recent past is prologue, we have reason to be hopeful about Arne Duncan. As he prepared to leave his post as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools last week, Duncan proposed to close or consolidate 25 under-performing or under-enrolled schools.
Slip of the quill
In last week's short review of "National Assessment of Adult Literacy: Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Literacy Level for 1992 and 2003," Gadfly has discovered a rather small typo.
Going-away gift
Will President Bush get a last education laugh? That's what Richard Whitmire, president of the National Education Writers Association and founder of the Why Boys Fail blog, predicts.
Catholic schools have a prayer
After much poking and prodding, supporters of Catholic schools may finally be springing into action.
What Obama's 'Era of Responsibility' could mean for education
Michael J. PetrilliFor an education watcher, the most striking parts of President Barack Obama's sober, yet stirring, inaugural address weren't the oblique references to our schools (which "fail too many" and will be "transformed" to "meet the demands of a new age").
What does Obama's "Era of Responsibility" mean for education?
Michael J. PetrilliFor a day of celebration and catharsis, President Barack Obama's inaugural address struck tones both somber and sober.
Oklahoma!
Michael J. PetrilliYesterday, Barack Obama said that "those of us who manage the public's dollars will...do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between and people and their government." So maybe he'd like a
Hey, Dayton schools are cool, and a lot more than just about education!
Mike LaffertyThe Dayton Public Schools has decided on one way to handle the problem of low test scores and declining enrollment.They've hired a flack.
Fordham's Flypaper blog
Catch Ohio angles on the Thomas B. Fordham Institute's Flypaper blog (see here). Last week Mike Lafferty commented on U.S. Sen. George Voinovich's decision to retire on Jan. 12; Emmy Partin blogged about the Ohio Board of Regents plan to streamline computer software and technology services to save money on Jan.
"We got ours, good luck in getting yours"
Terry RyanThe public schools in Dayton have been struggling academically for years, battling Cleveland most years for the dubious distinction of worst school system in the state. But the city has been blessed to have three truly outstanding high schools. The Dayton Public Schools' Stivers School for the Arts and the Dayton Early College Academy charter school were both honored by U.S.
Bush's post-presidency
Eric OsbergThe Washington Post reported Sunday on Bush's plans to start a new think tank, the Freedom Institute, which will include an education component:
Using the recession to clobber charter schools
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Around the country, school districts are urging officials to crack down on charter school growth--and on existing charter schools--because, they assert, there isn't enough money in strapped state budgets to pay for this sector--and of course the districts must come first.