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Paul Peterson gives props to Jeff Kuhner!
Wait, it's not this Paul Peterson, it's this Paul Peterson.
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Because schools don't have any real teaching to do
The other day it was solving the childhood obesity epidemic; today it's improving the state of family life: "
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The death of school reform is greatly exaggerated
Former presidential aspirant Fred Thompson has a piece on conservatism in the Wall Street Journal today that's
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Whoa there
Mike makes good points about Thompson's article. But modesty about the lengths to which the KIPP/Amistad/SEED models can be stretched is warranted.
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Mainstream media flubs it
We must excavate the salient parts. If the title of this AP story is true, then the chaperone in question possesses a supreme mastery of duct-tape techniques??and probably should write a book. It's not true, though. I know. It's impossible to seal a door with duct tape.
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It's more than hygiene...
I'm encouraged this morning reading this article about Idaho's work in crafting standardized performance evaluations for teachers.
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Gotta have The Gadfly
The newest Gadfly is out. In it, Checker and I write about how states, loath to see their dropout rates rise, are backtracking on high school exit exams.
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South of the border
From The Economist: Mexico is making moves to fix its broken educational system (a system that affects the U.S.??in obvious ways).
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VP watch: The education angle
The New York Times reports today that Senator John McCain is set to meet with three contenders for the VP slot on his ticket: former Massachus
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Re: VP Watch: The education angle
We've written before about Governor Bobby Jindal. There's lots to like.
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Re: Re: VP Watch: The education angle
Liam makes a good point. Did I mention that Mitt Romney is smart and savvy on education reform?
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Choice for parents, not for schools
This article out of New Orleans is about several selective charter schools that admit only those students that pass entrance tests or navigate complicated admissions processes. This is a big no-no with charter supporters. According to the piece:
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Wikipedia: Enabling the "dumbest generation"
Mark Bauerlein, the Emory professor, Phi Beta Cons contributor, and author of
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Quote of the day
At a news conference yesterday, New York City teachers union boss Randi Weingarten called Joel Klein's protestations over Albany's inflexibility on school funding the "height of chutzpah."
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Ten is the new five
Once upon a time, major federal education legislation was authorized for five years at a time and funds could only be appropriated for programs so long as the authorization remained valid. As a result, big fat laws such as E.S.E.A. and the Higher Education Act were, in fact, reauthorized every five years, always with amendments and additions, sometimes with improvements.
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Don't pass me the ball
Baltimore schools chief Andres Alonso, taking a page from Fordham's playbook, is remaking the city's funding system to push dollars and decisions down to the school level. Several principals (and their union bosses) are displeased, however.
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Fizzy Fruit forever
The genesis of Fizzy Fruit's success arguably comes from Genesis, in which we learn that fruit is one temptation from which mankind simply cannot abstain. For kids, however, fruit holds less allure--but soda is a Godsend.
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Schools That Work
David Jason FischerCenter for an Urban FutureMay 2008David Jason FischerCenter for an Urban FutureMay 2008
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Islam in the Classroom: What the Textbooks Tell Us
Gilbert T. SewallThe American Textbook CouncilMay 2008
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Wimping out on standards?
The connection between rhetoric and reality in discussions about reforming America's high schools wears thin.
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Sorry, Goldilocks--it's hot or cold
Advanced Placement enrollment has exploded, and several schools in the Washington, D.C., area have gone so far as to eliminate conventional honors courses altogether because, they claim, AP provides students more academic rigor and holds them to higher expectations.
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Say NOPE to NAEP
The ed reform crowd genuflects before the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the holy grail of testing. And in most cases, its deification is appropriate. But when comparing charter schools to traditional public schools, the holy grail becomes a Dixie Cup.
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Teaching in small schools ain't so easy
I was reviewing a federal evaluation report that came out last week on small schools (also known as schools within schools or small learning communities).
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Helping homeschoolers
Jeff calls California's governor a "dismal failure" when it comes to fighting for better education.
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The voc-ed solution
Joanne Jacobs features a thorough article, from Houston, about the new voc-ed--you know, voc-ed for the 21st-Century, not your grandfather's voc-ed, etc. The benefits of such programs are numerous.
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Schools' job regarding childhood obesity: Just do no harm
The Washington Post has been running a series all week on the childhood obesity crisis and our society's inadequate response to it. Today's article is about the schools' role:
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Reform is no slam dunk
Eduwonk Andy Rotherham is a business-minded fellow, and yesterday he made the point that as districts downsize, schools close, and some teachers (mayb
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Rotherham revealed
Speaking of Eduwonk.... You may think you know Andy Rotherham. You've sat with him on panels, chit-chatted??with him??over cocktails, rubbed elbows with him in the corridors of power, enjoyed a??cigar with him while lounging in leather chairs in??the smoky wicket-doored rooms where American ed policy is crafted.