- Newly appointed superintendents John Deasy (L.A.) and Jean-Claude Brizard (Chicago) have something in common: Both of their contracts include performance goals tied to student achievement and graduation rates. Brizard’s contract even stipulates increased ACT scores for Chicago’s youth.
- And then there were forty-nine. Texas has pulled out of the Council of Chief State School Officers, citing philosophical differences over Common Core as the root cause.
- KIPP’s 2010 report card, which marries two of Gadfly’s favorite things—charter schools and data—is now out. Dive in and get a little nerdy.
- How much do districts save by moving to a four-day week? According to an Education Commission of the States brief, actual savings from the switch have been between 0.4 and 2.5 percent (not 20 percent, as might be expected) due to the costs of extending instructional hours in the remaining four days.
- The Wall Street Journal reports this week that U.S. teachers spend more time on instruction than any other country participating in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Of course, as Jay Greene points out, it depends on whom you ask.
