Commentary
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Common Core implementation: Let’s not lose the forest for the trees
Let's not gloss the challenges of transitioning to Common Core
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Taxpayers subsidize Colorado unions
More attention should be paid to the costs to taxpayers from union expenses.
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Is education reform losing something in the translation?
Guest blogger Ray Pinney of the New Jersey School Boards Association reflects on Fordham and CAP’s Rethinking Education Governance conference and what governance reform means for the Garden State.
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The Chinese delegation to ... Ohio?
Recently, China’s Hubei Bureau of Education Deputy Director Huang Jian has been visiting Ohio, specifically our schools, as part of the U.S.-China Administrator Shadowing Project.
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The latest attack on charter schools in Ohio
Read the latest analysis of the Ohio Education Association's federal lawsuit against charter schools in Ohio at www.edexcellence.net.
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The New Normal and Tiger's sex addiction
How could those two things be related? The priceless combination of Mike’s baby-caused sleep-deprived state and Rick’s witty plug for his forthcoming tome, of course. All while they chew over whether the Race to the Top has been a success and the implications of Brownie’s election as U.S. Senator.
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WFB, RIP
So many remarkable encomia appeared within hours of Bill Buckley's death yesterday that we dare not try to rival them for appreciation of his wit, his erudition and personal charm, his generosity of spirit and peerless sense of humor, his intellectual versatility, his amazing vocabulary or his enormous and lasting place in contemporary American conservatism.
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Jon Husted at Ohio event: Get people to commit to high standards and they can achieve those standards
Jon Husted of the Ohio State Senate is talking about setting high academic standards:
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Sue Pimentel at Ohio event: First ask about non-negotiables when creating assessments and standards
Sue Pimentel of StandardsWork gives advice about creating standards and assesments: 1) Ask up front about non-negotiables.
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National charter school experts implore Ohio Senate to fix charter provisions in state budget bill
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the National Association of Charter School Authorizers have joined the chorus of charter school advocates and others who are calling for the Ohio Senate to fix the charter provisions o
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Did you know? Cincinnati students in "F" schools 5x less likely to have National Board certified teacher than students in "A" schools
Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) has the highest number of teachers with certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (139) of any Ohio district, but the way these teachers are distributed across the??district threatens to undermine CPS' mission to improve learning for all students.??
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Ohio's voucher program reaches its cap - how much "evidence" will justify expansion?
For the first time since its inception five years ago, Ohio's EdChoice Scholarship program (the state's targeted school voucher program) has reached its legal
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Ohioans come together to discuss increasing efficiency and cost-savings for local schools and governments
Earlier this week The Thomas B.
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Did you know? Ohio district and charter students have different odds of seeing Race to the Top funds
To be eligible for a portion of $200 to $400 million in Race to the Top money (that is, if Ohio wins ???
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?Needles in a Haystack?? check out the full video highlighting Ohio's highest-performing urban schools
The schools that serve Ohio's poor, urban youngsters overwhelmingly fall short when it comes to academic performance. But there are a small handful of schools that buck these bleak trends and show serious achievement for disadvantaged youngsters from depressed inner-city communities.
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Ohio's school funding "fix" hasn't changed reality for some communities
The other day the Columbus Dispatch ran an article assessing Gov. Strickland's school funding plan and the extent to which he's kept his 2006 campaign promise to fix school funding in Ohio.
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Worst middle school in Ohio will turn itself around? (What's the definition of insanity again?)
Yesterday's Columbus Dispatch featured a compelling story about the worst-performing middle school in all of Ohio, Champion Middle School located on Columbus's Near East Side (Mike
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Sweet chili Petrilli
This week, Mike and Rick discuss Fordham and Northwest Evaluation Association's latest report, The Accountability Illusion (after John Cronin, one of the authors and studio guest, gives us a Research Half Minute), what to make of Arne's $650 million, and Milwaukee's flirtation with mayoral co
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Gates Foundation seeks Senior Policy Officer
The Gates Foundation is looking for a Senior Policy Officer for Education who will manage the foundation's public policy, government relations and community outreach efforts in five to eight states. For more information or to apply, surf to www.gatesfoundation.org/aboutus/employment.
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Geography lesson
In last week's short review of the Annual Privatization Report 2008, Gadfly misspoke; as one careful reader of this publication pointed out, there is no Southfield, Minnesota. The Southfield in question is located in Michigan.
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Heads Spin in Albany
Arne Duncan landed in New York’s state capital [this week] but it wasn’t to boost the spirits of the city’s “heroic” education reformers or stop by the state’s first all-girls charter high school (which was celebrating its opening). Nope.
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Help Massachusetts perfect its history standards
The Massachusetts Department of Education has developed a new (draft) curriculum framework for history and social science. This 60-page document summarizes what the Commonwealth thinks students should learn about history, geography, economics, and civics in each grade.
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Open VP position at NACSA
The National Association of Charter School Authorizers is looking for a new Vice President of External Affairs, who would be based in their headquarters in Chicago. This person should be a flexible leader who’s excited to work for a singular organization involved in charter authorization.
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Other Ohio districts should take a cue from Cleveland
We’ve been no fans of the Columbus City School District’s treatment of charter schools within its boundaries.
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Peterson takes the cake
Three cheers for Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson for winning Harvard University's Innovations in American Government Award, a prestigious prize that comes with a $100,000 check for his city. Peterson took an immense political risk when he asked for, and in 2001 was granted, a mayor-controlled charter school system in Indianapolis.
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Pisces Foundation seeks Associate Director of Policy
The Pisces Foundation hopes to recruit an Associate Director of Policy to focus on its policy, research, evaluation, and advocacy efforts. This innovative and courageous education-centered foundation is probably best known for its support of KIPP schools across America and its widening interest in charter schooling and better teachers. What's more, it's based in San Francisco.
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Quality organization seeks quality individuals
The National Council on Teacher Quality is looking for motivated, detail-oriented college graduates to work as research fellows in its Washington, D.C., office. The fellowship will last approximately four months and will focus on research using NCTQ's collective bargaining website.
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Save the date (and a penny)
Fordham and AEI are teaming up on an exciting new event entitled, “A Penny Saved: How Schools and Districts Can Tighten Their Belts While Serving Students Better.” An all-day conference on January 11, 2010 at the world-famous Mayflower Hotel, this will b