Doing good and doing better
The Education GadflyPlenty of folks in the education business seek the limelight. Not all deserve it—at least, not for doing good. But some individuals and groups that do great good for kids, teachers, and schools prefer to do so quietly, even invisibly.
Cutting to the chase
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Questions about Common Core cut scores
Is it good news or bad?
The Education GadflyIn his second inaugural address, President Barack Obama mentioned two pieces of his K–12 policy agenda: his plans to train new math and science teachers and his plans to improve school safety.
Non-Cognitive Ability, Test Scores, and Teacher Quality: Evidence from 9th Grade Teachers in North Carolina
Andrew SarafEvaluating the hidden power of character
What makes Needles schools special? A recap of Fordham's Needles event in Dayton
Aaron ChurchillLeaders from two Dayton high schools divulge the special sauce
A Wealth of Words
Jeff MurrayWhy English language arts matters, according to E.D. Hirsch
Along for the Ride: Best Friends' Resources and Adolescents' College Completion
Angel GonzalezDoes it matter whether your best friend's parents are wealthy and educated?
Assault weapons are out, math is in
The Education GadflyOn Wednesday afternoon, President Obama recommended a package of national reforms aimed at preventing tragedies like last month’s in Newtown, Connecticut.
Mike Petrilli's testimony on Indiana and the Common Core
The Education GadflyToday, Indiana’s Senate Education Committee heard arguments on whether to keep, eliminate, or change the state’s commitment to the Common Core
Reforms, shots, and brawls
The Education GadflyAchieve released the second draft of the Next Generation Science Standards this week.
Real lessons from Finland
Kathleen Porter-MageeHard choices, rigorously implemented
Healthy skepticism
The Education GadflyIn the biggest non-surprise of 2012, the U.S.
Real lessons from Finland: Hard choices, rigorously implemented
Kathleen Porter-MageeTo understand what is going on in Finland, its perhaps important to start not with a snapshot of their test scores and existing education structures but with a historical perspective.
Cause for hope
The Education GadflyThis week, Student Achievement Partners—the group co-founded by Common Core architects David Coleman and Jason Zimba—announced a partnership with the NEA and AFT to develop and disseminate Core-aligned curriculum at no cost to teachers, thanks to a three
The Helmsley Charitable Trust grants $11 million for Common Core materials
Kathleen Porter-MageeIn addition to being developed under the careful guidance of the lead authors of the standards themselves, SAP-developed resources will be open source and provided at no cost to teachers around the country
The weak critique of Common Core’s approach to great literature
Kathleen Porter-MageeDenizens of the anti-Common Core fever swamps, by misinterpreting the NAEP assessment framework, become a case-in-point for teaching informational texts
Inequality for All: The Challenge of Unequal Opportunity in American Schools
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Another case for the Common Core
Closing the reading gap with vocabulary and content
Kathleen Porter-MageeWhile there are achievement gaps between low-income and affluent students across content areas, none seem more vexing to close than the reading gap
Getting Down to Dollars and Cents: What Do School Districts Spend to Deliver Student-Centered Learning?
Aaron ChurchillWhat is student-centered learning -- and does it cost more?
Inequality for All: The Challenge of Unequal Opportunity in American Schools
Chester E. Finn, Jr.This wonky but important (and exceptionally timely) book by Schmidt and McKnight is a distinctive, deeply researched, and amply documented plea for full-scale implementation of the Common Core math standards
How the nonfiction backlash could derail Common Core ELA implementation
Kathleen Porter-MageeNowhere do the CCSS “mandate” the percent of time ELA teachers need to spend on nonfiction
Will Common Core implementation face more resistence in high schools?
Aaron ChurchillA decades-old Rand Corporation report suggests high school implementation may be difficult
3 lessons about curriculum and state Common Core implementation
Kathleen Porter-MageeSelecting the right curriculum—one that artfully balances content and rigor and that gives teachers a clear instructional roadmap—is critical to driving student learning
2 years, 5 months & 4 days in the life of … Common Core
Kathleen Porter-MageeTennessee has been quietly developing what might be the most thoughtful, cohesive, and outcome-driven state CCSS implementation plan in the nation.
Student Nomads: Mobility in Ohio's Schools
Our data show that students frequently change schools. Should public policies try to slow student mobility? Encourage it? Or make policies better attuned to it?
A new concept of what it means to be educated will drive Dayton's economic revival
Terry RyanInnovation in education: that's how to prepare people for the jobs of tomorrow
First Cleveland, now Columbus: Step one in Mayor Coleman’s focus on improving the city’s schools
Emmy L. PartinMayor Coleman steps into the education waters
Ohio education leaders hear special ed improvement recommendations
Aaron Churchill , Emmy L. PartinNate Levenson presents ideas on special education reform