Commentary
The (tax) burden of proof
Nobody loves higher taxes, but does a shift in the tax structure really spell doom for Ohio's public schools?
Commentary
Commentary
Celebration, Ambition, Inspiration: The Education Reform Summit in London
The Education Foundation, in partnership with the British Department for Education, is hosting the UK's first Education Reform Summit on July 9 and 10 in London. It will provide an opportunity to hear from inspirational school leaders, teachers, and politicians who are transforming education systems across the world.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Open enrollment--quality choices or just business?
Parents make educational choices in the best interests of their children, but to many school districts involved in open enrollment, it's only about numbers on a spreadsheet.
Commentary
Ohio Gadfly Daily News 7-3-14
Rounding up Ohio education news for the week ahead of the holiday. Happy 4th!
Commentary
Charter Schools
Opportunity and Hope: Transforming Children's Lives through Scholarships
When it comes to educational options, there are sundry open doors available to the nation’s more affluent kids—and far fewer for their poorer peers to walk through.
Commentary
TALIS 2013 Results: An International Perspective on Teaching and Learning
One often hears anecdotes of teachers feeling undervalued and, at times, isolated in their profession. The most recent OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey—a study that homes in on the working conditions of teachers and learning environments of schools, focusing on lower secondary education—confirms the narrative.
Commentary
Performance Screens for School Improvement: The Case of Teacher Tenure Reform in New York City
This very timely new study out of CALDER examines whether a tenure-reform policy initiated in New York City in 2009–10 impacted the rate at which tenure was awarded and the composition of the teaching force. The study tracked the tenure review process for all probationary teachers in NYC public schools between 2007–08 and 2012–13.
Commentary
College Initiatives Redefined: A Responsive Approach to College Counseling and Alumni Support
Founded in 1998, Houston-based YES Prep has set the pace for college completion among graduates of so-called “no excuses” charter schools. Among its 1,700 alumni, 72 percent are either still persisting in college or have graduated.
Commentary
Critical friends
Egged on by viral posts and comedians mocking confusing homework assignments, parents are becoming increasingly leery of the Common Core–aligned approach to mathematics instruction.
Commentary
Ohio Gadfly Daily News 7-2-14
The usual roundup and commentary on education news stories from around the state.
Commentary
Ohio Gadfly Daily News 7-1-14
Third grade reading, Common Core, fiscal oversight, academic oversight, and teacher union discontent in today's news.
Commentary
Charter Schools
New EdChoice data highlights academic success
Voucher program data is starting to emerge in Ohio, and everyone is taking notice.
Commentary
Commentary
Commentary
Ohio Gadfly Daily News 6-26-14
A fully rounded round-up of news today - city, suburb, rural; budgets, teacher contracts, assessments; district, private, charter. Enjoy!
Commentary
Rocky transitions and civil society
After much dithering, Governor Rick Scott signed legislation expanding eligibility for Florida’s tax-credit scholarship program and creati
Commentary
Policy Barriers to School Improvement: What’s Real and What’s Imagined?
One of the received truths of education reform is that a creative, talented school principal can do a lot, whether by embracing technology, changing the way a school is organized, or allocating resources differently. The counter is that true principal autonomy doesn’t exist because of strict limitations by district, state, and federal mandates, union contracts, and such.
Commentary
Great Principals at Scale: Creating District Conditions that Enable All Principals to be Effective
Even the soundest of education policies yield little when conditions on the ground block school-level actors from being effective. And the key school-level actor is the principal. So that’s where New Leaders and the Bush Institute fix their joint gaze in this report about replicating great principals at scale.
Commentary
Charter Schools
On the Rocketship: How Top Charter Schools are Pushing the Envelope
The Rocketship charter network, founded in San Jose in 2006, has had a growth trajectory worthy of its name: it already operates nine schools, and its goal is to educate 25,000 students by 2017.
Commentary
Ohio Gadfly Daily News 6-25-14
Lots to cover - third grade reading tests, Straight-A Fund grants, alleged malfeasance, and levy talk among the many news items today.
Commentary
Ohio Gadfly Daily News 6-24-14
So, yesterday we took a look at open enrollment in one part of Ohio from the perspective of the districts and seemed to conclude that it was “just business” – net “winner” districts are happy, net “losers” are not and it’s all about dollars.
Commentary
Everyone’s talking about third grade reading. Seriously – everyone
A quick look at recent newspaper stories from around Ohio regarding third grade reading scores.
Commentary
Ohio Gadfly Daily News 6-23-14
From tiny Bettsville Ohio to mighty Cleveland and statewide looks at innovation, we're all over the map with today's news.
Commentary
Ohio Gadfly Daily News 6-20-14
Education news is thin on the ground in Ohio today; enjoy what we have.
Commentary
Ohio Gadfly Daily News 6-19-14
You've got to take a listen to Chad's Common Core radio townhall in Youngstown, the highlight of today's news.
Commentary
What’s your next move?
Success Academy, the high-performing charter network run by tough-as-nails Eva Moskowitz, is looking to
Commentary
Estimating the Effects of No Child Left Behind on Teachers’ Work Environments and Job Attitudes
Mainstream media and advocacy groups often portray teachers as an embattled, even embittered, ensemble. Tougher policies are sometimes accused of contributing to their stress. But has accountability actually led to deteriorating work conditions and lower morale among teachers? This new study shatters that popular conception.
Commentary
2014 Teacher Prep Review: A Review of the Nation’s Teacher Preparation Programs
The results of the second edition of NCTQ’s evaluation of teacher-preparation programs aren’t that much more optimistic than last year’s much publicized and contentious findings.
Commentary
Ohio Gadfly Daily News 6-18-14
Third grade reading scores are in around the state, dominating the news.