Too many As at ed schools?

Education Week’s Sean Cavanagh surveys the status of parent-trigger proposals in states across the nation in his latest article, Legislative Momentum Stalls for 'Parent Trigger' Proposals.

Fixation on merit pay in Ohio crowds out more vital conversations

Potentially drastic changes to teacher personnel policy in Ohio have been at the heart of heated debates for the last five or six months, precipitated by provisions in controversial SB 5, Ohio's collective bargaining law, as well as about-to-be-passed state biennial budget HB 153.

Setting the record straight: The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and charter school sponsorship

There has been a lot of controversy in Ohio in recent weeks around House-proposed legislative changes to the state's charter law that would decimate an already weak charter school accountability system (see here,

Good for Texas. Good for America?

Some education ideas are best left in Austin

Arnius Duncanus?

Waivers are one thing; mandates are another

Reform is in the eye of the beholder

Takeaways from SB7

The Nation???s Report Card: History 2010

Mostly depressing news from the NAEP

Can NCLB Choice Work? Modeling the Effects of Interdistrict Choice on Student Access to Higher Performing Schools

Tune up those school buses; we?re going for a ride

Teacher Quality Roadmap: Improving Policies and Practices in LAUSD

The only question is: Where to start?

The Other Lottery: Are Philanthropists Backing the Best Charter Schools?

In short, no

Briefly Noted: At the twilight???s last gleaming

Civics and the Wisconsin Supreme Court

Speaking to "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants"

Marc Tucker responds

Columbus Collegiate's first graduating class: the path was hard but the results great

Guest blogger Nikki Baszynski reflects on the eighth-grade graduation ceremony at Columbus Collegiate Academy (CCA), a Fordham-authorized middle school serving students in grades six through eight (the vast majority of whom are economi

Dysfunction in Ohio charter sector is not the fault of Republicans alone

In his weekly TIME column, Andy Rotherham pens a piece, ?Are These End Times for Charter Schools??, that begs further discussion. (Although how much cooler would it have been if the column came out on May 21?)

Districts should embrace Ohio budget provision rewarding high-performing charters

Last evening, the Ohio Senate passed its version of the state's next operating budget, which would reward exceptional charter schools with low-cost facilities.?? Specifically: Districts would be required to offer up unused space to charter schools for lease if the space goes unused by the district for two years,

Two new videos: Teachers speak out, dispel myths about teacher evaluations

Like many states, Ohio is struggling with how best to evaluate teachers and how to use those evaluations to inform personnel decisions (like remuneration, tenure, professional development, and ? when district budgets or enrollment levels leave no other choice ?layoffs).

Ohio cannot afford to delay on teacher effectiveness measures

For as long as anyone can remember, in Ohio as in the rest of America, a public-school teacher’s effectiveness and performance in the classroom have had little to no impact on decisions about whether she is retained by her district or laid off, how she is compensated or assigned to a district’s schools, or how her professional development is crafted.

Consistency around performance needed in Ohio budget debate

Consistency in public policy is hard to come by because special interests, ideology, and ignorance of issues (manipulated by lobbyists and other interested parties) all collide and compete for life in the cosmic swirl of the legislative process.

Teachers open up about evaluations

Even prior to this particular legislative battle, the myths and fears expressed by educators and policymakers alike when it comes to teacher evaluations have been rampant. For example, opponents of overhauling teacher evaluation systems argue they’re inherently unfair, arbitrary, prone to bias, focused too much on test scores, ruin collaboration, and create undo competition.

What the research shows about teacher evaluation systems

“Evaluating Teacher Effectiveness”Education Next, Summer 2011

Consistency around performance needed in Ohio budget debate

Consistency in public policy is hard to come by. Special interests, ideology, and ignorance of issues (manipulated by lobbyists and other interested parties) all collide and compete for life in the cosmic swirl of the legislative process.

Charter quality must trump corporate interests

Charters in Ohio have a contentious and troubled history. Events over the last few weeks have added another controversial chapter to the story.

Terry Ryan testifies, pens op-ed imploring OH lawmakers to leave teacher provisions in budget

The Ohio Senate just released its version of the state's biennial budget.

New video from Ohio Gadfly: What Ohio can learn from DC's teacher evaluations

Where's the Tea Party when you need it?

Insider proof of the madness of local control

Bending the special-ed cost curve

It requires multiple approaches

Ohio???s charter schools: Threats from within

Quality must trump quantity?and profits

Hitting it big in Clark County?

Are the three cherries aligning for reform in Vegas?

The Condition of Education 2011

Data, data, everywhere?and not a Catholic school to spare

Steering Capital: Optimizing Financial Support for Innovation in Public Education

Even innovation must be guided?and funded