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June 2007 Archives
June 29, 2007
June 29, 2007
Crayon Shoes
June 29, 2007
Citizen's Commission On Supreme Court Decision: Deseg Not Outlawed
Here's an email from CCCR honcho Dianne Piche that highlights the idea that yesterday's decision doesn't make it illegal or impossible to promote school integration:
"All programs that consider race in order to foster diversity have NOT been outlawed. The votes were 5-4 against the Seattle and Louisville school districts AND 5-4 in favor of legal principles favoring diversity. This so-called “split court” is not unlike the famous “Bakke” decision in the late 1970s, where the Court struck down an affirmative action policy with respect to admissions to the University of California-Davis medical school, while at the same time setting forth legal principles enabling some forms of affirmative action to be preserved."
Read the full email below [a letter to Piche's grad students].
June 29, 2007
Is Student Violence Necessarily School Violence?
June 29, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (Friday June 29)
Teachers Target Bush's No-Child Law for Change Under Democrats
``The American public and educators agree -- Congress needs to change No Child Left Behind,'' said association President Reg Weaver, a former middle school teacher.
Charter schools booming in the suburbs Philadelphia Inquirer
Once found almost exclusively in urban centers with dismal academic options, charters such as Renaissance - located in a bucolic corner of the solid-performing Phoenixville Area School District - have become increasingly common in the suburbs.
Phila. to Keep Outside School Managers One More Year EdWeek
Experts who have been closely monitoring Philadelphia’s experiment with outside management were divided on exactly what lessons it is yielding for educators.
12 Ways to Childproof Your Kids' Summer and Avoid Trips to the ER US News
As children burst into the long, lazy days of summer-on wakeboards, roller coasters, and all-terrain vehicles-parents may want to bone up on precautionary measures.
June 29, 2007
Wall To Wall Desegregation Coverage, With Some Variations
By and large, the papers play the desegregation decision pretty straight: "Thursday's Supreme Court ruling on school diversity reinterprets the venerable Brown vs. Board of Education decision" (Fracturing a landmark LAT).
Some of the wall to wall coverage took a slightly different tack: Don't Mourn Brown v. Board of Education New York Times. "With yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling ending the use of voluntary schemes to create racial balance among students, it is time to acknowledge that Brown’s time has passed." Or: Brown v. Board of Education has not been overturned (Wall Street Journal): "The end of this first full term of the John Roberts-Samuel Alito Court presented no sweeping departures, instead hewing to the incremental conservative judging that was its hallmark this year."
You want more?
Across U.S., a New Look at School Integration Efforts NYT
Court Strikes Down Racial Criteria in School Diversity Plans PBS
Link to Google News 900 stories about the Supreme Court decision.
June 28, 2007
Fordham For, Then Against Muslim Charter Schools
June 28, 2007
Supreme Court Strikes Down Deseg/Diversity Plans
June 28, 2007
Raking In The Online High School Sports Dollars
June 28, 2007
Gates Foundation Advocate Over-Involved In Texas Contracts, Report Says
Over at the Dallas Morning News, Josh Benton's got the drop on some apparent misdeeds at the Texas Education Agency. No surprise there, except that the misdeeds may include the Gates Foundation (TEA: Agency officials got friends contracts). It's no secret that the Gates folks of late have been getting involved in state-level advocacy work. A reasonable strategy, I'd say. But their Texas guy, Jimmy Wynn, seems to have gotten over-involved, shall we say. Via EdNews.org.
While we're on the subject of foundations and nonprofits, there's a new report from the Urban Institute that some would do well to read: Insular Boards Guide Many Nonprofits. "Many nonprofit boards are cut off from the public they serve by an ethnically homogeneous membership and a failure to engage in externally oriented activities," according to the report.
June 28, 2007
Online Bullying Goes Big Time, Depending How You Define It
June 28, 2007
Worst Security Guard Ever
June 28, 2007
Reauthorization? We Don't Need No Stinking Reauthorization.
June 28, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 28)
Spellings favors wiggle room for schools USA Today
The U.S. Education Secretary has proposed a way of evaluating schools that would differentiate between schools that are close to meeting state standards and those that are underperformers.
Union to Help Charter Firm Start School in the Bronx NYT
A charter school operator from Los Angeles [Green Dot] is seeking to expand into New York with the cooperation of the teachers’ union. PLUS: Patrons’ Sway Leads to Friction in Charter School
Study: Federal Tutoring Helping Students AP
Taxpayer-funded tutoring for poor children is paying off in some city schools, a federal study says.
Two school diversity cases: Same issue, with a twist CNN
The Supreme Court is poised to issue key rulings in two major cases involving diversity in schools.
June 27, 2007
"Help Wanted - Chinese Teachers Need to Meet New Craze"
June 27, 2007
Blogging...On Facebook
June 27, 2007
June 27, 2007
Scandalous Mead Video Surfaces On The Internet
June 27, 2007
Weekly Education Column Showdown: Closing A KIPP
The weekly showdown of national education columns between the Post and the NY Times goes to the Post this week in large part because the Post column is about K12 issues and KIPP (KIPP's Mysterious Tale of Three Cities ) and also because I don't really care that much about higher education or free speech (Film Portrays Stifling of Speech, but One College’s Struggle Reflects a Nuanced Reality). Mathews explores why one KIPP school in Maryland is closing, while others have thrived. Most of the blame seems to get ascribed to the locals, of course, rather than what I suspect is also part of the problem: growing pains and rapid expansion.
June 27, 2007
Over-Reaching On NCLB Predictions At The Washington Post
June 27, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 27)
States Urged on Teacher Qualifications AP
Even as states are erecting barriers that could prevent qualified people from teaching, they also are making it too easy for unqualified people to get in, the report says. Just three states - New Jersey, New Mexico and New York - require new teachers to pass such [licensing] tests before entering the classroom. Many states give teachers one year to pass, but 20 states let people teach for three years or more without passing, the report says. PLUS: Read the full report with all its maps here.
Black students in Montgomery and Fairfax high schools are far more successful in Advanced Placement testing than their peers in nine of the 10 school systems in the nation with the largest black populations, according to a Washington Post analysis.
Editorial: Three Bad Rulings NYT (editorial)
The Supreme Court hit the trifecta yesterday: Three cases involving the First Amendment. Three dismaying decisions by Chief Justice John Roberts’s new conservative majority.
June 26, 2007
A Letter From The AFT Blog Summer Camp About Questionable Bush Claims
June 26, 2007
Roller Shoes: Lawn Darts Of The New Millennium
June 26, 2007
Presidential Scholars Chide President On Human Rights
Forget NCLB. The new class of Presidential Scholars apparently decided to put a little heat on the President in his own house, according to The Cheese Sandwich blog (The Kids Are Alright), calling on him to end torture and illegal detentions, among other things.
June 26, 2007
Paris Hilton & School Choice
"Paris Hilton Released From Jail...Meanwhile, millions of American students remain locked up in schools that aren't getting the job done while the Democratic party stands watch."
Read the rest at Joe Williams' DFER blog.
June 26, 2007
Denver Schools Story Wins Big Praise (Again)
June 26, 2007
NCLB Making AYP, Says President
While most of political Washington is up in arms about the VP declaring himself not a part of the executive branch, there are still education events on the calendar. As you can see, the President's remarks at this one (video here) include the standard fare (yay, NCLB reauthorization, yay TIF and STEM). Perhaps the most dramatic claim in the President's remarks was as follows: "During the most recent five-year period on record, nine-year-olds made more progress in reading than in the previous 28 years combined." That one's new to me, and a little hard to believe. Someone's going to have to fact-check that one. As far as shows of force go, this one seems pretty weak. McKeon and Castle are mentioned, but no Miller or Kennedy. Even the First Lady, recently enlisted to help with reauthorization, couldn't make it.
June 26, 2007
High School Student Takes On Fiery Newscaster Over Sex Ed Talk
We've all seen full-grown adults crumble and fluster when faced with hard-charging newscasters who disagree with their points of view, but give credit to this Boulder high school sophomore Jesse Lange who takes on none other than the firebreathing Bill O'Reilly over a controversial sex and drug talk given at a Boulder high school:
Great to see the kid's calmness fluster the host. If you really want to read more about this, here are some mainstream news stories.
June 26, 2007
TAP For TIF: More On Merit Pay Models
Last week I asked whether the TAP model was ready for prime time, and got a few interesting responses. Still trying to get up to speed, I asked the usual suspects about which merit pay models seemed to work the best and/or dominate the "market" and got some information that might be useful, or not:
June 26, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (Tuesday June 26)
Experts Analyze Supreme Court Free Speech Rulings PBS
The Supreme Court ruled to loosen restrictions on campaign ads and tighten limits on student speech Monday. Two law professors weigh in on what the rulings mean for the nation, and what they indicate about the justices' take on First Amendment rights.
PLUS: Supreme Court Backs Discipline of Student for Drug-Related Banner Ed Week
Ex-Aides Break With Bush on 'No Child' Washington Post
President Bush urged lawmakers yesterday to renew No Child Left Behind, his landmark education initiative, but one of his biggest political liabilities in achieving that goal comes from an unlikely source: his former aides.
Prepare for the SAT Test, or Play With Your iPod? Have It Both Ways NYT
Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, a traditional test preparation company, is offering interactive programs for downloading to iPods with video screens.
June 25, 2007
Today & Later This Week
There's something on the EdSec's schedule today about "President Bush’s remarks on reauthorization of No Child Left Behind" at the White House. Then later this week on Wednesday there's the USDE's SES summit. And, on Thursday, NCTQ's Teacher Policy Handbook rollout.
June 25, 2007
Two Good "Time-Lapse" Education Stories
There are a couple of good examples of time-lapse education writing out there right now, including Dale Mezzacappa's Philadelphia Inquirer look at 112 inner-city kids who were promised a college education 20 years ago, what's happened to them since (left), and a look at the other "Say Yes" initiatives that are still underway.
Over at the NY Daily News, Erin Einhorn tracked down what had happened to 23 Harlem kindergarten kids over the past 13 years since 1994 (right), and found all but five.
June 25, 2007
Cristo Rey Schools Take Over The World
The first Cristo Rey schoolin the DC area is opening up this fall , according to Jay Mathews (UPDATE: Before School, A Cram Session on Work) -- a low-tuition private school model first tried out in Chicago 11 years ago and since spread to 19 other locations. Besides the fact that the kids work one day a week to help pay for their education, what makes Cristo Rey schools interesting is that they are one of the only private school models funded by a mainstream education philanthropy (in this case Gates). Here's a commentary I wrote about this for The Gadfly, and an article about the struggle to open a Cristo Rey in New York City a few years ago.
June 25, 2007
PDA In The Edusphere: Yglesias Vs. Iglesias
June 25, 2007
Here Come Consulting Firms (Again)
Today's Washington Post has an interesting piece about the use of high-priced management consultants -- Deloitte, KPMG, McKinsey, Alvarez & Associates (of St. Louis and NOLA fame) -- in urban school districts, a good reminder that it's not just the policy wonks and think tanks that drive real live schoolpeople crazy. "Two dozen high-priced consultants have set up shop on three floors of the D.C. public schools' headquarters, wearing pinstripe suits, toting binders and BlackBerrys and using such corporate jargon as "resource mapping" and "identifying metrics," begins the piece (Big-Name Consultants Greeted With Wariness). "They come from big-name restructuring firms, and the city is paying $4 million for their services this summer." It's not just DC, of course. Chicago has used Boston Consulting Group on several projects, some of which haven't turned out particularly well. St. Louis and New Orleans have both used Alvarez, to mixed reviews. And, as the article points out, few of the consultants offer project management services or stay on to implement the plans that they make. Binders and powerpoints are all well and good, but making the plans work and building buy-in and capacity are the real keys.
UPDATE: The usually-insightful Kevin Carey mystifyingly defends the management consultant crowd by blaming incompetent management for DC schools' problems. A post written, perhaps, on a Blackberry.
June 25, 2007
America's Most Wanted: Teachers
"Rice said Clark County has been mining dwindling districts for teachers for at least 16 years. She said the head of personnel for Chicago public schools used to tease her that they had her picture up in the airport."
June 25, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 25)
The Report Card PBS
NOW returns to Lafayette Academy, a charter school where students and teachers have struggled in the past school year with mismanagement [Mosaica] and a lack of resources. NOW also visits the fifth graders at KIPP Believe College Prep, part of a successful national charter school network called the "Knowledge Is Power Program."
Big-Name Consultants Greeted With Wariness Washington Post
Two dozen high-priced consultants have set up shop on three floors of the D.C. public schools' headquarters, wearing pinstripe suits, toting binders and BlackBerrys and using such corporate jargon as "resource mapping" and "identifying metrics."
The High School Kinship of Cristal and Queen NYT
Queen Bond and Cristal Pimentel found each other, seized opportunities and graduated from high school in the face of tremendous adversity.
School Officials Black Out Photo of a Gay Student’s Kiss NYT
Yearbooks for East Side High School in Newark were distributed with a black-marker splotch covering a photo of a student kissing his boyfriend.
June 24, 2007
The Best Of The Week (June 19-26)
Campaign 2008
Bloomberg Candidacy Would Bring Education Up
The Education Business
High-Tech Paycheck & Report Card Problems In LA and Chicago
NCLB Tutoring: Not Working, Or Just Not Working Miracles?
PLUS: Sylvan Sued
Policy Watch
What Do People Really Think About NCLB?
Internal Differences: Preschool, Choice, and More
Jay Mathews On Michelle Rhee: Didn't I Just Say That?
PLUS: "What’s this Korean lady doing here?"
Foundations & Think Tanks
"Designated Survivors" At School Reform Confabs
Sara Mead: Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire
Charter School Smarick Wins White House Fellows Spot
PEN NewsBlast Guru Rides Off Into The Sunset
Urban Education
Merit Pay Model Not Ready For Prime Time?
Franchising Magnets (Just Like Charters)
Boston Gets Memphis Chief; Balto Gets NYC #2
Severance Pay For Vallas Might Be $500K
PLUS: Vallas Ditches Own Going-Away Party
Media Watch
Colbert Loves NCLB -- Better Than Jon Stewart
"My Name's Emmet And I'm An Eduholic."
Mainstream Blogging's Perils & Pleasures
The Times Vs. The Post: Education's Weekly Showdown
School Life
High School Sophomore Marries Coach -- Parents Sign Off
When Celebrities Have Opinions (John Travolta Edition)
Top 10 Party High Schools In America
Parents, Kids, Librarians Get Ready (Potter Book Out 7/21)
The Worst Cheese Sandwich Ever
June 22, 2007
High School Sophomore Marries Coach -- Parents Sign Off
The parents of a sophomore high school student say they tried to stop their sixteen year-old daughter from getting involved with a 40 year-old cross-country coach, but according to this story signed a consent form for them to get married. Read all about it, I guess.
And if you can't get enough of this kind of stuff, check out Teachers Behaving Badly, a blog dedicated to criminal other inappropriate things that education staff do. Yes, there's a blog for everything.
June 22, 2007
Quotes Of The Week: "What’s this Korean lady doing here?"
June 22, 2007
Sara Mead: Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire
June 22, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 22)
Voucher Use in Washington Wins Praise of Parents NYT
Students who participated in a federally financed school voucher program did not perform significantly better academically but their parents were satisfied anyway.
ALSO: Voucher Students Show Few Gains in First Year Washington Post
Schools Await Desegregation Ruling Courier-Journal.com
With just 10 days left in its session, education and civil-rights leaders across the nation are anxiously waiting to see whether a conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court will end voluntary desegregation in America's public schools -- particularly those in Jefferson County.
June 21, 2007
Merit Pay Model Not Ready For Prime Time?
Specific complaints aside, is it the TAP model that most districts are adopting with their TIF money, or are there other, better ones -- from Odden, or wherever? Have the different models been compared in terms of how they work? Or is there as yet no single model that seems to work "everywhere"?
June 21, 2007
Severance Pay For Vallas Might Be $500K
June 21, 2007
"Designated Survivors" At School Reform Confabs
June 21, 2007
June 21, 2007
Internal Differences: Preschool, Choice, and More
Sara Mead over at TQATE gets the award for the most ambitious and attention-grabbing headline of the week with Preschool and School Choice Movement Leaders Combine Forces to Form New Pornographers-style Education Advocacy Supergroup, and for highlighting internal differences among various preschool advocacy folks (and similar internal differences among various choice/voucher groups). The whole supergroup thing seems like a nonstarter, but it's important not to mistake these movements -- preschool and choice -- as monolithic. Ditto for charters, standardistas, and everyone else, now that I think of it.
June 21, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 21)
2300 schools face 'No Child' overhaul AP
Nationwide, about 2,300 schools are either in restructuring or are a year away, according to a database provided to The Associated Press by the Education Department.
Ed Department: states not meeting special-ed law requirements AP
Fourth-fifths of the states are falling short of federal requirements for educating students with disabilities, the Education Department says.
Teacher Turnover Costs Systems Millions, Study Projects Washington Post
An independent report released yesterday estimates that the high rate of teacher turnover in U.S. school systems costs more than $7 billion a year, with systems including the District and Prince George's and Fairfax counties hardest hit. (Also: Schools Have No Handle on Cost of Teacher Turnover).
Small Companies That Try to Bring Innovative Technology to Teaching NYT
A growing cluster of companies in the Northwest are looking to capitalize on educational needs.
Webcams Are Officially Not Fun Anymore USNWR
Some worry that the cameras are a little too Big Brother-ish. Paper Trail is more worried about a deluge of bad test-taking videos on YouTube.
June 20, 2007
Bloomberg Candidacy Would Bring Education Up
Over at the DFER blog, Joe Williams points out that if NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg takes the next step and enters the race as an independent candidate it will upgrade the debate on education reform since he'll be the candidate with the most of a track record on the issue (Viva Bloomberg?). For that alone, I hope he runs.
June 20, 2007
Colbert Loves NCLB -- Better Than Jon Stewart
Thanks to the Schools for Tomorrow Blog for reminding me that I had never posted the Colbert Report segment on states gaming proficiency standards from a couple of weeks ago:
Don't worry, it's still funny. And Colbert seems to have done a much better job than Jon Stewart of learning about (and blasting at) one of the law's not so intended consequences. (Remember, Stewart had EdSec Spellings on his show a couple of weeks ago and asked her softball questions with no follow-up.)
June 20, 2007
Mainstream Blogging's Perils & Pleasures
As a miniature example of the trend, I can attest that moving to a traditional site does include some loss of previous readers (as well as lots of new ones), and some loss of readers' trust (if that's the right word). Other downsides include having to work with someone else's lame software, an unwise rollout of multiple blogs at about the same time, lack of built-in interaction among blogs on the same site, and a strange unwillingness to use blog content on other parts of the site or even in the print version, which other outlets have been doing for years now.
June 20, 2007
Charter School Smarick Wins White House Fellows Spot
June 20, 2007
The Times Vs. The Post: Education's Weekly Showdown
A Graduate of Stanford by Way of a Transfer: One foundation tries to help talented, low-income students make the transition from community colleges into elite universities. (Freedman)
The Power of Assuming All Need College: We are in the midst of a heated national debate over whether or not high schools should try to prepare all students for college. I say yes, but I acknowledge that the no side has a good argument. (Mathews)
June 20, 2007
NCLB Tutoring: Not Working, Or Just Not Working Miracles?
June 20, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 20)
Education Week: To Know NCLB Is to Like It, ETS Poll Finds Ed Week
Once the interviewer mentioned the law’s focus on standards and accountability, requiring highly qualified teachers, and other details, 56 percent said that they viewed the law favorably. Thirty-seven percent still opposed it. Plus: ETS Report.
Recruited to Rescue Washington’s Schools NYT
Michelle A. Rhee, the newly named chancellor of schools in Washington, seems undaunted by the challenges ahead as she prepares for her mission to raise reading and math scores in the city.
Values set Baltimore school apart USA Today
It has been a tough year at Talent Development. An open-admissions public high school that enjoys a cooperative relationship with Johns Hopkins University's Center for the Social Organization of Schools, it has been in business since 2004, occupying half of a sprawling brick building in the city's Harlem Park neighborhood. USA TODAY has visited throughout the year to see what makes it unique.
Web cam exam proctors are latest cheating deterrent CNN.com
Read full story for latest details.
June 19, 2007
When Celebrities Have Opinions
June 19, 2007
Boston Gets Memphis Chief; Balto Gets NYC #2
June 19, 2007
Franchising Magnets (Just Like Charters)
We're all already familiar with the idea of networks of charter schools (like KIPP) and small groups of private schools (Cristo Rey), but what about franchising magnet schools as well? That's the idea that Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan is apparently floating, according to this Catalyst Magazine article (here), which would "franchise" some of the city's most popular selective enrollment schools in order to create more seats for high-achieving kids. With varying degrees of success, Chicago already clones charter schools as a way to get around the charter cap.
June 19, 2007
Top 10 Party High Schools In America
Looking over the annual awards for alternative weeklies I came across this education-related item from the Orlando Weekly:: Atomic Prom, which lists the top 10 party high schools in America. "Newsweek has published a list of 100 American high schools that “do the best job of preparing average students for college.” But college is about far more than learning..." There's also lots of more serious-minded stuff you can check it out here.
June 19, 2007
Sylvan Sued
If you think it's just the free, government-paid tutoring that is sometimes problematic, check out this Law.com article (Law.com - Sylvan Center Told to Refund Tutoring Costs) about how a New York City mom says she borrowed $11k to get both her kids tutoring, but didn't see as much improvement as promised in Sylvan marketing materials. So she sued. And the preliminary findings went in her favor. Of course, most states promise kids an education, and not all of them get that, either.
June 19, 2007
PEN NewsBlast Guru Rides Off Into The Sunset
June 19, 2007
Parents, Kids, Librarians Get Ready
Parents and teachers (and Harry Potter fans) would do well to remember that the latest (last) Potter book is out at midnight Thursday, according to Chicagoist (Libraries Gear up for Potter mania). "Unless you’ve been living under a rock since February, you already know that the seventh and final chapter in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows, will be released on July 21 at 12:01 a.m."
June 19, 2007
What Do People Really Think About NCLB?
What do people really think about NCLB? ETS will attempt to answer that question a little later today with the release of their big survey on the public's attitudes towards the law. "This year’s survey titled, “Standards, Accountability and Flexibility: Americans Speak on No Child Left Behind Reauthorization,” examines the public's views on what direction the nation should take moving forward as Congress considers reauthorizing the law. The survey was conducted for ETS by the bipartisan opinion research team of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. and The Winston Group." If you hurry, you can make it over there on time: 11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m.; Phoenix Park Hotel, Ballroom, 520 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, D.C. Spellings, Miller, et al are supposed to be there. All bets point to a much more positive result than the one from a couple weeks ago.
June 19, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 19)
Interview With Education Secretary Margaret Spellings Real Clear Politics
I recently had the opportunity to interview Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings about the administration's push to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act.
Mental Health Consultants for Preschools Surprise with Their Success Courant
States across the nation have experimented with placing mental health experts in preschool classrooms for about a decade. But while such programs can cost millions and look good, nobody has ever been sure they work.
California Schools Collect Student Data to Help Kids NPR
Two schools in California hope collecting data on students' progress will enable teachers to tailor an instructional program that will help students succeed on state-mandated skills tests.
Schools Plan to Pay Cash for Marks NYT
New York City students could earn as much as $500 a year for doing well on standardized tests and showing up for class in a new program to begin this fall.
High-fives violate 'no-touching' policy at school CNN
Read full story for latest details.
June 19, 2007
The Worst Cheese Sandwich Ever
June 18, 2007
Vallas Ditches Own Going-Away Party
June 18, 2007
High-Tech Paycheck & Report Card Problems In LA and Chicago
All teachers in LA and Chicago want is to get paid on time -- and in the right amounts -- and not to have to write end-of year grades and report cards by hand. As Andrew Trotter describes in this EdWeek story (Glitches in Los Angeles Payroll System Spark Furor), problems switching to a new payroll system have been enormous, and so far at least neither the consultants (Deloitte) or the software maker (SAP) are accepting blame. In Chicago, the largely unreported problems include paychecks and student grades -- leaving teachers and parents in the lurch when it comes to finishing out the year, figuring out who has to go to summer school, and long lines in the summer heat.
June 18, 2007
Jay Mathews On Michelle Rhee: Didn't I Just Say That?
June 18, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 18)
Long Reviled, Merit Pay Gains Among Teachers NYT
Minnesota’s $86 million teacher professionalization and merit pay initiative got a lift when teachers voted overwhelmingly to expand it in Minneapolis.
For Bush, 'No Child' a hard act to follow Baltimore Sun
But his push this year to renew the law has made little progress. The administration is redoubling its lobbying efforts - including enlisting first lady Laura Bush - against opposition from both ends of the political spectrum.
Backlash against 'zero tolerance' in schools MSNBC
Lawmakers in several states say "zero tolerance" policies in schools have resulted in many punishments that lack common sense, and are seeking to loosen the restrictions.
Parents like No Child Left Behind, just not in their children's school Poconos Record
Parents of public school students tend to believe the landmark education law No Child Left Behind is a good idea — except when it comes to their own schools.
Teachers Say NCLB Has Changed Classroom Practice Ed Week
A new study tracking the classroom impact of the No Child Left Behind Act in California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania suggests that teachers are adjusting their teaching practices in response to the law—but not always in ways that educators and policymakers might want.
June 16, 2007
The Best Of The Week (June 11-17)
Campaign 2008
Whirlwind Whitmire Takes Campaign '08 By Storm
EdWeek Slams KIPP, Issues Report, Gives It All Away
Dodd Staffer Moves To Campaign
Urban Education
Hyping DC's Michelle Rhee
Well-Dressed Reformers Hired To Run Districts Across Nation
Do Lotteries Really Work?
NCLB News
Adults Create Test Anxiety, Not Kids
Not Much To Learn About NCLB At Reality Check '08
King Of Smug
"Your Mama" & National Standards
Media Watch
Casey Journalism Awards Feature Strong Education Writing
Preschool Fever And The Press
Overplaying The Student Loan Scandal?
NAACP Legal Defense Fund Starts School Integration Blog
Pros and Cons Of Collaborative News-Gathering
Media Fellowship Applications Decline
School Life
"Secretary Spellings Walks Into A Bar..."
Cheating Shoes
'Extreme' Cafeteria Food Fights In The YouTube Era
June 15, 2007
Cafeteria Food Fights In The YouTube Era
"The Internet is fueling an extreme version of the high-school food fight, threatening innocent teachers and students with ham sandwiches, eggs and rotten tomatoes," according to this article (Internet fuelling extreme food fighting, police warn). "Police said Thursday that students are using the Internet to prepare for the fights, then posting videos on websites such as YouTube."
Indeed -- here's just one example:
June 15, 2007
A Familiar Sentiment: Adults Create Test Anxiety, Not Kids
Over at The Quick Ånd The End, Sara Mead's post about what's really causing kids so much test anxiety (teachers and administrators) is good -- so good in fact it reminds me that I said pretty much exactly the same thing nine months ago. To her credit, Mead adds some ideas for how to address the problem. Now when Senator Clinton next talks about sources and solutions for test anxiety the idea can properly be attributed.
June 15, 2007
Do Charter School (And Magnet) Lotteries Really Work?
June 15, 2007
Overplaying The Student Loan Scandal?
June 15, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (Friday June 15)
Not really any single big story today, but..
Explosives Are Found in Lockers in New Jersey School NYT
A bomb squad defused 16 gunpowder-filled devices at Wayne Valley High School after 1,400 students were removed from the bulding.
Do longer hours equal more learning? Christian Science Monitor
Pressured to produce better students, 10 Massachusetts public schools pack more hours into their schedules.
Substitute Teacher Granted New Trial in Porn Case Washington Post
A former Connecticut middle-school teacher was granted a new trial today at her sentencing hearing, where she had faced up to 40 years in prison for exposing her students to pornographic material on a classroom computer.
A Sense of Anxiety a Shirt Won’t Cover NYT
Troubled by enlarged male breasts, boys are turning to surgery. Waiting may be wiser.
June 14, 2007
Getting Rid Of District Barriers in Omaha (And Elsewhere?)
June 14, 2007
Pros and Cons Of Collaborative News-Gathering
I just finished doing a short end-of-school segment on Vocalo, Chicago's new collaborative radio station, with my friend Dan Weissmann, and at roughly the same time came across this post from Mediashift (a PBS blog) about "Collaborative" Radio, which sounds like an audio version of what we're doing here to some extent and most directly over on District 299.
My initial reaction is that for collaborative media to really work (audio or print), readers have to be willing to share information as well as opinions and analysis. Right now, the facts (such as they are) come mostly from the press and the researchers. In a perfect world, readers (collaborators) would provide more information -- documents, emails, things they've seen and heard -- to go along with their opinions. I've learned a ton of things reading comments on this blog and my other one, but the tidbits of real live information come here and there.
June 14, 2007
Not Much To Learn About NCLB At Reality Check '08
June 14, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (Thursday June 14)
Evidence thin on student gains from NCLB tutoring Ed Week
Five years after the No Child Left Behind Act became law, there's still a dearth of research evidence to show whether one of the federal measure's least-tested innovations?a provision that calls for underperforming schools to provide after-school tutoring?has an impact on student achievement.
Virginia Tech report calls for better communication USA Today
Improved communication may be the key to preventing the repeat of a Virginia Tech-like tragedy on other college campuses, a report issued today by three federal agencies concludes.
In high schools, a 'B' is new 'C' Post-Gazette
In high schools, a 'B' is new 'C'. Higher grades not matched by higher test scores.
Marketers Are Joining the Varsity NYT
Athletes, if they are talented, train hard and get a break or two, can climb the sports ladder from high school to college to the pros. Madison Avenue, sensing a lucrative opportunity, is heading the other way.
June 13, 2007
NAACP Legal Defense Fund Starts School Integration Blog
There's always room for another education blog, especially one with a clear and focused agenda that's not already being met by someone else. And so it's nice to hear that the NAACP LDF has started its new Integration Blog, which features "in-depth analysis and background of the voluntary school integration cases now before the Supreme Court, and will serve as a clearinghouse for responses to and commentary on the Court's upcoming decision, which could arrive as soon as tomorrow." Of course, school integration efforts aren't doing that well right now, and no blog is going to turn that around anytime soon. But there are a lot of folks -- on the Hill, in the districts, and in newsrooms -- who could benefit from a more regular dose of school-related SCOTUS coverage. Some tasty-seeming posts from the past few days include: Desegregation Dollars, "Leaving Integration Behind", Can Integrated Schools Fight Crime?, and Briefing Paper on Seattle and Louisville Cases. Check it out.
June 13, 2007
Best Of The Blogs
I read them -- so you don't have to...
EdWeek Debunks Teacher Attrition Myth EIA
Teacher turnover is roughly in line with that in other professions with similar educational requirements for entry, such as nursing and accounting. And that is so even with the pressure on school districts to get rid of teachers in their first two or three years before tenure protections make it more difficult.
The Carnival Of Education: Week 123 Ed Wonks
Here's this week's roundup of entries from around the EduSphere. Unless clearly labeled otherwise, all entries this week were submitted by the writers themselves, even this school-related limerick.
Virtual Worlds for Kids Entwined with Real World PBS Mediashift
While the media has been abuzz about Second Life and adult virtual worlds, a bevy of virtual worlds for kids have been even more popular than their adult counterparts.
School Water Fountains vs Bottled Water vs Toilet Water BizOfKnowledge
Kids at North Bend Middle School were told they couldn't bring in bottled water to school.Reason - some were smuggling in alcohol. Bigger reason - they didn't want to drink from the water fountains. For an English class, one student decided to investigate which had the least bacteria, the water fountains or the toilet bowls. The water fountains lost.
June 13, 2007
Cheating Shoes
June 13, 2007
Hyping Michelle Rhee
June 13, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (Wednesday June 13)
Fenty's Picks Have Ties to System, And Its Reforms Washington Post
The two top people chosen to lead the D.C. public schools under Mayor Adrian M. Fenty are both from a program that has played a leading role in streamlining the school system's troubled human resources department. PLUS: More Criticism Over Fenty's Secrecy
When States Seize Schools Ed Week
Patience has its limits, even among some of the staunchest supporters of public education, when schools consistently fall short of stipulated outcomes. But this intuitively appealing approach promises far more than it can deliver.
Study: bullies prone to sleep problems USA Today
Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed urban elementary school parents and teachers and found that kids identified as bullies were more than twice as likely as others to have a condition called sleep-disordered breathing, a catch-all for sleep-time respiratory problems as mild as habitual snoring and as serious as obstructive sleep apnea, in which a person actually stops breathing temporarily.
June 13, 2007
"Secretary Spellings Walks Into A Bar..."
Susan Ohanian is working up an old-school Spellings joke and needs your help (NCLB Outrages). I know there are some good jokesters out there.
June 13, 2007
Breaking News: Well-Dressed Reformers Hired To Run School Districts Across The Nation
Inspired by DC Mayor Fenty's surprise appointment of school reformer Michelle Rhee to head the District school system on Tuesday, elected officials across the nation have scrambled to announce their own hires from outside of traditional education circles: In New York City, Mayor Bloomberg on Tuesday evening fired Joel Klein and hired Teach For America Founder Wendy Kopp, despite the absence of any previous district experience. "She's been running the system for the past 10 years anyway," said Bloomberg in announcing the change. "We might as well make it official." New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced his plan to fire incoming chief Paul Vallas before he even starts, to be replaced by New Leaders For New Schools co-founder Jonathon Schnur. "I met him at a party and he seemed really smart," said Nagin. "Vallas is a nice guy, too, but I figure we should give this new generation of reformers a chance to show their stuff at running something."
June 12, 2007
Casey Journalism Awards Feature Strong Education Writing
June 12, 2007
King Of Smug
Eduwonk tries to make light of being called smug (and intentionally bewildering) in a recent letter to the Washington Post (The Reviews Are In!). But the description isn't that far off. Ever more, Eduwonk's never wrong, never unsure, never not in the know. All that from a meager year spent turning off the lights at the end of the Clinton administration.
June 12, 2007
School Reform Outsider Hired To Run DC Schools
June 12, 2007
Whirlwind Whitmire Takes Campaign '08 By Storm
USA Today's Richard Whitmire is all over the place these days, from a letter in the Times decrying the lack of education attention in the 2008 campaign to a recent announcement that EWA (the ed writers association) is ramping up the pressure. Current EWA board president, Whitmire says that EWA has got one of the top candidates to agree to a one on one sitdown on education topics. Maybe they'll be crazy enough to let me sit on the panel and tear into the candidates like you know I like to do. In the meantime, why isn't Ed In '08 involved, I wonder? Organizations are so strange.
June 12, 2007
EdWeek Slams KIPP, Issues Report, Gives It All Away
Style and hype aside, the big slam on KIPP schools has been that it can't keep its students -- they drop out or return to their old schools where things are easier and less structured, a dynamic that at a certain point sort of defeats the purpose. EdWeek takes a look at this in a recent article: KIPP Student-Attrition Patterns Eyed. "Critics argue that the loss of students at some of the network's public schools is alarmingly high." This is gonna make Uncle Jay Mathews very angry, indeed.
Speaking of EdWeek, the 2nd Annual Diplomas Count is here, including a fun interactive map that allows you to view and compare graduation rates by school district. Plus, the site is totally free until June 25 -- no three-story limits or nothin'.
June 12, 2007
"Your Mama" & National Standards
Professor Dorn schools just about everyone in his recent post about accountability politics and national standards, focusing in particular on the issue of cut scores: "Whether one labels the tiers Expert, Proficient, Basic, and Below Basic; Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, and Blue; or Venti, Grande, and Tall, tying values to ordinal tiers doesn't tell us anything about the tiers themselves other than that someone wanted to label them. Confusing cut scores with rigor is an act of policy machismo, not common sense. "Yo Mama's so wimpy, she's satisfied with Mississippi's cut scores." Nice.
June 12, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 12)
States Looking to Expand Charter Schooling PBS
States are increasingly requesting federal support for charter schools -- publicly funded schools that are given more autonomy than their peers. The NewsHour looks at the movement to create the schools and questions raised about their effectiveness. [Meanwhile: Texas Struggles to Shut Failing Charter Schools Ed Week.]
Higher Pay Urged to Fight Dearth of Math and Science Teachers Wash Post
Higher starting salaries, more rigorous teacher training programs and additional support for first year teachers are just a few of the incentives needed to deal with a projected shortfall of more than 280,000 math and science teachers across the country by 2015, according to a group of business leaders.
Advertising: Marketers Are Joining the Varsity NYT
Marketing and media companies are now capitalizing on consumer interest in high school sports and becoming big boosters of them.
June 12, 2007
Dodd Staffer Moves To Campaign
As other may already know, MaryEllen McGuire, Dodd's former education staffer, has apparently moved to the Dodd 2008 campaign, taking the deputy policy director spot. Sharon Lewis is covering K12 issues in Dodd's legislative office, and Taniesha Woods has postsecondary. Congrats, condolences, per usual.
June 11, 2007
Preschool Fever And The Press
June 11, 2007
Media Fellowship Applications Decline
June 11, 2007
National (Yawn) Standards (Again)
June 11, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (Monday June 11)
House Panel Votes to Slash Reading First Aid EdWeek
House Democrats want to put their own stamp on federal education spending by increasing Title I and other programs they favor and slashing Reading First and other priorities set by President Bush.
The Class-Consciousness Raiser NYT
In the nation’s classrooms, middle class teachers increasingly encounter poor students, often with disastrous results. Ruby Payne says she has the secrets to help them cross the great divide.
Rating Education Gains Washington Post
We seem to be doing a bit better educating our most disadvantaged students. But many educators think that is not enough.
Students Fill Guidance Counselor Gap CBS News
At the end of 11th grade, Corniche Bunton learned something disturbing: she was 112 credits short and might not graduate from Oakland Technical High School on time.
A Plan to Pay for Top Scores on Some Tests Gains Ground NYT
Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he is receptive to a controversial idea to offer cash incentives to students, paid for with private money.
June 08, 2007
The Best Of The Week (June 4-11)
Campaign 2008
Santa Fe Reporter Challenges Richardson's Education Claims
Richardson "Wins" Nonexistent Education Portion Of Dem Debate
On The Hill
"Finding, Grinding, & Minding:" How Ocean Spray Gets In The Schoolhouse Door
Policy Watch
Extending The Day Without Breaking The Bank
Cheating, Charters, And More Cheating
Teachers Threatened With Job Loss For Supporting Charter
Everything I Needed To Know...I Learned From This Article
NCLB News
Achievement Up, Gaps Narrowed Since 2002
USA Today Overviews States' Testing Games
What To Make Of The IES Comparability Report
Lots Of New Details, Not So Many New Ideas
Foundation Follies
The Multiple Providers: The Sanjaya Of School Reform?
Somewhat Annoying Latecomers
John Bailey At SchoolNet Conference
Media Matters
Time To Update The Map Of Education Blogs
New Stats On Internet Dangers Dispell Many Myths
Chicago Paper Reinforces Depleted Education Team
Freedman Vs. Mathews, The College Admissions Showdown
15 Journos Get Hechinger Fellowships
Bad News, Good News
School Life
Kid Didn't Get Into Private School? We'll Help You
What's Wrong With This Picture?
June 08, 2007
What To Make Of The IES Comparability Report
In no particular order, some of the small but important things to glean from this week's slew of NCLB-related reports: (1) Why didn't the Secretary stop the IES from trampling over all the "good" CEP coverage with its comparability report? (2) Gotta love the "I'm not judging" rhetoric from the Secretary, who's still not convinced about national standards (for good reason, (3) Anyone else notice that high standards (NC) don't necessarily translate into higher achievement (SC just as high on NAEP)?, (4) Or, that Kennedy has already bigfooted Dodd on the national standards issue?, (5) Last but not least, I must really be on the Department's shit list since no one invited me to call in about the IES report.
Coverage:
Study: ‘Proficiency’ on State Tests, NAEP Often a Mismatch Ed Week
State reading and math standards vary dramatically, federal report says AP
States Found to Vary Widely on Education NYT
June 08, 2007
Chicago Paper Reinforces Depleted Education Team
June 08, 2007
John Bailey At SchoolNet Conference
June 08, 2007
June 08, 2007
Kindergarten Entrance Needs Tigher Oversight, Argues Petrilli
June 08, 2007
Fun & Games
Board Game Teaches Chemistry to Kids NPR
A 13-year-old entrepreneur has a way to make money and help his fellow students learn about chemistry. Anshul Samar is hoping for $1 million in revenues from the sale of his board game.
Cyberfamilias: ‘omg my mom joined facebook!!’ NYT
A nosy parent goes where the kids are and learns more than just what her kid is up to.
Victor M. De Leon III — known to rivals and fans as Lil’ Poison — is thought to be the youngest pro gamer.
June 08, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 8)
So to speak...
Democrats aid education, health programs Associated Press
Democrats awarded big budget increases for education and health care and research as a House panel approved the largest domestic appropriations bill that Congress will consider this year.
Book on cheating: Paper crib notes are so old school Washington Post
What do ankles, calculators and water bottles have in common? They are all prime tools for cheaters.
States Taking Action on Virtual Schools Ed Week
Officials respond to audits, debate expanding programs.
June 07, 2007
New Stats On Internet Dangers Dispell Many Myths
June 07, 2007
Lots Of New Details, Not So Many New Ideas
June 07, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (Thursday June 7)
Besides the ones further below...
Under NCLB Pressure, Districts Negotiate School Improvement With Unions EdWeek
In such districts as Chicago, Miami-Dade County, Fla., and Cleveland, administrators and union officials have worked together on contract provisions or formal agreements designed to help low-performing schools make gains.
Some High Schools Avoid Valedictorians NPR
Some high schools are getting rid of a senior class tradition -- naming a valedictorian. They say that lowering competition among students is better for their overall success. Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota will graduate its last valedictorians this year. Next year, exceptional students will receive just an honors diploma.
Students receive denied diplomas Boston Globe
Five Illinois students will get the diplomas they were denied when cheers erupted for them at a high school graduation, and school officials said Wednesday they would review a get-tough decorum policy.
June 07, 2007
USA Today Overviews States' Testing Games
June 07, 2007
Somewhat Annoying Latecomers Try New School Reform Strategy: Campaign Giving
June 07, 2007
Cheating, Charters, And More Cheating
June 07, 2007
The Multiple Providers: The Sanjaya Of School Reform?
June 06, 2007
Freedman Vs. Mathews, The College Admissions Showdown
Every Wednesday, there's Sam Freedman in the NYT (On Education) vs. Jay Mathews in the Post (Class Struggle), dueling education columnists fighting it out to the death. Take your pick of this week's offerings, both of which focus on their papers' readers' favorite topic: college admissions.
Who Needs the SAT? Washington Post (Jay Mathews)
About three times a week I introduce a hot topic among people struggling with the college admission system [Admissions 101], then stand back and let users tell me what is really going on, throwing in a comment or two when necessary.
NYT (On Education)
Amid the college admissions anxiety, a reality check can be found at Central Bucks High School West, off the main drag in Doylestown, Pa.
June 06, 2007
Extending The Day Without Breaking The Bank
June 06, 2007
Kid Didn't Get Into Private School? We'll Help You Move To The 'Burbs
This happens all the time, but is rarely put as baldly as in this relocation company ad, from Newsweek, sent in by a friend:
June 06, 2007
Coverage Of NCLB Study
Reading, math scores up since NCLB, report says AP
Students are doing better on state reading and math tests since the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted five years ago.
New Study Finds Gains Since No Child Left Behind NYT
The study cautioned that it was difficult to determine if the gains occurred because of the bill that President Bush signed into law in 2002.
Study: NCLB reform seems to be working USA Today
As Congress prepares to reauthorize the 5-year-old No Child Left Behind education reform law this year, a provocative new study shows that students seem to be improving in both math and reading — two key goals.
Scores Rise Since 'No Child' Signed Washington Post
The nation's students have performed significantly better on state reading and math tests since President Bush signed his landmark education initiative into law five years ago, according to a major independent study released yesterday.
Student test scores up since 2002 Los Angeles Times
But the improvements aren't necessarily due to the No Child Left Behind Act, researchers say. Student achievement nationwide has increased since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, but that federal law is not necessarily the reason, according to researchers who looked at results from 50 states.
June 05, 2007
Santa Fe Reporter Challenges Richardson's Education Claims
June 05, 2007
15 Journos Get Hechinger Fellowships To Report On Community Colleges
The Lumina-funded Hechinger Institute Fellowships for community college reporting are out, with six fellows getting $7,500 stipend each to complete a major reporting project and nine associates. Over all, 50 reporters applied. See below for the list of awardees. Congrats to all.
June 05, 2007
Achievement Up, Gaps Narrowed Since 2002 -- Not Necessarily B/C Of NCLB
Having felt burned last year by how his big annual report last year was covered by blogs and the papers, Jack Jennings' Center On Ed Policy is being especially careful in rolling out its publications this year -- most notably by putting them out in chunks rather than as one big report. The latest piece, out today, is sure to ignite a lot of conversation. It finds that student achievement in reading and math has increased since the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted in 2002, and that the number of states in which achievement gaps among groups of students have narrowed far exceeds the number of states in which gaps widened since 2002.
The report is available here and the state profiles here. According to the press release, the report includes "verified data from all 50 states – much of which is available for the first time in the report – and investigates achievement trends both before and after the passage of NCLB. The report also limits its analysis to testing data that is comparable from year-to-year."
The study identified several possible reasons for the results, including increased learning, teaching to the test, more lenient tests, scoring or data analyses, and changes in the populations tested. “Any or all of these factors in combination could be contributing to these trends,” the report indicates.
Here's some news coverage (Google News). Here's some blog coverage.
June 05, 2007
Time To Update The Map Of Education Blogs
There are a couple of fun maps of political blogs out lately (Inside The Blogway, and this one from Politico) showing the relationships among them, which reminds me that it's time (for you) to update the Map Of Education Blogs, which currently has 60-odd folks signed up.
Check it out. Add yourself or your favorite education blog. It's free.
June 05, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (Tuesday June 5)
Firm Pledges to Fix Online Exam Glitches Washington Post
The company that provides standardized tests to Virginia's schoolchildren will add staff and upgrade technology to help prevent technical glitches such as those that recently forced thousands of students to retake online exams, officials said yesterday.
States Press Ahead on Preschool Programs EdWeek
Policymakers are struggling over funding programs and determining which children will qualify.
Sex Ed Landscape Shifting in States Stateline.org
So far this year three states - Colorado, Iowa and Washington - have enacted laws requiring schools that teach sex education to ensure the information is "medically accurate" or "science-based" - code words for a comprehensive program.
June 05, 2007
Everything I Needed To Know About Kindergarten Preschool I Learned From This Article
Look at the opening image in Elizabeth Weil’s NYT Magazine article (When Should a Kid Start Kindergarten?) and you’ll get the gist of what she’s out to say (even without my unauthorized arrow-drawing): delaying the start of kindergarten gives wealthier and whiter kids with more educated parents an unfair advantage over younger, poorer, and more minority kids. The most viable solution, barring a return to the bad old days when kindergarten was kindergarten? You guessed it: universal preschool.
June 05, 2007
Richardson "Wins" Nonexistent Education Portion Of Dem Debate
June 04, 2007
Questions About Last Week's NCLB Poll
It's no secret that lots of people don't like NCLB, especially among school- and classroom-level educators, but last week's Scripps poll and story on what the public at large thinks and knows (Majority would like 'no child' law left behind) might not have been so dramatic as it seems, according to Eduwonk and others. Check out the numbers and the questions and you'll see in several places they've been combined to make things seem worse. For example, only 14 percent of those polled actually want NCLB repealed.
June 04, 2007
Whining Your Way To Better Grades
June 04, 2007
Teachers Threatened With Job Loss For Supporting Charter School
So much for good news, I guess. According to this LA Times story, 17 teachers took back their signatures in support of Green Dot charters at Locke HS in LA, blocking the proposed conversion for now at least (District blocks Locke High's departure)."In hurried, closed-door faculty meetings, district officials tried to assuage frustrated teachers with sudden offers of increased authority and reforms. Officials also emphasized that, if the takeover went through, teachers would have to reapply to Green Dot for a job at the newly reconfigured Locke or transfer to another district school, and that Green Dot does not offer lifetime benefits provided by the district." LAUSD officials also reportedly told teachers that supporting Green Dot was essentially resigning from the district. Sounds like a strong-arm tactic to me, but what do I know.
June 04, 2007
Bad News, Good News
Over at Eduflack, Patrick Riccards takes a look at the education stories I listed from last month and asks the age-old question why is so much news coverage so negative?
"I'll be honest, I've been struggling for the last week to find some examples of reform done good anywhere. Maybe it is the end of the school year. Maybe folks have tired of education issues for now. Maybe the current NCLB struggles have sucked all of the oxygen out of the room. But I am desperate for a good story."
Me, too. So I took a look back at the list and pulled out a handful of stories that chronicle what seem to be positive trends, common sense, and improvement. Not a ton of them, mind you, but a good little handful. Check them out below. Let me know if I've missed anything.
June 04, 2007
"Finding, Grinding, & Minding": How Ocean Spray Gets In The Schoolhouse Door
June 04, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (Monday June 4)
Illegal students await immigration plan USA Today
At 23, Mariana should be carefree. She is finishing up her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles, and has been accepted to a master's program at Harvard University's education school.
When Should a Kid Start Kindergarten? NYT
States want children to be a year older when they enter school. This could lead to better test scores — and more inequality.
Schools’ Deep-Pocketed Partners NYT
When private dollars pour into public schools, questions about fairness can arise.
Diplomas Denied Over Graduation Cheers AP
A high school that warned against undignified behavior at its graduation ceremony denied diplomas to five students after audience members cheered for them.
Teachers can say no when kids have to go USA Today
"No, you may not use the bathroom." That's a message children don't want to hear when they really have to go. But it's one that some schoolchildren get — sometimes with dire consequences — especially in schools in which students have used "bathroom breaks" to disrupt classes, cheat on tests or otherwise wreak havoc outside the classroom.
Tests: A scant view of schools Salt Lake Tribune
Utah students consistently earn average test scores compared with nationwide peers, yet the state has a wider-than-average gap between high achievers and struggling students.
June 03, 2007
The Best Of The Week (May 28-June4)
Best Of The Month
The Month In Review: Secrets, Missed Stories, & More
More "Rolling Water Jugs" In Education
Getting Ready For The Obama Switcheroo
USDE
EdSec Spellings Playing The "Girl" Card
See also: A Bush Brother Spreads His Vision NYT
NCLB News
Guest Commentary: Kevin Kosar On Muddled AYP Fixes
Kennedy Began Immigration Push At NCLB White House Meeting
Teacher Firings: Still A Myth
Urban Education
Breakaway LA Teachers Want To Go Charter
What People Mean When They Talk About Human Capital
See also:
Media Watch
When A "Congressional Report" Is Not A Congressional Report
Educating Journalists: The Best Of Both Worlds
Taking The Pulse Of The EduSphere
Foundation Follies
Who's Paid What In The Nonprofit World.
School Life
To Sir, With Sarcasm
Booze-Filled Flip-Flops
June 01, 2007
When A "Congressional Report" Is Not A Congressional Report
As I first pointed out two weeks ago, the Kennedy report on Reading First was not a "Congressional study" in the sense of something like CRS or the GAO would do, despite being described as such in the press. It was internal, and partisan from the start. The good folks at the Title I Monitor have dug into this further, exposing some of the report's problems. RL Colvin over at Early Stories thinks that's a good thing. I agree.
June 01, 2007
Educating Journalists: The Best Of Both Worlds
Instead of relying on the current proliferation of disconnected three day workshops or the small handful high=prestige yearlong residential programs, the Kaiser Family Foundation has come up with a more flexible, nonresidential program for health care reporters that seems like a little bit of the best of both worlds. With seminars and field visits throughout the year, the nonresidential Kaiser program length can be as little as 10 days or as long as nine months depending on the needs of the journalist. With lower costs to operate the program, more than a couple of fellowships can be awarded each year. Perhaps most important, Kaiser fellows are expected to keep filing stories, rather than getting pulled out of the newsroom. And even though Kaiser is a foundation with its own point of view, they seem to have figured out how to ensure that the fellowship program is considered to be independent and nonpartisan. Today Kaiser announced its most recent nine fellows (2007 Kaiser Media Fellows).
June 01, 2007
Who's Paid What In The Nonprofit World.
Over at the PEN NewsBlast, they're worried about how to get more folks into public service. Me, I just want to know how much people make. Government salaries have long been public record, and apparently now you can get at least some salary information for nonprofits and foundations from GuideStar by looking at organization's IRS form 990. Ever wondered what Wendy Kopp makes, or your local program officer? Who's the highest-paid education ED? I don't know yet. But it's fun looking around on a hot Friday afternoon.
June 01, 2007
Recent CRS Reports
Looking for some dry but informative weekend reading? Check out these CRS reports from Open CRS: School and Campus Safety Programs, Head Start Reauthorization: A Side-by-Side Comparison, The ESEA, as Amended by the No Child Left Behind Act: A Primer, and High School Graduation, Completion, and Dropouts: Federal Policy, Programs, and Issues. From Open CRS.
June 01, 2007
EdSec Spellings Playing The "Girl" Card
EdSec Spellings doesn't play the "girl" card nearly as hard as former DOJ hatchet woman Monica Goodling apparently did last week in front of Congress (The Goodling Girl). But there are some parallels worth noting from Spellings' recent performances in front of Congress (and on the Daily Show). Spellings is a notorious charmer of the press, and disarms men (you know who you are) especially quickly with what seems awfully close to flirtatiousness. Not that there's anything wrong with being charming or flirtatious. Lots of men do it, too. But it shouldn't be used to cloud things, either. And I think it has.
June 01, 2007
Taking The Pulse Of The EduSphere
Over at Intercepts, Mike A. blogs about the apparent slowdown in education posts (Intercepts: Are We Running Out of Stories?) from me and others. This morning aside, I'd say that I'm still keeping things at a pretty good clip (five or so posts a day). And there is a big new juicy audio post to listen to this AM. However, there has been a falloff in other places, as Mike points out, which I'm hoping is just a cyclical thing. In LA, School Me is gone largely because its founder, Bob Sipchen, took a job at the Sierra Club. I don't know what's going on with Eduwonk or the Education Wonks, though I've noticed as well that they are slowed down. I'd blog more if I could afford to, but in fact should probably blog less given the time it takes and the fact that it doesn't pay very well.
PS: One thing that I've also noticed is that there's a lot less linking between and among blogs than it seems like there used to be, other than the occasional fisticuffs. Folks know how to get stories on their own, or are less willing to share credit, or...maybe it's global warming.
June 01, 2007
Booze-Filled Flip-Flops
June 01, 2007
Breakaway LA Teachers Want To Go Charter
June 01, 2007
The Month In Review: Secrets, Missed Stories, & More
You'd think that folks I invite to participate on the Month In Review would agree with me on all things, given my role as host. But they don't. And that's a good thing, since I learn all sorts of new things and am corrected in at least some of my misguided beliefs. In this month's roundtable MP3 here), I learned all sorts of things, including that LA Mayor Villaraigosa is a winner, not the loser I thought he was (Shuster), that the testing industry is a beast about to explode if Fairfax is any indication (Mathews), that some teachers and a principal at Locke HS in LA want to create small charter schools but so far can't (all). But that's not all. Check it out while you read your email or something.
June 01, 2007
Big Stories Of The Day (June 1)
Californian wins spelling bee with 'serrefine' CNN
Read full story for latest details.
U.S. Data Show Rapid Minority Growth in School Rolls NYT
Driven mainly by an extraordinary influx of Hispanics, the nation’s population of minority students has surged to 42 percent of public school enrollment.
Financial Aid Group Adopts Conduct Code After Loan Scandal Washington Post
The trade group for university financial aid officers said yesterday that it would no longer allow student loan companies to court its members with gifts or sponsor its conferences, responding to a spate of revelations of conflicts of interest in the $85 billion-a-year industry.
Suburbia's fortress mentality Christian Science Monitor
My three boys sprawl on the couch, fingering their Game Boys. I wish I could shoo them outside until dusk. I wish they could tromp to the marsh to search for polliwogs. I wish we didn't have to live in a fortress...Instead, like other families in this neighborhood, we've built private playgrounds in the back.
Kennedy Report Details Ties Between Publishers and Reading First Contractors Title I Monitor
An analysis of the document and further reporting by the Title I Monitor shows that the committee occasionally overreached or provided insufficient context in an attempt to judge Reading First officials by standards that, by its own admission, did not exist at the time.
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