Knocking On Edu-Neighbors' Doors
A quick spin around the block before I head out in my Reading First costume to get as many razor-filled apples as I can find:
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A quick spin around the block before I head out in my Reading First costume to get as many razor-filled apples as I can find:
"The Texas State Library and Archives Commission spent 18 months and canvassed more than 170 agencies and public colleges and universities, checking on all the reports they are assigned to do.The commission found more than 1,600, and state records administrator Michael Heskett is pretty sure his team hasn't found them all." (State report: Texas has too many reports)
Eduwonkette is at it again -- and I love it. She's got mad Photoshop skills (or at least knows how to cut and paste), and has me and Andywonk dressed up as peas in a pod. It isn't pretty. I'm not sure how that would work, since co-existence is required. I was hoping for me as K-Fed and Andy as Britney. But this will do. Check it out.
Sick of being told that scores are going up when you think they're really not? Well the cat is soon out of the bag, for 11 big urban districts at least (Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Cleveland; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; San Diego; and Washington, D.C.). A couple weeks from now the latest reading and math scores are coming out for some of the country's biggest districts. Called the urban NAEP, or TUDA, the new data will include trend lines going back to 2003, linked to NAEP. Based on NAEP data, not all of the nation's biggest cities are doing as well as their superintendents and mayors claim.
MEDIA ADVISORY
CONTACT: Vanessa Lillie at (202) 955-9450 ext. 319 or vlillie@communicationworks.com
Kari Hudnell at (202) 955-9450 ext. 324 or khudnell@communicationworks.com
Achievement of Urban Students in Reading and Mathematics
From The Nation’s Report Card TM to be Released Nov. 15
Reports Highlight the Performance of Students in 11 Urban Districts
WHAT: Release and discussion of urban achievement results from the 2007 Nation’s Report Card in mathematics and reading. The results detail the performance of 4th- and 8th-grade students in 11 of the largest U.S. school districts that voluntarily participated in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial Urban District Assessment. The districts agreed to have their results reported separately from the national and state-by-state results that were released in September. Participating districts are Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Cleveland; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; San Diego; and Washington, D.C. The reports include achievement trends in the districts since 2003 in math and 2002 in reading.
WHO: Darvin M. Winick, Chair, National Assessment Governing Board
Mark S. Schneider, Commissioner of Education Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
Robin Hall, Principal, Beecher Hills Elementary School, Atlanta, Georgia and Member, National Assessment Governing Board
Michael Casserly, Executive Director, Council of the Great City Schools
WHEN: Thursday, November 15, 2007
10 – 11 a.m. EST
WHERE: Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center – Hemisphere Suite
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20004
Please bring photo ID and allow extra time for building entry/security.
Copies of The Nation's Report Card and additional data collected from the 2007 NAEP reading and math assessments will be available online at http://nationsreportcard.gov at 10 a.m. EST on Nov. 15.
Within the next few hours (or days, as the case may be), this blog is going to move to a new home on another site. I'm going to keep posting here for a little while longer until things are ready over there but just wanted to let you know. An opportunity presented itself and I decided to make the move.
It's been great working with the EdWeek.org folks, most especially the site's ME, Jeanne McCann, who has been incredibly helpful and patient. (We bloggers are a temperamental lot, it turns out.) And of course Ginny Edwards, the head honcho. EdWeek built me a great-looking page, with lots of functions and features, and promo'd me on the front page (and in print) nearly as often as my mother bugged them to. The number of readers has gone up tremendously. The overall experience has been excellent.
Where the blog is moving is something that I hope to be able to announce as soon as tomorrow morning. I'd tell you now, but it would be confusing since nothing's there yet. Starting tomorrow, you can check here to see if there's anything new, or check This Week In Education. See you soon!
Hello, India? I Need Help With My Math NYT
In a new wave of the global outsourcing of services, personal chores are moving offshore, and this is leading to some daunting challenges, both economic and cultural.
On Education: Classroom of the Future Is Virtually Anywhere NYT
There is no blackboard and no lectern, and, most glaringly, no students in the university classroom of the future.
With World Growing Smaller, IB Gets Big EdWeek
Amid heightened concern about preparing students for a global economy, the academically demanding International Baccalaureate program is catching on fast in U.S. schools.
This post has been removed by the administrator.
Standardized high school exit exams put states to the test USA Today
Twenty-two states have some type of exit exams; four are phasing them in. But the tests are proving controversial. Maryland has delayed exams by two years. The state Board of Education meets today and Wednesday to decide whether to move the date again.
School Issues Vary on States’ Ballots EdWeek
Voters will decide some notable education- and child-related questions when they go to the polls next month.
Elementary Absenteeism AP
Absenteeism among children in the early-elementary grades is highest in kindergarten and has a positive correlation with poverty, says a study.
Libraries luring students with coffee AP
Coffeehouses are springing up in high school libraries around the country, marking a departure from the days when librarians prohibited food, drinks and talking. School officials say these shops are promoting reading by attracting teenagers who might not otherwise hang out in a library.
There's been a recent lull in any real NCLB reauthorization news since Kennedy's folks put out the boring parts of their discussion draft and the rest of the Hill was focused on appropriations. But the AFTies report that Ted Kennedy is back on the march and The Hoff (how come that guy never links to me?) says that the House links have gone dead. Next thing you know, the lights will go out, a door will creak open, and Margaret Spellings -- face lit from below with a flashlight -- will cackle like a witch.
Last week I linked to an article that mocked education research as a circus, to which some understandably took offense. Here's a recent ASBJ article on the same topic that may be more balanced but is no less scathing (Politics and Research). Advocates have learned to attack research methods ever more swiftly, even as research has gotten better, some say. Think tank "research" has all but eclipsed academic research in the policy debate in Washington. Not that better research would make a difference. Remember class size? Politics, budgets, ideology, and -- my favorite -- personal experience -- trump even the best studies. But there are a couple of folks out there doing good work, we're told -- not the usual suspects.
Lincoln Caplan provides us with some impressive new numbers in his recent Slate magazine article on Wendy Kopp's Teach For America: Almost $500 million raised, a goal of 4,000 new teachers per year by 2010, a 98 percent acceptance rate, annual revenues nearing $120 million (up from $10.5 million seven years ago). Caplan names TFA the country's largest reform effort in the K-12 education space.
South's schools swell with poor kids News & Observer
For the first time in more than 40 years, the majority of children in public schools in the South are poor, according to a report released today. In 11 states, over half of students live in poverty.
A juggling act on No Child Left Behind Los Angeles Times
As Miller pushes to renew the landmark education law known as No Child Left Behind, he faces so many fights that the fate of the bill is increasingly in doubt.
Bush greets teen who told Pa. authorities of school attack plan AP
Bush greets teen who told Pa. authorities of school attack plan.
One-Tenth of High Schools Are 'Dropout Factories' AP
There are about 1,700 regular or vocational high schools nationwide that fit that description, according to an analysis of Education Department data conducted by Johns Hopkins for The Associated Press. That's 12 percent of all such schools, no more than a decade ago but no less, either.
Disabilities Fight Grows as Taxes Pay for TuitionThe New York Times
Without Justice Kennedy, the court split 4 to 4 in a New York City case on whether Tom Freston, the former chief executive of Viacom, should have put his learning-disabled son in a public school before sending him to a private school and seeking tuition reimbursement.
PLUS: Richardson: Teachers should get minimum of $40,000 a year AP
Teachers should get minimum of $40,000 a year
A quick spin around the edusphere to see what looks interesting: Scott Elliott from Dayton says that there's a Big Obama education plan coming in November.I can't wait, though I'm not particularly hopeful. It's going to take lots more than a new education plan for Obama to catch up to Clinton. The New York Times' newest blog cracks wise about schools' efforts to de-fang Halloween celebrations: "The parade included a devil with no pitchfork, a Power Ranger without a laser blaster and a pint-size Batman who had been told to leave his utility belt at home." (Are We Having Fun Yet?). Reacting to a post I made last week, Kevin Carey from the Ed Sector says that Time writer Cloud's characterization of education research is exaggerated and, frankly, kind of obnoxious: "What a shame that education research doesn't enjoy the pristinely empirical, de-politicized, consensus-rich environment that characterizes debates over tax policy, entitlement reform, and other issues studied by economists like Martin Feldstein."Meanwhile, In These Times has a piece about how a two year-old split within the labor movement has affected union organizing not nearly as much as predicted: Has the Change Led to Wins? Last but not least, the Times has a fun article about parents being asked to pay for kids' Internet games: Pay Up, Kid, or Your Igloo Melts.
SUNY Trustees Approve Charter School for South Bronx
In Partnership of NYC Teachers Union and Los Angeles-Based Green Dot Public Schools
(New York - October 26, 2007) The State University of New York Board of Trustees today approved the application for the Green Dot New York Charter School founded in partnership by Green Dot Public Schools, the most prominent charter school operator in Southern California, and the United Federation of Teachers, the labor union representing New York City’s 110,000 public school educators.
The approval by the SUNY trustees, coming just eight days after a District 7 Community Education Council hearing on the plans, sets the stage for final consideration by the State Board of Regents in coming months. If approved by the Regents, Green Dot will operate a high school in the South Bronx beginning with 100 students in grade nine and eventually expanding to include all high school grades through grade twelve. Class size will be capped at 25 students.
The innovative partnership between Green Dot and the UFT is the first collaboration of its kind in the nation because Green Dot, unlike most charter school operators, encourages its teachers to unionize.
“Many charter school operators have been aggressively anti-union and have tried to employ teachers without providing them with any rights, career track or fairness,” said UFT President Randi Weingarten. “Green Dot, on the other hand, encourages its teachers to unionize, and in doing so it has shown its commitment to fair treatment, fair pay and a teacher voice in the workplace,” she said.
Green Dot founder and chief executive officer Steve Barr said, “The progressive working conditions Green Dot provides in Los Angeles will be replicated here in New York, including giving teachers an explicit say in school policy and curriculum; a full and fair disciplinary process based on an independently mediated just cause standard; a professional work day rather than defined minutes; and flexibility to adjust the contract in critical areas over time.”
“Following the expansion of the charter school cap in New York State, we wanted to find sponsors who understand that teachers are a key ingredient of school reform and who put programs and practices in place to support teachers,” Weingarten said. “Green Dot has core principles that are very much aligned with the UFT’s and it has a great track record. Teachers want to work in schools with small classes, that foster collaboration, respect and school-based decision making and that engage and involve parents.”
Green Dot currently operates 12 public charter high schools in Los Angeles’ highest-need communities that outperform comparable traditional public high schools. The firm insists that its public schools be no larger than 500 students each; implement a college preparatory curriculum for all students; empower principals, teachers, parents and students to own all key decisions related to budgets, curriculum and hiring; add more dollars to classrooms and significantly increase teacher pay; value and support parent participation; and stay open later for community use.
Using this model, Green Dot has produced real results for its students, graduating 98% of its seniors with 78% going on to four-year universities. Barr said results of this type are unmatched within the Los Angeles Unified School District where Green Dot currently operates.
Jeffrey T. Leeds, who will serve as chairman of the schools board of directors, said, "What is particularly exciting about this initiative is that it represents a model for structural reform. At its heart, this model recognizes that for schools to be successful and for students to achieve, partnerships need to be forged and accountability needs to be shared.”
A Whole School Left Behind Washington Post
But in Como and other poor, rural districts around the country, the law's regimen of testing and sanctions has had little, if any, effect.
Minnesota Plan Gives Scholarships for Child Care NPR
A new initiative in St. Paul, Minn., aims to make high-quality early childhood education more accessible to low-income residents by providing scholarships. The program is the brainchild of an economist who says it will save the state money.
Lead exposure, crime seem to correlate USA Today
For decades, researchers have known that lead poisoning lowers children's IQs and puts them at risk for severe learning disabilities and more impulsive, sometimes violent behavior. New research increasingly suggests that lead also affects long-term juvenile and adult crime rates.
A Principal Who Cracks Down on Stress NYT
Some administrators are pushing back against an ethos of super-achievement at affluent suburban high schools.
Best Of The Week
On The HotSeat: Scott Reeder On Teacher Misconduct
“Please go KILL these people....Please, please, please.”
Teachers & Teaching
An Oversupply Of Under-Qualified Teachers
Teachers Behaving Badly, States Ignoring The Problem
Teacher Suspended For Graphic Book Recommendation
From Happy Welcome To Jail Mug Shot
NCLB News
Staph Outbreak Plus More: It's All NCLB's Fault
School Life
Cleveland High School Student Shooter Video Released
Lice Costs US Schools $500 Million, Says Lice Removal Company
School Of Shock
Foundation Follies
All Of Bush's Worst Ideas Came From AEI
DonorsChoose On The Colbert Report
Media Watch
Bringing Race (and Poverty) Back Into Education Reporting
Reporter Arrested On The Sidewalk Outside Miami Central High
Alternative College Rankings Make Colbert Report
Blogosphere
"Honk If You Have An EdWeek Blog"
Local Union Leader Seeks To Sue Education Blogger
Research
Time Writer Calls Education Research A "Circus"
EIA Mike finds that not everyone on the left likes Al Shanker (Tough Lefties). I bet famous people wished they had control over what schools get named after them (Colin Powell charter school to close). Eduwonk mocks the AFT for incoherence and more (Terry Moe Hamstrings The AFT). Whitney Tilson has questions (Media myths about the Jena 6).
Plus some news stories I missed from earlier in the week:
Team targets struggling students Palm Beach Post
3 Catholic Schools Ask Not to Be Changed to Charters Washington Post
Child Care Workers in New York City Vote to Unionize NYT
Newark Teenagers Embrace Lessons in Perseverance NYT (Freedman)
Experimental School Gets Rid of Classes, Teachers NPR
Federal project tries to make it easier for schoolchildren to walk AP
Jacket Lets Parents Keep Track of Kids AP
Student's death likely caused by staph infection CNN
A middle school student from Brooklyn died Thursday, probably from the staph infection MRSA, according to the New York City Health Department.
Video shows student shooting 2 victims at Cleveland school AP
His face concealed by a white hooded sweat shirt, the determined student gunman climbed the enclosed staircase with his cache of weapons in a backpack, heading toward a shooting rampage against classmates and teachers.
Pitching for preschool, with eye on future Washington Post
For Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), improving access to preschool is a signature issue. In 2005, he ran for the office on a platform that pledged to provide universal access to preschool for the state's 100,000 4-year-olds.
Education Plays Diverse Role in 2007 State-Level Elections EdWeek
Control of one or more houses of the legislature in Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia will be decided next month.
The earliest roundup of education stories each day usually comes from EdNews.org, anywhere from 4 am onwards. My own "Big Stories Of The Day" supposedly shows up at 9 am Eastern. But there are a bunch of others that come out later and are often better, or at least complementary.
For example, EdWeek's own "Today's Best" features some great stories that I miss. Recent examples include:
Teachers unions are big donors to levy measure Seattle Times
Law Punishes Truancy by Taking Away Teens' Keys Washington Post
Boys get lesson in leadership Philly.com
You know you've really arrived as a blogger (or are going to hell for being a bad person) when someone wants to find out who you are and sue you for libel. That's what's happening in one Oregon district, where, according to EIA Mike, the local union president is so disgusted and upset by what's being said about her that she's trying to force Google to reveal the blogger's identity so that he or she can be sued.
Last night's Colbert Report interview with the founder of Craigslist included much discussion of DonorsChoose.org, the organization that links donors and individual classrooms directly:
Very impressive.
If you're wondering why the DC education blogs are so quiet today, it's because all the best-dressed education folks are gathered at a big AEI event on the supply side of school reform -- the "intriguing and daring" reformistas who are attracting all the attention (and funding) despite their small scale, mixed results, etc. Check out the agenda and the papers here.
According to entrepreneur Maria Botham, lice infestation is the #1 reason for school absenteeism, and on average it costs the U.S. public school system over $500 million every year: Gold Standard for Lice Removal Opens in Lincoln Park. Via Yahoo! Finance.
School Chief’s Embarrassment Is a Lesson for Itchy E-Mailers NYT
“Please go KILL these people....Please, please, please.”
Senate Reverses Bush's Cuts to Education, Health as Veto Battle Looms Edweek
Senate gave bipartisan approval to a spending bill that totals over $600 billion and reverses a raft of cuts sought by Bush to special education, health research.
Ideals meet politics in public schools debate Tribune (opinion)
Kozol would require states to authorize and finance a student's right to transfer from a failing district into a successful school in a suburban district.
Science courses nearly extinct in elementary grades, study finds San Francisco Chronicle
The third-graders looked puzzled when asked what they liked best about science. No answer. Via EdNews.org
A year of decision for six high school seniors CSM
The Monitor follows the months-long college-application process for six diverse students. Part 1 of two.
Media watchdog Jim Romenesko reports about what happens when satire seems too real in high school (Principal confiscates papers). He also points to a recent headline saying that 25 percent of South Carolina teachers are sexual predators (Paper apologizes for hed on AP's bad teachers story). Oops! EIA Mike says that the California teachers union has its own problems (Labor Challenge).
It was great to be back on the Hill yesterday moderating a New Teacher Center event in Dirksen. Some of the faces have changed, but not much else (the abundance of Diet Coke, the abundance of cheap suits, the hidden bathrooms, etc.). Miller Title II guru Alice Cain and I reminisced about being newbies on the Senate side all those years ago when she was with Simon and I was with Feinstein. (Then she doused me with coffee -- a welcome back blessing, I like to think.)
I also met some newer folks I knew by name or email -- Steve Robinson from Sen. Obama's office, Seth Gerson from Reed, Adam Ezring from Miller, Missy Rohrbach from Kennedy. Lots of folks came up and said hi (Crystal Rosario from CCCR, for example), or to talk about the blog or about back in the day when Rena Subotnik and I were trying to hold the ed schools' feet to the fire (and failing).
On the substantive side, I learned that not only are Reed, Kennedy, and Miller (among others) interested in stemming the dropout rate of new teachers that causes so much trouble, but that there is already some Title I language in the Miller draft that would make teacher retention efforts required for schools that don't make AYP. There's been so much attention on revamping AYP and the measures used to determine it, but much less (by me, at least) on the new set of required activities for schools that fail. And until now at least it seems that retention has been much less of a front-burner TQ issue than recruitment or evaluation, despite an estimated $7.3 billion in turnover costs.
Ed. Dept. Requires Changes in Race, Ethnicity Reporting EdWeek
Schools must update as needed their method of student-data reporting to the Education Department no later than the 2010-11 school year—one year later than was announced when the guidelines were proposed last year.
A Chance to Dream NYT (opinion)
The Senate has a chance today to pluck a small gem from the ashes of the immigration debate by voting for the passage of the Dream Act.
Expulsions show racial disparity Post and Courier (South Carolina)
National and state statistics, as well as data from other local school districts, show that black students were suspended or expelled at a much higher rate.Via EdNews.org.
Band Teacher’s Abuse Scars Family, Splits Community EdWeek
Immediately after news of one teachers arrest hit in January 2005, people began questioning the girls' motives: Why didn't they come forward sooner? Were they really telling the truth?
Noose Sent to Black Principal at Brooklyn School NYT
The hate crimes unit of the Police Department is investigating the delivery of a noose along with a racially charged letter to the principal of Canarsie High School.
Schools Put Tastes to the Test in Bid to Provide Healthier Lunches PBS
Many U.S. schools are pouring new resources into efforts to provide lunches for students that are both tasty and health conscious. Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on the strategies being employed in St. Paul, Minn., schools.
In the email interview below, Reeder describes what he found, how he found it, how Illinois compares to other states, and why his little paper can pull off this kind of investigative report when others stick to day-by-day reporting with a lot less depth or intensity. Want to know what it's like to interview a teacher who molested children? Check it out.
So all teachers are sexual predators, right?
SR: The number of sexual predators in the teaching ranks is quite small. But the number of children who are victimized by this small percentage can be rather large.
Did you do any face to face reporting -- meet the fired teachers, for example?
SR: Yes. I found myself interviewing a teacher serving 30 years in Menard Correctional Center for sexually abusing a student. I talked to many victims and have interviewed many teachers who have been disciplined.
What was it like talking to the offenders? creepy, normal?
SR: What I found most disconcerting is how ordinary these offenders are. The fellow I interviewed in prison had been convicted of doing horrible things to a child. But he was clean cut and well spoken. He has a master’s degree and 10 years experience in the classroom. Before these allegations came to light, he was on track toward becoming a principal. There was nothing about his background or demeanor that would lead one to believe he was a child molester.
What was the most surprising finding or fact that you found in your reporting?
SR: I found it stunning that none of the tenured teachers fired in the last decade have had any action taken to revoke or suspend their teaching certificates. An even more frightening fact is that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services found that 323 abuse complaints over the last eight years were credible. But not one of these findings resulted in the teacher certification board suspending or revoking a teaching certificate. But by far the most stunning thing to me is how prevalent the problem of sexual abuse is in our schools.
How hard was it to get information -- the right information -- via FOIA?
SR: It was quite difficult. I obtained information on disciplinary actions from all 50 states. Some states such as Oregon, Texas and Nebraska are quite open about the disciplinary process and even post their actions on the internet. Some states such as Maine, Colorado and Alabama are quite secretive. Maine claimed it couldn’t even give the number of teachers disciplined each year. (Through a lot of persistent questioning, I was able to get the numbers for 2006, but not for any of the prior years.) Alabama and Colorado just provided year-by-year numbers. But almost all of the other states provided much more detailed information.
Did you copy the Associated Press, or did they copy you?
SR: My investigation was published before the AP had moved its stories on the wire. I first began gathering this information in 2006, well before the AP began their investigation. But regardless of who was first, both investigations are strong and complement each other. They highlight a significant problem in our schools – educator misconduct.
What did your stories cover that theirs didn't, or vice versa? same conclusions?
SR: My stories are focused on Illinois, where the AP’s investigation has more of a national focus. I sought data from all 50 states to see how Illinois compared. They sought data from all 50 states to do an overview on a national problem. Their data looked specifically at sexual misconduct. My data looked at a broader spectrum of misconduct. I don’t see any contradictions between the two investigations.
How come more folks don't do big investigative education pieces like this -- or do they?
SR: As newspapers downsize staffs, investigative reporting often is the first casualty. I’d love to see more investigative reporting in education. In fact, I have traveled all over the country in the last year and a half lecturing on investigative reporting techniques in hopes of spurring more reporters to consider such in-depth projects.
How do you pull off these pieces and other folks think they can't or don't?
SR: I work long hours and manage my time well. (During my last investigation I fond myself conducting interviews and inputting data in a hospital maternity ward as my wife and newborn daughter slept nearby.) The president of our newspaper chain has been quite supportive of my investigations.
Did you encounter news of any teachers who had been wrongly accused or removed?
SR: That’s a tough one. The Illinois Federation of Teachers contends such false allegations do happen. And I would admit that it is not outside the realm of possibility.But the sex abuse investigators I’ve interviewed say such allegations against a non-family member are exceedingly rare.These cases often hinge on the word of child against that of an adult. They are exceedingly difficult to prosecute. Just because a case is not prosecuted or a conviction is not obtained, does not necessarily mean that the child is lying – only that there was not enough evidence to convict.
What if anything happened in response to your 2005 story about tenure in Illinois?
SR: Legislators are considering a measure that would prohibit secret settlement agreements in which teachers are quietly paid to resign. A bill to require school districts to reveal teacher evaluation data was killed off in a legislative committee. Shortly after the series ran, Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan called for reforming teacher evaluations.
In case you missed it, check out Washington Monthly editor Paul Glastris on the Colbert Report from last week, talking about the magazine's alternative ranking of colleges:
Click here to read the entire package.
Sex Abuse a Shadow Over U.S. Schools AP
An investigation by the Associated Press has found more than 2,500 cases over five years in which educators were punished for actions that ranged from bizarre to sadistic.
Oprah's school in scandal News24 South Africa
Henley-On-Klip - A matron at Oprah Winfrey's posh school for girls near Vereeniging apparently "fondled" one of the pupils, and assaulted another.
Bush, Democrats Face Education Spending Showdown EdWeek
President Bush and Democratic leaders in Congress are facing off over spending on federal education programs, and the renewal of the No Child Left Behind Act could get caught up in the clash.
Even Families Are Split Over Oral Contraceptives at a Maine Middle School NYT
A school committee’s vote to provide prescription contraceptives at its clinic is drawing fervent support and ardent opposition in Portland.
The advocate of teaching over testing Boston Globe
Jonathan Kozol, who has worked with teachers and children in inner-city schools for more than 40 years, is the author of such books as "The Shame of the Nation," "Savage Inequalities," and "Amazing Grace."
NCLB News
Stale NCLB Coverage In The NYT
Veto Threat Over NCLB Reauthorization
Dentists Good, Dentists Bad
On The Hill
Investing In High-Quality Teacher Retention
Taking On The Higher Ed Lobby
Campaign 2008
Two Million Minutes Of High School
UPK: Just Don't Call It Childcare
Urban Education
Former City Police Chief Takes Over NOLA School Security
No "Marshall Law" For DC Public Schools, Says Millot
A Gay Union Leader For New York City Teachers
Teachers & Teaching
"Grow Your Own" Teachers -- And Recruits?
Making Teaching A Career, Not A Drive-By Charity Stop
Video: "Nice White Lady"
Media Watch
Tracking Teachers' Disciplinary Records In Ohio
Hidden Teacher Violations...In Illinois & Nationwide
EdWeek Runs Scientologist Ad, Says NASBE
Blogs
"Super Sexy, Super Sassy, And Education Savvy" That's Me.
Pay For Performance... In The Blogosphere
Pay Bloggers, Or Send Us To Rehab?
School Life
Teaching Tolerance: "I Don't Want To Blow You Up!"
Dear School: Don't Be Lonely, We'll Be Back Tomorrow
Early Childhood Reading Gap Statistic Pretty Questionable, Says Freakonomics
The folks at the Columbus Dispatch have been running a great education series all week, and even created a database for parents to see which educators if any at their school have been disciplined. Check it outL The Columbus Dispatch
Maine Middle School to Issue Birth Control Pills NPR
School officials in Portland, Maine make birth control pills available to students at one of the city's middle schools. The move follows a spate of pregnancies among middle school girls.
Calif. Approves Teacher Test Teacher Magazine
California’s rigorous performance test for new teachers has the potential to set national standards, officials say.
FCC cites commentator Williams for payola Reuters
After investigating for more than 2-1/2 years, the Federal Communications Commission concluded that Williams and his firm violated agency rules by promoting President George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" policy on television without disclosing they had been paid to do so.
Over at EIA, Mike is not jumping on the PFP bandwagon (Sorry, I Can't Join the Party). Meanwhile, Joanne Jacobs tells us about how some districts are gaming the AYP ratings system by transferring students (The ‘alternative’ dodge).
You might think that Gail Collins' column about controversy over child care has nothing to do with school reform, but you'd be wrong. As Collins points out, we've got a substantial child care problem in the US, and little political appetite for discussing it. But universal preschool does an end-around on this, by providing an additional year of government subsidized care for children that parents otherwise would have to be covering out of pocket. Check it out: None Dare Call It Child Care. If there's any relief for working parents on the horizon, this is probably it.
Blogging is fun. Too much fun. As this Time.com article points out (here), it's crack for journalists, whose best ideas otherwise get killed or blocked by ogre editors, and who are usually straightjacketed by the requirements of objective journalism (blandness, rigid even-handedness). It's also good business, since it doesn't take much time to find and slam someone else's hard work. (Doing that to to Diana Jean Schemo's NYT piece a couple days ago took about a half hour at most.) But I don't know if publishers are all of them really that business-oriented, or that online advertising brings in enough revenue -- yet -- to justify the expense of even the cheapest bloggers churning out the most salacious gossip. Recently, the Huffington Post announced it was going to pay its 1800 bloggers... never. And Gawker pays $12 per post.
Romney likes NCLB MSNBC
“I like the fact that in No Child Left Behind we test our kids,” Romney said. “We can see which schools are succeeding and which are failing. That alone is a huge advance…I like No Child Left Behind.”
Easy test leaves Maryland behind Baltimore Sun
"We think our cut scores are reasonable for what people are being asked to do by 2014, especially given that it's for all subgroups - students who don't speak English or students with special needs."
Teachers Agree to Bonus Pay Tied to Scores NYT
Bonuses for New York City teachers would be based largely on the overall test scores of students at schools that have high concentrations of poor children.
A Normal Lesson in Vocabulary, Until a Deer Bursts Through a School Window NYT
New Jersey, a 200-pound buck raced through a class of fifth graders and wandered the halls like a typical gaggle of errant students before being shepherded out a back door.
Over at Teacher In A Strange Land, teacher Nancy Flanagan riffs off of my Teach For America essay from last week. "TFA has done nothing to re-conceptualize the work of teaching as both socially valuable and complex professional practice. In fact, TFA and similar “fellowship” programs have spawned a rash of research projects bent on proving that teacher education isn’t particularly useful—that any smart person can teach." But, like me, Flanagan agrees that the potential is there: "When Wendy Kopp comes up with an idea to keep TFA folks in teaching or reposition teaching as a flexible, entrepreneurial professional career, I personally will carry signs nominating her for a MacArthur grant—or Secretary of Education."
Miami ‘Zone’ Gives Schools Intensive Help EdWeek
Some of the lowest-performing schools in the Miami-Dade County, Fla., district could soon be weaned from three years of strategic support.
PLUS: L.A. Chief Weighs New District for Lowest-Performing Schools
High schools using breathalyzers to fight teen drinking USA Today
High schools are rushing to test students for alcohol at extracurricular events like dances and football games.
Richardson: U.S. education 'broken' Des Moines Register
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said today the nation's education system is "broken from top to bottom. "
There are apparently two million minutes of instruction during high school, and -- no surprise -- we're not using ours very wisely. Here's the trailer for a new, as yet unreleased documentary about the problem:
Conceived and exec produced by venture capitalist Bob Compton, and directed by two TFA alums, the doc follows six students in three countries. Check it out.
There are some juicy tidbits, including this news about the creation of parent unions fighting for faster changes, and the plan to revamp LAUSD to focus attention on low-performing schools. But shouldn't this line, buried in the story, be in the nut graf? "So far, education experts say they are unaware of a single state that has taken over a failing school in response to the law." Or, another punchy line buried too far down? “They’re so busy fighting No Child Left Behind,” said Mary Johnson, president of Parent U-Turn, a civic group. “If they would use some of that energy to implement the law, we would go farther.”
It seemed like it was coming, what with Spellings hinting at it last month and all the fun that's been had over the SCHIP veto. And this President has never lacked for confidence, warranted or not. So, yesterday, the President said he'd veto any effort to reauthorize NCLB without maintaining its main provisions (President Bush Discusses The Budget):
"We're teaching a child to read so they can pass a reading test....I believe in local control of schools. That's up to you to chart the path to excellence. But it's up to us to make sure your money is spent wisely...I believe this piece of legislation is important, and I believe it's hopeful, and I believe it's necessary to make sure we got a educated group of students who can compete in the global economy when they get older. Yes, sir."
Conspiracy theorists are ignoring NCLB's lefty origins and labor union funding sources, says EIA. Eduwonk is still selling Spellings for governor. I'm not buying, but what do I know. Press coverage keeps suggesting that NCLB won't get reauthorized anytime soon, observes the AFT blog. That means it will [not] happen soon.
Failing Schools Strain to Meet U.S. Standard NYT
"They’re so busy fighting No Child Left Behind,” said Mary Johnson, president of Parent U-Turn, a civic group. “If they would use some of that energy to implement the law, we would go farther.”
The ABC's of Betrayal Columbus Dispatch
The newspaper’s 10-month investigation found that a state and local discipline system allows educators in the classroom despite misconduct that includes theft, assault and abuse of children. Teachers' rights are often put first, districts don't always communicate with the state, and the Department of Education shields records of wrongdoing.
School Integration Efforts Face Renewed Opposition WSJ
Some districts are sidestepping the ruling by replacing measurements of race with household income. But many others, such as Milton, are adjusting their programs in the face of opposition that's been emboldened by the Supreme Court decision.
Disguised Silence NYT (Opinon)
Will Okun on legislation that requires all Illinois public schools to provide students with a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day.
Girl run over, killed by homecoming parade float AP
Girl run over, killed by homecoming parade float.
Last week, pretty much the only blog that linked to me was the union critic Mike Antonucci (aka EIA). This week so far, it's the pro-union Dr. Homselisce (Teach For America). Pathetic, I know. But readers keep finding me even without the links, and I'll take a link whether it agrees with me or not. This one, perhaps not surprisingly given TFA as a subject, does.
Clinton focuses on education in radio ad in South Carolina AP
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton launched her second radio ad Monday in early voting South Carolina, focusing on her plan to make college more affordable and preschool available to all children.
Abstinence approach gets unlikely ally Los Angeles Times
Though Democrats have taken control of Congress, abstinence-only programs are surviving attempts to shut them down. And they could even get an increase with the aid of an unlikely ally: House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey, one of the old liberal lions.
Blurring Lines Among Both Students and Subjects Washington Post
Plenty of teachers still find that if they are seized by an idea, and can convey that passion to supervisors, they have a chance to see what happens when they go in a different direction.
Mission: Making a Love of Reading Happen NYT (Winerip)
As schools move toward more preparation for standardized testing, it falls to parents to make a love for reading happen.
Chicago has a newish "grow your own" teachers initiative, as well as the nation's largest set of military-themed schools:
Grow Your Own Teachers US News & World Report
Tired of seeing first-year teachers flee to suburban schools, Illinois is spending $7.5 million to help people become teachers in underperforming schools in neighborhoods like their own.
Reading, writing, recruiting? Tribune
Chicago Public Schools, which already has the largest junior military reserve program in the nation, on Monday will commission the country's first public high school run by the U.S. Marines, much to the chagrin of activists who have fought to keep the armed services out of city
schools.
A little Monday-morning humor, this video spoofs all the movies like "Freedom Writers" where a committed teacher -- always a white woman -- helps urban youth reach their dreams:
Via Whitney Tilson.
Why 'No Child' Was Needed Washington Post
Long before No Child Left Behind, far too many classrooms were boring, dull places where children were forced to do endless worksheets, discouraged from independent thinking and subjected to teachers providing confusing and sometimes demonstrably false information.
Bush, Others Want Law to Go Beyond Basics EdWeek
Mr. Bush and other policymakers are considering a variety of changes to the NCLB law to encourage schools to go beyond the teaching of basic skills.
Core readers for cities: 4-year-olds USA Today
Mayors who want to be on the same page as their constituents — even ones way too young to vote — are launching citywide book-of-the-month clubs to promote reading and literacy.
Making Cash a Prize for High Scores NYT
New York City is expanding the use of cash rewards for students who take standardized tests with a $1 million effort financed by a group of private philanthropists.
Featured Posts
The Genius Behind Teach For America
On The HotSeat: Former Committee Insider Charles Barone
Why Teach Chinese?
NCLB News
House Republicans Blame Miller For Slow NCLB Progress
Lots Of Coverage, Not Much Action
Kennedy Playing Tough On NCLB
Urban Ed
Evil Geniuses At Top Universities Want Your Schools
Hijinks & Disappointments For Prizewinning School District
Campaign 2008
A Teacher In The Cabinet: Another Richardson Gimmick
Presidential Candidates Don't Use Education Scholars
Bush Administration
Free National Journal Interview With Spellings
Bush's No-Name Cabinet
Teachers & Teaching
The School Is Flat
The Lives Of Former Students
School Life
Sleep Deprivation Slows Learning By A Year
Is Multi-Tasking Holding Our Kids Back?
Are They Water-Boarding Teenagers Yet?
Media Watch
Journalists Should Be Focused On Fact-Finding, Not Access
Inspired by a vivid reader comment on my Chicago blog from last week (A Day At Crane High School), I'm having a contest of sorts for the next few days in which readers are invited to describe the school (or administrative office, or reform office) where they work, or where their children attend, or where they pass by every day, or where they tutor. So brush off your writing skills and tell us what it's like where you are -- what it looks like, what it sounds like, what things you notice from being there all the time, or how it's changed lately. [Or, if you have a great blog entry that does the same thing, tell us where to find it.]
The Genius Behind Teach For America
Why Wendy Kopp hasn't won a MacArthur "genius" award – yet.
By Alexander Russo
When this year’s John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur "genius" grants were announced last month, the group of 24 included one person focused on improving public education.
At an early age, this woman had created a powerful new way to help urban students and over the past 15 years or so turned it into a national success.
But it wasn’t Wendy Kopp.
Kopp, the founder of Teach For America, is among the best-known faces in school reform. Recently profiled in the New York Times Magazine, her organization, which brings top college graduates into urban classrooms, is one of the largest nonprofit reform efforts in the nation.
But the MacArthur award went intead to Deborah Bial, the founder of a much smaller and less well-known effort called the Posse Foundation, which helps bring talented urban teens through the process of getting a four-year education.
Why not Kopp? No one knows for sure. The nomination and selection process for the MacArthur award is notoriously secretive. But it may be that, for all its success, Kopp’s model still under-delivers on the core issue of improving classroom instruction in poor schools, and over-promises when it comes to broad-based school reform efforts.
There’s no doubt about the successes of TFA. Founded in 1990, Kopp’s brainchild had 18,000 applicants last year – many from the top universities in the nation – each vying for one of just 3,750 spots. The organization boasts a national network of recruiters that competes against top consulting firms for college talent.
As a result, Kopp is one of the few names or faces that anyone outside of education circles would have any chance of recognizing. Photogenic, articulate, and sincere, she makes it hard to be against what she’s doing.
But criticism of Kopp’s program has never quite gone away, and lately seems to be growing. Despite its growth and relative longevity, TFA still seems to be struggling to prove itself as the powerful force in school reform it wants to be.
During the 1990s, much of the debate over TFA centered on whether its untrained members did any better in the classroom than fully-certified teachers they ostensibly replaced. Though not herself a researcher, Kopp fought back against established scholars to argue that her teachers did as well, if not better than traditional ones.
More recently, the underlying question of whether TFA members stay around long enough to make a real difference has re-emerged. TFA members are only asked to stay in the classroom for two years, far too brief a time to make much of a difference to anyone besides the individual students they teach. A substantial number don’t make much past that. In 2005, The Onion parodied the situation: "TFA Chews Up, Spits Out Another Ethnic-Studies Major."
To counter these criticisms, TFA has lately recast itself as a broad-based reform movement whose effects go far beyond the classroom.
Indeed, TFA alums are prominent throughout the school reform world – from founding the well-known KIPP network of charter schools to, most recently, heading the District of Columbia school system.
The organization already claims 100 elected officials among its alumni, and, given the ambition and intensity so many posses, one or more of them will no doubt soon be a household name.
But, as noted recently in the Times Magazine article, Why Teach For America, the questions and criticisms persist. And the chorus may be growing louder.
A recent article in The Economist pointed out that, despite its growth, TFA remained vastly too small to make a difference in an education system that includes 3 million classroom teachers.
The liberal-leaning American Prospect blog, TAPPED, recently noted that while "It feels heartless to criticize a program that's, well, so good-hearted...it's unlikely TFA is impacting student achievement in any broadly-defined way."
An as-yet unpublished feature article illustrates the organization’s struggle to become a “movement” by plumbing the depths of TFA's ill-fated efforts in Detroit.
There's a moment in the movie "Blood Diamond" where Leonardo DiCaprio, playing a white diamond smuggler in Africa, describes how "Peace Corps types only stay around long enough to realize they're not helping anyone."
So far, say critics, much the same can be said of Teach For America (TFA).
Only by strengthening its ability to provide direct services to poor schools and districts, as well as broader school reform efforts, will Kopp get the “genius” grant she probably deserves.
If she can do both those things, few will argue with it.
USA Today's political blog notes via Greg Toppo that, in another shameless ploy to appeal to as many folks as possible without saying very much, Bill Richardson on Thursday pledged that his EdSec would be.... a teacher (here). Historians will note that EdSec Riley put a teacher nominally in charge of teaching-related issues during his two terms. I'm not sure it made much difference, though it probably made lots of folks feel warm inside.
Clinton, Richardson, Edwards offer plans AP
Clinton, Richardson, Edwards offer plans to make college more affordable, help rural schools.
Student charged on 17 counts in school bomb threat AP
Student charged on 17 counts in school bomb threat.
Brewer has yet to make his imprint LA Times
Several months into his job as superintendent of the Los Angeles school system, David L. Brewer held court before students at Millikan Middle School in Sherman Oaks.
Small schools under microscope Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Do you need a license to teach the specific subjects you are teaching to be a quality teacher? How about if you have good rapport with your students, fit in well with the teaching team and throw yourself into helping kids learn.
Get that teacher an apple Chicago Sun Times
With a perfect verbal score on the SAT and an Ivy League education, Daphne Whitington could have done anything she wanted.
Poor and working class kids have less access to dental care than ever before, and it's showing, according to this NYT article (Boom Times for Dentists, but Not for Teeth). Sometimes the delays and lack of care are serious. Strange that I've seen vision programs at schools but never dental ones.
There's a big article in this week's EdWeek about universities' increasing efforts at school reform, focusing on the University of Chicago which currently runs several charter schools on Chicago's South Side. I know, I know. They're evil academic geniuses out to ruin a shining example of urban education and gut teacher job protections. I get it. Still, there are some tidbits you might want to check out. In addition to Chicago, Stanford University, the
University of California, San Diego, and the University of New Orleans are also running schools. And many other universities in other places are authorizing but not running charters. Hands-On Learning.
Student opens fire at Cleveland school, shoots 4, kills self AP
Student opens fire at Cleveland school, shoots 4, kills self.
Report Recounts Horrors of Youth Boot Camps NYT
Reports of abuse of troubled young people in privately run boot camps and other residential treatment centers are ...
Special Ed Tuition Case Ends in Tie Decision Title I Monitor
An equally divided U.S. Supreme Court left standing on Oct. 10 an appeals court decision requiring New York City public schools to reimburse for private school tuition the parents of a child with...
Noose on Door at Columbia Prompts Campus Protest NYT
A day after a noose was found hanging on a black professor’s office door at Columbia University’s Teachers College, the police said that their hate crimes unit had mounted a full investigation.
California Seeks School Sites Far from FreewayNPR
Lawmakers and scientists agree that building schools close to freeways is a bad idea. The concern is air pollution and the impact it can have on young lungs. But in Los Angeles, where more than 100 new public schools are being built, it's hard to find a site that's not near a freeway.
Thanks to the folks at National Journal for letting everyone get a free look at Lisa Caruso's fascinating interview with EdSec Spellings (Insider Interview: Improving on '99.9 Percent Pure' (10/09/2007)). As I wrote earlier this morning, there's lots of good stuff in there.
Powerful people have been trading access for friendly coverage since journalism began, but the recent example of GQ magazine killing an investigative story on Hillary Clinton's campaign in order not to endanger their ability to do a cover story on Bill Clinton's trip to Africa has brought the practice into the light. This happens in education, too, though is not widely publicized. Reporters who don't provide favorable coverage aren't invited to pre-briefings, or given materials ahead of time, or don't have their interview or information requests handled quickly, or at all. But as this article from Slate suggests, "access" may be over-rated as a journalistic tool, compared to independent investigation (Bring back the write-around!).
Bush Declares His Openness To Revising Education Law Washington Post
Under pressure from the right and the left, President Bush said yesterday that he is open to reformulating his signature No Child Left Behind education law but stressed that he remains unwilling to surrender on its core elements of testing and accountability.
Bush Pushes Congress on 'No Child' Law AP
President Bush said Tuesday that he's open to new ideas for changing the "No Child Left Behind" education law but will not accept watered-down standards or rollbacks in accountability.
“It’s regrettable that the Bush Administration has made the renewal of the No Child Left Behind school reform law far more difficult by its failure to fully fund and implement it. The President is right that we must continue to hold schools accountable for results. But over the past five years of working with this law, we have learned more about what works and what does not work and we should take those lessons into account. While we press forward with school reform, practical changes to the law are needed to ensure that we do not lag in our commitment to helping every parent, teacher and child succeed.”
So he wants more money, plus a new law that takes the past five years "lessons" into account, plus other "practical" changes. Sounds like he's not so excited about the Secretary's ideas, or the Miller proposal. Setting things up for a Kennedy bill, no doubt.
PS: This post was written while I was on the phone and watching TV.
From the White House NCLB event going on right about now:
"Secretary Spellings and I are so pleased to welcome you all to the Roosevelt Room. With us today are a group of concerned citizens from a variety of groups, here to discuss the No Child Left Behind Act. People around this table care deeply about making sure every child gets a good education. We're deeply concerned about school systems that don't focus on each individual. Some school systems are just moving kids through, and as a result, our education system is letting too many children down, too many families without hope.
"So we're going to strategize [see, he almost said it] and work together to make sure the No Child Left Behind Act is reauthorized and made stronger. And so I want to thank you all for coming. I love your passion. I appreciate the fact that you care deeply about the future of this country, and that you believe, like I believe, every child can learn and we have an obligation to teach every child how to read and write and add and subtract.
"So thank you for joining us. We'll see you all in the Rose Garden here in a minute."
Thanks to a friend for passing along the attendees list for the White House NCLB list, which features pro-NCLB civil rights groups (Wade Henderson, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights President, Janet Murguía, National Council of La Raza President, Marc Morial, National Urban League President, William L.Taylor, Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights Chairman). Not all civil rights groups support NCLB, but these guys do. And they're obviously trying to keep the pressure on to move forward with NCLB reauthorization. This is all fast-moving stuff, though, since the event wasn't even on the EdSec's calendar for this week when they sent it out on Friday.
Chinese foreign language classes are all the rage in some districts -- Chicago, Palo alto to name a couple. But, according to this video, the Chinese are learning English faster and in greater numbers than we could ever match up.
I'm all for rigorous courses, and loved taking Chinese in college, but should setting up Chinese language programs really be a priority?
Q: Why didn't the original NCLB differentiate between schools that missed by one subgroup (or just by a little) and those that missed by many (or a lot)?
CB: The original ESEA reauthorizations bills introduced by Congressman Miller and Senator Bingaman did make such differentiations. Administration representatives said it created "too many boxes" and had to be dumped.
Q: Looking back, do you think that provision would have made a real difference in the amount of dislike that NCLB has encountered?
CB: It would have made the bill better, but no, it would not have reduced the amount of dislike, just the form of it. Some people will always dislike bright-line accountability. It presents a challenge that causes many people discomfort.
Q: Is it true that the real reason that SES came after the transfer requirement rather than before was that SES started out as bush's voucher provision?
CB: There was something like SES in the final version of Bill Clinton's "America Reads" initiative (1998/99). As I remember, SES came first in NCLB because one of the principles of the NCLB "Big Four" was that you worked where kids were first (keeping kids in the same school) before taken more involved measures.
Q: So then why is SES the second option in NCLB, not the first like it was in America Reads?
CB: Politics. The Administration was full on for it. And it’s hard for Democrats to argue that the school a kid goes to shouldn’t be determined by his or her zip code.
Q: What really happened about the funding deal -- did Spellings promise a certain level of funding, or was funding just a convenient excuse to bash bush and explain why you're for a tough law?
CB: That discussion took place outside my purview.
Q: Was the outcry over NCLB funding in those early years genuine, or more likely a way to support a law everyone voted for without giving the President too much credit?
CB: Both.
Q: Why does the CTA hate your old boss so much?
CB: Hate?! That would be a question only CTA could answer.
Q: Has the CTA gone after your boss this hard, publicly or not, in the past [Katrina, class size]?
CB: What boss? If you mean my old boss, George Miller, that’s a hard question to answer objectively. I don’t have full knowledge of CTA’s methods. I do remember that in 1998 after the Ed-Flex and Class Size Reduction debates, Miller was given a 60% rating by the NEA (3 for 5 scored bills) because he voted against Ed-Flex – GAO had found money had been redirected away from high-need areas with no accountability - and voted for a bipartisan Class Size Reduction amendment that would have ensured that poor children got assigned qualified teachers.
Q: Whether you agree with them or not, who's the most effective education lobbying/advocacy group on the Hill -- good at getting their ideas into legislators' minds and their language into bills?
CB: Right now, the civil rights and business groups are working together on NCLB v02. That is a very powerful combination.
Q: But isn’t that over now -- civil rights groups are against the Miller draft, business for it?
CB: No. They agree on many key issues, e.g., they are against the use of local assessments in calculating AYP and for the Miller-McKeon teacher merit pay provisions. It’s not over. Not by a long shot.
Q: What could your old boss do to appease the NEA but still have a bill that improves NCLB?
CB: God knows.
Q: What's your prediction for when NCLB actually gets reauthorized -- this fall, next year, or with a new congress and president?
CB: I wish I had a crystal ball. But when two Committee Chairs and a President want to move a bill, they usually take it to the finish line.
Charles Barone is an independent consultant on education policy issues. From 2001-2003, he was Democratic Deputy Staff Director for the House Education and Labor Committee under Congressman George Miller, prior to which he served as Miller's Legislative Director from 1997-2000. He first came to Capitol Hill as a Congressional Fellow in 1993 and subsequently became Chief Education Advisor to Senator Paul Simon. Before coming to Washington, Barone was a fellow in the Department of Psychology at Yale University. cbarone2@comcast.net.
Provision on Tutoring Raises Renewal Issues EdWeek
Lawmakers are proposing that only those schools failing to make AYP in several subgroups for three consecutive years would be required to offer tutoring.
For Schools, Lottery Payoffs Fall Short of Promises NYT
Most of the billions of dollars raised by state lotteries is used simply to sustain the games, an examination by The Times has found.
Teacher sues over gun ban MSNBC
Oregon high school English teacher Shirley Katz is challenging her school's gun ban as unlawful, since Oregon is among states that allow people with a permit to carry concealed weapons into public buildings.
In Some Schools, iPods Are Required Listening NYT
While many school systems are banning iPods, some are also trying to co-opt the devices to help students learn subjects from French to chemistry.
I'm taking the day off for Columbus Day, but feel free to comment or email or send links if you'd like. See you tomorrow!
I didn't want to like the HBO documentary on the Little Rock Nine that's been playing over and over, and had been avoiding it (and most of the rest of the 50th anniversary coverage) thinking that I'd seen the footage before, knew that things hadn't changed that much, etc.
But the documentary (see segment above) spends most of its time following current students, and there's power in seeing the nearly complete (though not particularly hostile) segregation and disparate academic experiences that are still there. Here's a NYT review of the show. Check it out.
Finishing out what's been an informal TFA Week, TAPPED's Dana Goldstein puts it pretty well: "It feels heartless to criticize a program that's, well, so good-hearted...But while it appears that TFA is very effective at connecting business leaders and young professionals with the public school reform movement and imbuing them with a sense of commitment toward public education, it's unlikely TFA is impacting student achievement in any broadly-defined way."
Meanwhile, in The Economist: "It will be hard for even a corps of 10,000 teachers to have a large impact in a country that has 3m teachers in public schools alone. But the influence of TFA's alumni, supporters say, is at least as important as the direct impact in the classroom." Via Eduwonk.
I have my fingers crossed that there's going to be another even more interesting piece on TFA coming out in the very near future. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, there's a fascinating and somewhat frightening discussion about the Times Magazine article going on in Chicago -- with some commenters pointing out that TFA is better than nothing and others calling it a "glorified substitute pool" for struggling schools.
A kind reader also sent me this new (to me) report from Stanford (PDF here): "Conventional wisdom says that scaling social innovation starts with strengthening internal management capabilities. This study of 12 high-impact nonprofits [including TFA], however, shows that real social change happens when organizations go outside their own walls and find creative ways to enlist the help of others."
Universal preschool is going to be education campaign issue Number One, says Richard Whitmire (Preschool) based on all the proposals out there. Many would agree with him. But the recent Presidential veto of the S-CHIP shows that it might not be so easy to get something done. President Bush vetoed the S-CHIP on the grounds that it doesn't focus on the poorest kids who already have preschool and creates a major new "entitlement" program. Of course, politics play a part and Bush will not be there in the future, but the struggle shows just how difficult it is to get new programs created even when little kids are involved.
The Washington Post features the new Fordham Foundation study showing low expectations and disparities among 26 states standards especially at the younger ages (Varying Standards May Hurt 'No Child' ). Ditto for AP, albeit with a slightly different focus (State Reading Tests Deemed Easier). USA Today goes with the Sputnik anniversary (Sputnik heralded space race, focus on learning). Over on PBS, the NewsHour focuses on New Orleans' new superintendent, Paul Vallas (New Orleans School Chief Tackles Rebuilding Shattered System). Last but not least, MSNBC goes with the Ohio lawmaker whose lesson on the legislative process inadvertently included a slide showing a naked woman (Nude woman shown during lecture).
"United States Senator and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama picked up a major labor union endorsement today as members of the Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates voted to endorse him for President in the upcoming primary. “Senator Obama is Illinois’ favorite son and a good friend of teachers, paraprofessionals and labor. We want to show him our appreciation and support by endorsing him as our candidate for President,” added Stewart. The endorsement will activate the 32,000 membership and political action component of the Union in helping Senator Obama reach out to educators across Chicago and the suburban counties."
I wish Slate had taken my piece about Al Shanker (How Al Shanker Blew Up No Child Left Behind) instead of Sara Mosle's recent review, but I'm happy to report that Mosle and I make some of the same points. For example, that Shanker's work unionizing teachers affects nearly every classroom teacher to this day. ("Today, there isn't a teacher in America whose life hasn't been touched by Shanker's own.") But we disagree about his legacy, in that Mosle (The Man Who Transformed American Education) gives more credit to Shanker for his ideas and "prescience" than I do. Journalists and pundits and wonks (and AFTies) like to focus on all the rest -- the "good" Shanker, the ideas, the potential -- but to me, Shanker is all about his real-world accomplishments, which are powerful and far-reaching but aren't most of them really about school reform.
