Dirty Tricks Against NYC Education Critic
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
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.
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.
Continue reading "On The HotSeat: Scott Reeder On Teacher Misconduct" »
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.
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
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.
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.”
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!).
Be sure to check out the PBS NewsHour tonight, which will include a segment on Michelle Rhee that attempts to balance the hopes and expectations for her success with the realities of the situation in DC and her relative inexperience at the job.
UPDATE: The permanent replacement for Paley was just announced today, I'm told, a Fairfax County reporter named Maria Glod. Check out her past work here. I'll try and dig up a picture.
'Nation's Report Card' Shows Improvement Wash Post
The nation's fourth- and eighth-graders continue to improve steadily in mathematics, and fourth-grade reading achievement is on the rise, according to test scores released yesterday.
NAEP Reading and Math Scores Rise EdWeek
The gains continued an overall upward trend in math scores that dates to the early 1990s, while reading scores have been more stagnant.
US students score sweeping gains on tests CSM
Elementary and middle-school students are making significant improvements in math skills, while their gains in reading are more modest, according to national test results.
Schoolkids Post Modest Gains Wall Street Journal
US schoolchildren won higher marks on a national report card, intensifying the battle over the renewal of NCLB.
Grade-schoolers raise math, reading scores USA Today
When it comes to math and reading skills, new test results show the USA's youngsters are improving steadily but slowly.
Math Scores Rise, but Reading Is Mixed NYT
The results also showed that the nation had made only incremental progress in narrowing historic gaps in achievement between white and minority students.
U.S. Test Results Show Growth in Math, Not Reading NPR
The Education Department's highly anticipated national test scores for 4th- and 8th-graders show modest improvements in math, but flat scores in reading.
The run of major newspaper editorial pages supporting the current NCLB over some of the proposed fixes has been a surprisingly long and consistent one, including most recently the Christian Science Monitor (Let NCLB do its work), and the Chicago Tribune (The next NCLB). Of course, dry editorials aren't going to make much difference to the process, which as I've pointed out is in a particularly political phase right now. But who knew that NCLB was so popular among editorial page writers?
Though I'm more familiar with the Chicago story than Philly, I tend to agree with Dana Goldstein's assessment of the NYT story on Paul Vallas (Can Urban Schools Be "Tamed"?) that Vallas' record is mixed in previous districts and that the notion that superstar superintendents can transform districts is a misleading one. They can bring energy and get things organized, to be sure. (Vallas did the textbooks in the warehouse thing in 1995, and DC's Michelle Rhee did the same bit last week.) But they can't always make things change in the classroom, and often get pulled in so many directions and start so many programs that it all gets watered down over time.
Joe Williams notes that another couple of editorial boards (the Detroit News and Chicago Tribune) have joined the rest in denouncing teacher- and school board-led efforts to bring in multiple measures and local assessments (here). Meanwhile, the AFTies seem to be focusing on the pay for performance issue, not the rest of the bill, which seems relatively reasonable whether you agree with them or not. I still don't know if there's any space between them and the NEA on this, but I'm hoping there might be.
The mainstream news in Chicago is finally starting to pay formal attention to District 299, my group "watchdog" covering the Chicago Board of Education and its nefarious doings: Education bloggers keep careful eye on CPS.
No Child Left Alone Weekly Standard
Reformers are busy people, tireless people, whose displeasure with the world as it is inspires them to improve the lives of their fellow human beings no matter what, and they get cranky when you bring up the law of unintended consequences.
No Child Left Behind needs lift, not a recess Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Among the worst ideas: Basing accountability decisions on test scores in subjects other than math and reading. Proponents presented studies that show schools have increased the time in math and reading to the detriment of other disciplines, such as science and social studies.
Revisiting the Canon Wars NYT
Two decades after Allan Bloom’s “The Closing of the American Mind,” it’s generally agreed that his multiculturalist opponents won the canon wars.
Having failed to make the school transfer provision a high-profile issue and feeling shut out of the reauthorization process, author and advocate Jonathan Kozol (whose book Shame Of A Nation was a big seller last year) has now resorted to a partial fast in protest of the law. Read all about it on the Huffington Post (Why I am Fasting: An Explanation to My Friends).
Three different takes on how Cong. Miller's proposal is going over. Compare and contrast:
'No Child' Loopholes Decried Washington Post
Should suburban schools that barely miss federal learning targets be allowed to escape penalties, while inner-city schools that never even hit the dart board are required to give free tutoring and let students transfer to better schools?
Secretary of Education Criticizes Proposal NYT
The education secretary criticized a Congressional proposal to soften provisions of the President’s Bush signature education law.
Spellings Criticizes No Child Proposals AP
The administration and congressional lawmakers agree on one key change. They want schools to measure the performance of individual students over time rather than comparing the scores of students in a certain grade to students in that grade the year before.
Eventually I think that most major newspaper websites will have profiles of individual school and space for ongoing discussions among parents and teachers. Some papers are already doing a version of this by partnering with GreatSchools. But for now, at least, the most progress in this area seems to be high school sports pages. For example, the OrlandoSentinel has a high school sports zone with customized sports pages and ways for parents to track individual athletes, along with user-generated content. Via CyberJournalist.com.
In a cross between Van Halen's old video, Hot For Teacher, and the old school rap song called Baby Got Back, Carl's Junior has a somewhat offensive ad out in which two students describe the virtues of flat buns -- burger buns, of course -- while a teacher/stripper writhes on her desk. Probably not suitable for work.
An astonishing look at NCLB Jay Mathews
This is the best book ever written about No Child Left Behind.
In the trenches with US educators Slate
Strangely, perhaps, the spectacle of obsessive administrators and anxious teachers in the trenches presented by both Perlstein and Klein just might help buttress a field that could use some defeminizing.
Williams' First Law of Blogging Intercepts
Joe Williams of Democrats For Education Reform gives some crucial advice about blogging.
There's a scandal going on all around me. Or at least that's what Kevin DeRosa at D-Ed Reckoning says (Edweek Spins Reading Research). His post argues that EdWeek's story on the WWC report is way too pro-Reading Recovery, and that the requirements for WWC are substantially different from Reading First. And you think I'm too intense and argumentative sometimes. Check it out. Let me know what you think.
UPDATE: This guy doesn't like the sound of the book at all.
If you ever think that something I'm putting up on this site is inane, remember that this clip of a 10 year old boy at a carnival saying "I like turtles" comes from the Washington Post -- apparently the clip has become something of an Internet sensation.
Lots of folks take a swipe at reporting this year's version of the CEP survey of school districts about the impacts of NCLB on instruction. The AP version of the story is pretty cut and dried (No Child law has downside, survey finds). In contrast, the NYT spends a lot of time trying to explain why the percentage of districts decreased so much from last year -- a change the report authors attribute to a wording change in the survey (Focus on 2 R’s Cuts Time for the Rest, Report Says). Remember, it was the Times that heralded last year's findings. Over at the Post, it's most a roundup of reactions to the shift in instructional priorities-- Manhattan Institute and EdTrust come in for the focus on reading and math, Andy "Doughnut" Rotherham comes out against (English, Math Time Up in 'No Child' Era).
Don't remember the hullabaloo surrounding Sam Dillon's story last year? Read here and here.
Kudos to the good folks at Learning Matters, whose PBS series on a failed effort to bring in superstar principals to turn around struggling schools has just been nominated for an Emmy -- the third they've gotten. The competition -- ABC World News, CBS Evening News, Good Morning America and NBC Nightly News -- doesn't stand a chance. You can read about and watch the program here: Turnaround Specialist.
Forget the Challenge Index and all that nonsense about Advanced Placement Courses. So 90's. Now Forbes is out with its ranking of districts, based on their notions of who's got the most bang for the buck(Best And Worst School Districts For The Buck). According to Forbes, Marin County, California comes out number one. The others in the top five are Collin, Texas; Hamilton, Ind.; Norfolk, Mass.; and Montgomery, Md. Losers include Alexandria, VA. Others on the bottom of the list include Glynn, Ga.; Washington, D.C.; Ulster, N.Y.; and Beaufort, S.C. For all its obvious flaws, the Forbes story notes how difficult it is to obtain comparable data, and how many gimmicks and tricks districts use to make their numbers look better.
Sick of everyone putting in their two cents instead of just giving you the facts? Me, too. According to this Times Magazine story from earlier this month, we should all be turning to Wikipedia for information -- including breaking news -- since the collaborative website is all about maintaining a neutral point of view. Sound interesting? Well, not so fast. The articles all created by group effort, and are not necessarily complete or accurate even if they're neutral. Maybe that's why people like opinion -- better sifting. Here's the entry for Reading First. And for NCLB. Click "history" to see what changes have been made. Make a correction if you find something wrong.
According to an internal email announcement someone sent me, Medina "began her career at The New York Times as an intern in education where working with Tamar Lewin she turned out a memorable series on how city schools were pushing students out so they wouldn't count as part of the dropout rate." Since then she's covered NY and CT state politics, as well as the Lieberman campaign, and more. "All of this was just the right preparation for covering the high-stakes drama of a school system of 1.1 million students where the political infighting can rival any legislature's and passions run high over the ideology of math teaching, kindergarten admissions, cell phones and contested territory as small schools proliferate and vie for space."
This is apparently a picture of Medina on the job. Here are some of her recent stories, some of which have already started appearing in the paper.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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)
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.
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.
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'.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Continue reading "15 Journos Get Hechinger Fellowships To Report On Community Colleges" »
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Later today three big-time education journalists -- the Post's Jay Mathews, the LA Times' Beth Shuster, and USA Today's Greg Toppo -- are going to weigh in on what they think are the big stories of the past month, what got too much coverage (or not enough), and what the big stories are going to be in June.
But what do they know, anyway? you can get a head start by looking over the cheat sheet that I sent them -- a list of stories and blog posts -- and see what you think. Let us know, or listen along when I post the audio from the conversation later today and see what we missed.
Besides the spelling bee, that is...
A struggling school finds reason for hope CSM
By forming community partnerships, Hope High School in Rhode Island and other struggling public schools are showing signs of improvement.
Narrowing The Grade-School Standards Gap CBS Evening News
After five years of No Child Left Behind, it's time for a report card. What's evident is that schools are focusing on testing, but it isn't an even playing field, becuase each state defines "proficiency" differently
Most Americans want 'No Child' law left behind Scripps News
A survey of 1,010 American adults reveals that nearly two-thirds of them want Congress to rewrite or outright abolish the landmark No Child Left Behind Act that mandates nationwide testing of elementary students to determine whether public schools are performing adequately.
How Nebraska Leaves No Child Behind Time
Eschewing the Washington-created remedy, they have developed a homemade model called the School-based Teacher-led Assessment Reporting System (STARS) that has yielded impressive results, been praised by education scholars and attracted interest from Edward Kennedy, NCLB's Senate custodian.
Well, not really that big...
A Bush Brother Spreads His Vision NYT
Neil Bush, brother of the President of the United States, is behind a teaching method that is intended to bypass textbooks.
Putting His Wealth to Work To Improve Urban Schools Washington Post
He counts the Prince George's County school superintendent and D.C. school board president among his disciples. He has advised the D.C. mayor on cuts in school system bureaucracy.
With lawsuit looming, Spellings discusses No Child Left Behind Danbury News
US Education Secretary Margaret Spellings vigorously defended the No Child Left Behind Act today in Connecticut, which has filed a federal ...
Report Card: No Child Left Behind Good Morning America
So on its report card, ABC News gave No Child Left Behind's central element — testing students to meet standards — an A-. The standards themselves got a C. Equal money to schools got a D. Improving teacher quality earned a C. The handling of special needs and non-English speaking students got a C. Rescue plans for failing schools got a D.
Standardizing the Standards NYT
Testing has never been more important; inadequate annual progress toward “proficiency” triggers sanctions on schools. Yet testing has never been more suspect, either.
Charter Schools Look to Address Educational Woes NPR
Charter schools are an increasingly popular alternative to traditional public schools. Ted Hamory, co-founder of New City Public Schools, and Jennifer Stern, a partner in the Charter School Growth Fund, talk to Farai Chideya about whether these schools are living up to their hype.
Assessment Industry Faces a Test of Its Own Washington Post
One in an occasional series on the culture of testing.
Schools for Pregnant Girls in New York Will Close NYT
Created in the 1960s, when pregnant girls were such pariahs that they were forced to leave school until their babies were born, the city school system’s four pregnancy schools — or P-schools, as they are obliquely referred to — have lived on, their population dwindling to just 323 students from 1,500 in the late 1960s.
Clinton Pitches Pre-school Access for All NPR
Sen. Hillary Clinton said this week that if she's elected president, she will ensure access to high-quality pre-school for all families in the United States. Advocates say the effects of quality pre-school last far beyond elementary school.
City Schools To Tie Principals' Pay to Performance Pittsburgh Post Gazette
In what Superintendent Mark Roosevelt called a major part of his turnaround agenda, the district is doing away with annual step increases that principals received without regard to performance.
Merrifield's blog comments on education reform assailed Rocky Mountain News
Two Republican lawmakers who sponsored a bill to strengthen math and science standards this year are accusing the former House Education Committee chairman of taking cheap shots at them in a blog.
Over at the Mother Jones blog, Gary Moskowitz goes off on Spellings for shedding responsibility too easily and gives me a little shout-out for the Spellings-Gonzales comparison (despite the fact that I've been mis-spelling the AG's name for weeks now). Money quote: "In the first 30 seconds of her Daily Show interview last night, [Spellings] laughingly deferred Jon Stewart's joke about Lunchables to agriculture officials, and Stewart's food pyramid question to Health and Human Services. But her "hands are tied" arguments are wearing thin."
Integration compromise is reached Omaha.com
Lawmakers took major strides Monday toward creating a metro-area school integration plan that would settle lingering disagreements and keeps the Omaha Public Schools intact.
Literacy Push Starts Earlier Washington Post
By pushing for all children to read before the start of first grade, Montgomery school leaders have embraced an emerging goal in public education. In essence, kindergarten has become the new first grade.
Immigration Raid Leaves Sense of Dread in Hispanic Students NYT
After a sweep yields 49 arrests in one Minnesota community, students head to class fearful their parents will be targeted next by government agents.
Role of Teacher-Coaches Grows Teacher Magazine
Eager to help more students pass the state's standardized math test, some school districts are turning to instructional coaches to give teachers real-time advice as they try to sharpen students' skills.
Here are some questions you might ask Secretary Spellings tonight on the show:
In an all-out brawl between you and Secretary of State Condi Rice, who do you think would win, what is your preferred fighting style, and can I watch?
How come that guy Alberto is getting such a hard time from Congress while you're sharing laughs and brownie recipes? Is it because he's short, or just because he's Mexican?
So basically Reading First is being fixed and you've got a commission studying student loans, so we shouldn't worry or anything, right?
What are we to make of the fact that you are such a big fan of American Idol, a show in which talent matters little and there is a shocking lack of accountability?
People have said you use your charm and pleasantness to defuse tense situations and deflect criticism. Is that fair to say? If so, who do you think is hotter, Kennedy or Miller? Hey, did you just wink at me?
Always looking for vivid details to open and close their otherwise mundane education stories, reporters and their editors often glom onto little things that may or may not really make much of a difference to students' lives and school improvement. In this reporter's notebook, NPR's Larry Abramson comes clean about his own tendencies towards snap judgments and first impressions, and the effects reporters' feelings have on their coverage. He compares his impressions of two New Orleans schools, one favorable and the other not so favorable, and wonders how much his first impressions really matter and whether they cloud his ability to see beyond things like how children are greeted or whether there's toilet paper in the bathroom. If only everyone else -- reporters, researchers, and policymakers -- were as honest. Or at least that's my impression.
Parents of Disabled Child Win Ruling NYT
The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that parents of disabled children do not have to hire lawyers to sue school districts when they attempt to ensure that their children's special needs are adequately met.
Education put to the humor test USA Today
With twin scandals nipping at her heels, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings tonight appeals directly to America's youth: She appears on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
Documentation for the Undocumented? Inside Higher Ed
Immigration reform package would offer path toward permanent legal status to college students lacking residency rights in U.S.
College Presidents Campaign Against "Misleading" US News Rankings Washington Post
A group of college presidents, fed up with the annual U.S. News & World Report list of top colleges, has begun pressuring colleagues to limit the information they provide to the magazine and eliminate any mention of the list when promoting their schools.
Evolution Opponent Is in Line for Schools Post NYT
A member of the Kansas school board who supported its efforts against teaching evolution is running unopposed for the National Association of State Boards of Education.
What If Every Child Had A Laptop? Sixty Minutes
Are Intel and other computer giants helping or hurting the worldwide One Laptop initiative?
Fiscal Chill Puts Squeeze on Several States Ed Week
In all, 11 states were taking in fewer dollars than they had expected as of February of this year.
Schools can't agree on what to do with twins Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Dawn Lynch had mixed emotions when she found out administrators at McClellan Elementary School had assigned her twin sons to separate first-grade classes without consulting her first.
The Index: Why They Are the Best Newsweek
The Challenge Index list of America's best high schools, this year with a record 1,258 names, began as a tale of just two schools.
Africa’s Storied Colleges, Jammed and Crumbling NYT
Far from being a repository of the continent’s hopes for the future, Africa’s decrepit universities have become hotbeds of discontent.
GAO report: Schools need more training on handling emergencies USA Today
Eight years after the Columbine High School shootings and nearly six years after Sept. 11, 2001, many of the nation's public schools are short on both the equipment and expertise they'll need in case of a full-scale terrorist attack, natural disaster or biohazard emergency, a government report says.
Principals Act in Plan to Reduce Bureaucracy NYT
Chancellor Joel I. Klein is challenging New York City’s public school principals to free themselves as much as possible from outside oversight under a new reorganization.
Bullying teen gets public punishment MSNBC
A seventh-grade girl got suspended from school for a week for bullying another student. Then Mom got involved, and things got worse for Miasha Williams.
See below for NAEP and Reading First stories.
The Black And White Of "Ho" Culture Washington Post
In a new twist in American race relations, a federal court has ruled that a white teacher in a predominantly African-American school was subjected to a racially hostile workplace.
Positive Outlook Aids New Orleans School Recovery NPR
Students and teachers at a New Orleans charter school damaged by Hurricane Katrina and, later, a tornado have pushed ahead by focusing on the positive.
In this high school class, it is rocket science Christian Science Monitor
Brett Williams has his students build a rocket each year as a hands-on way to learn science and engineering - and they've set flight records.
Educators Repeatedly Flunk Required Exams Fox News
Testing is a part of life. Most professions require some sort of test and you only get so many tries. But a News Station Investigation shows - when it comes to teaching or running a school, for thousands of North Texas educators its try, try and try again…and again.
Federal Math, Science Programs Faulted EdWeek
Currently, only a small number of math and science programs –– 10 out of 115 programs and individual projects reviewed –– hold themselves to "scientifically rigorous evaluations" that have produced measurable results.
After a short but successful stint covering national stories, fast-moving former US News education reporter Elizabeth Weiss Green has now made the move to the New York Sun, where her first story has just appeared (Klein Relieves Some Critics' Concerns About Arab School). She's going to focus on NYC reform efforts, competing against the big boys at the Times, etc. Congrats, condolences, as usual.
Study Finds College-Prep Courses in High School Leave Many Students Lagging NYT
Only a quarter of high school students who take the core courses are well prepared for college, the study says.
Romney hearts No Child Left Behind First Look MSNBC
Romney was just asked to name a policy shift he's made that MIGHT not be popular with the GOP base. Romney named his support for No Child Left Behind. (To be honest, we didn't know he supported it.)
House Freshmen Could Be Pivotal on NCLB Renewal Ed Week
Some opposed the law on campaign trail, but have refined their views.
Former AP education writer Anjetta McQueen is leaving the Brookings Institute, where she worked in communications, to head out to LA and be a lawyer. She's joining an LA firm that represents unions in the motion picture industry, journalism, and the public sector (yes, including teachers). After leaving AP, McQueen worked at the NEA and then Brookings. Congrats. Condolences. Etc.
Affirmative Action For the Obama Girls? Washington Post
Barack Obama doesn't think anyone should cut his two daughters any slack when they apply to college -- not because of their race, at least. Via EdNews.org.
U. of Texas Fires Officer Over Tie to Loan Company NYT
The University of Texas has fired the director of financial aid at its Austin campus for improper conduct.
NCLB Rules on ‘Quality’ Fall Short EdWeek
Advocates vary in how they suggest the teacher-quality mandate of the No Child Left Behind Act has fallen short.
Rank This, U.S. News LA Times
Under the headline "Rank this, U.S. News," Trinity University President Patricia McGuire explains why her university is boycotting U.S. New & World Report's annual college rankings.
Two suspended over fake attack on students AP
During the last night of a weeklong trip to a state park, staff members convinced 69 sixth-grade students from Scales Elementary School that there was a gunman on the loose. (Watch student recount incident, mother react 
)
First they outsourced manufacturing. Then call centers. Then tutoring. Now someone wants to outsource news coverage (Pasadena Paper May Outsource 'Local' Coverage). What next? Think tanks. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Educating the Education Secretary NYT
“It’s not our fault.” That’s what Education Secretary Margaret Spellings seemed to say while testifying before Congress last week about her department’s failure to halt the payoffs, kickbacks and general looting of the public treasury by a lending company that collected nearly $300 million in undeserved subsidies.
The Teachers Who Cheat San Francisco Chronicle
Some help students during standards test -- or fix answers later -- and California's safeguards may leave more breaches unreported.
Parents withdraw students from state tests Scripps Howard News Service
Albert attends a program for hearing-impaired children at Loma Vista School in Ventura, Calif. Last year, he and his classmates sat through six days of tests, only to find out months later that their scores wouldn’t be counted.
The Sting of the Bee May Not Prove Helpful Washington Post
Despite their rising popularity, some teachers say that spelling competitions aren't good instructional tools.
Teachers stage fake gunman attack MSNBC
The mock attack was intended as a learning experience. Parents were not amused.
I heard last week that EdWeek associate editor Jeff Archer recently left for a new job at New Leaders for New Schools. Speaking of new jobs, former Philly Enquirer star Dale Mezzacappa was walking around at EWA with the Philly Notebook on her badge, signaling that she's likely to be doing more work for them in the near future. I had the pleasure of meeting reporter Amy Waldman down in NOLA, so I assume that means she's working on a followup to her terrific Atlantic piece. I also heard that somebody is working on a biography of Paul Vallas, or maybe it's a ghosted autobiography. I also ran into Tom Toch, who said that a new piece from him would soon be coming out in The Washington Monthly. Last but not least, I hear that one can't-be-named-yet national reporter is leaving the beat to cover the NYC schools. Crazy, or brilliant.
New Figures Show High Dropout Rate Washington Post
First lady Laura Bush and national education leaders yesterday unveiled an online database that promises to provide parents across much of the nation the first accurate appraisal of how many students graduate from high school on time in each school system.
For Community Colleges, 'Seduction' in Marketing? Washington Post
Dear Extra Credit: I am writing to tell you about what I call the Montgomery College Seduction.
McKeon Bill to Stress Tutoring CA Signal
McKeon's bill is part of an effort in each party on the House Education and Labor committee to introduce legislation reflecting their core priorities for the final No Child Left Behind reauthorization bill.
Continue reading "The Equity Gadfly Blast -- It's STEM Mania!" »
Copying School Plan a Mistake, Fenty Says Washington Post
D.C. Mayor says the administration made a mistake in lifting sections of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., school system's "strategic plan."
Charter chain shows results, ambitions Dallas Morning News
The preferred term is "promotion ceremony," for the record. But whatever you do, don't call what's about to happen at KIPP TRUTH Academy an "eighth-grade graduation."
Psychiatrists, Children and Drug Industry's Role NYT
When Anya Bailey developed an eating disorder after her 12th birthday, her mother took her to a psychiatrist at the University of Minnesota who prescribed a powerful antipsychotic drug called Risperdal.
English Language Learners as Pawns in the School System’s Overhaul NYT
The transformation of a large Bronx high school into small schools has meant the end of adequate English as a Second Language classes for hundreds of students.
Federal Student Loan Chief Will Step Down Washington Post
The head of the U.S. Education Department's student loan office announced her resignation yesterday amid mounting criticism of the agency's oversight of the loan industry.
Government Slow To Address School Bus Emissions CNN.com
Day in and day out, children across the U.S. are riding to school on aging buses, breathing what some activists say is a dangerous brew of pollutants up to five times dirtier than the air outside.
Paying Brave Teachers What They're Worth Washington Post (Mathews)
Eighteen award-winning teachers have come up with a performance-pay plan for teachers. It is full of good ideas...So why am I having trouble accepting the whole package?
Debates as entertainment? Washington Times
The hallmark legislation of the Bush administration, currently up for reauthorization, is No Child Left Behind. Yet, not a single question on No Child Left Behind.
There are two great fac t-check sites out there, but we need a third.
The first, FactCheck.org, is already up and running fact-checking the presidential candidates' claims and ideas. Amazing what those guys try and get away with if they think you're not going to know the difference. For this, the site just won 2 Webby "People's Voice" awards in the categories of politics and government categorie.
And now there's a new site, FactCheckED.org, because kids need access to accurate and unbiased information, too. It lists official sources, expert views, and flags potentially biased and unreliable sources.
The third site -- the one that doesn't quite exist yet but gosh and golly if it did -- is called EdCheck.org, and it does exactly the same thing, only focused on sifting through political and advocacy group spin from an independent and unbiased point of view. Come on, someone -- steal this idea.
So to speak...
Obama takes US auto industry to task, offers help Detroit Free Press
He said he would add funding to help with the No Child Left Behind school accountability law, increase block grant funding to cities and organize nonprofits to build “innovative mixed-income housing.”
Teen arrested for essay is reinstated MSNBC.com
A high school senior arrested for writing a violent essay for an English class can return to school and will be allowed to graduate with his class, his attorney says.
To raise an alarm, use cellphones? Christian Science Monitor
Colleges weigh text messaging as a tool to warn students of danger, in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings.
50 Years Later, Little Rock Can’t Escape Race NYT
An Arkansas school district is still riven by racial conflict, and some question how much progress has been made.
Whistle-Blower [Jon Oberg] on Student Aid Is Vindicated NYT
The whistle-blower’s story opens a window, lawmakers say, onto how the Bush administration resisted calls to improve oversight of the student loan industry.
Lieberman: More education funding needed Ct Post
For 100 percent of the nation's students to be proficient in reading and math as required by the No Child Left Behind law, the federal government has to cough up 100 percent of the funds it promised when it enacted the standards.
An Angry Mother's Battle for Information Washington Post
Many parents who complain about information blackouts after they report a problem with a teacher soon give up efforts to learn the truth. Not Dawn Henderson.
Torn From Parents, a Top Speller Vents His Anger, Letter by Letter NYT
Kunal Sah hopes that winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee will help bring his parents back from India.
Educators re-examine who belongs in special ed classes AP
Many children in special education classes may not belong there, the government says. A new policy is aimed at intervening early with intensive teaching to give struggling students a chance to succeed in regular classrooms and escape the "special ed" label.
Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops NYT
A handful of schools are abandoning one-to-one computing programs as educationally empty — and worse.
Legal fight on vouchers brewing Salt Lake Tribune
It's doubtful but not impossible that Utah will have a functioning school voucher program by fall after the Utah Board of Education on Thursday opted to seek legal counsel before adopting rules to set up the program.
Sometimes, the first-day stories don't get all of the story -- or get it right -- and then everyone else jumps on the bandwagon. Oops.
Teacher cleared of wrongdoing in urination incident CNN.com
"Less than five minutes into the class period, the student urinated into a bottle and discarded it in a trash can," the statement said. "Shocked at the student's actions, the teacher told the student to dispose of the bottle in the restroom and wash his hands."
M.I.T. Dean Who Resigned Has a Degree After All NYT
Marilee Jones, the former admissions dean at M.I.T. who resigned after admitting she fabricated her academic credentials, was awarded a degree in biology in 1973 from the College of Saint Rose in Albany.
UPDATE: More information is coming in now -- including that the change involves layoffs at EPE, most of them from the Teacher Mag side of things -- and that there will still be a couple of hard copy issues.
UPDATE 2: Hard to find any specifics on the number of layoffs from EPE, but I'm told it's about 15 folks who got pinkslipped. Eduwonk laments the situation but hasn't yet announced the new Ed Sector version of Ed Next that many would like to see.
In the hotel lobby: A clean-cut guy reading "How To Bulletproof School Choice," reporters and PR folks wandering through looking for food, EWA staffers running around setting things up (apparently the Governator is coming, along with Spellings, Art Levine, Eli Broad and Roy Romer), someone doing a phone interview in a loud voice (we can all hear you).
As with most conferences, there are two or three subplots and strands -- Board members meeting to discuss the organization and plan for its future, reporters new and old learning about education issues, and PR and communications folks (called "associates" here) learning how to talk to reporters. Me, I'm here to learn how to write -- can't anyone teach me how to do that? The smart and ambitious among us are also doing interviews and visiting schools.
Loan Firms Set to Regain Access to U.S. Student Data Wash Post
The U.S. Department of Education moved yesterday to restore loan industry access to a national database with confidential information on millions of students, two weeks after it was shut down amid allegations of data mining and privacy violations.
Maine Proposal Requires Students Apply to College Bangor Daily News
After Maine became the first state to use SATs instead of the state's own tests as an academic measuring stick for high school juniors, education officials expected to see a slip in scores. But they noticed that the drop was less than expected –– suggesting that more Maine youths than previously thought had college potential.
Most Va. Tech students skipping finals MSNBC.com
Finals at Virginia Tech begin on Friday, but most students aren’t buried in books. With the campus still reeling from the rampage that left 33 people dead, priorities have changed. “Classes seem so unimportant,” one student said.
Yield Documents, Lawmaker Tells White House NYT
Steve Forde, a spokesman for the committee’s Republicans said, “Overly broad and politically motivated fishing expeditions will not restore faith in these programs — programs that continue helping millions of students learn to read and attend college, even to this day.”
Vallas on deck in New Orleans Philadelphia Inquirer
His hiring as schools chief could come this week. By Susan Snyder Paul Vallas is set to be named superintendent of yet another struggling urban school district - hurricane-ravaged New Orleans - probably by the end of the week, sources say.
Spellings Called to Testify About Reading First Complaints EdWeek
After the first hearing...some observers wondered why the secretary and other senior department officials hadn’t also been called to testify.
Harry Potter and the magic of reading Christian Science Monitor
With the final book due in July, teachers assess the impact the popular series has had on children's learning.
Eduwonk says (jokingly, I think), "I don't see why this is so complicated that we need a guide, it's all about the kids you know." No word yet from the NEA or AFT, though I'm imagining there'll be some criticism of substance or tone.
Such as they are...
Warnings on Student Lenders Unheeded Washington Post
The Bush administration killed a proposal to clamp down on the student loan industry six years ago following allegations that companies sought to shower universities with financial favors to help generate business, according to documents and interviews with government officials.
Montessori schools look to future LA Times
The methods are being used in a growing number of public schools, currently more than 300 in districts from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.
Want to know what big-time education reporters are thinking about -- what they think's interesting, and what they know and don't know? Check out the audio "Month In Review" for April 2007, featuring Greg Toppo from USA Today, Stephanie Banchero from the Chicago Tribune, and Jay Mathews from the Washington Post. There are some things everyone agrees on -- the drama of Virginia Tech, for example -- but many areas of difference and disagreement. What was the big story of the month, who were the month's winners and losers, what stories got over- and under-reported, and what's coming up for the month of May? Listen in and find out -- it's great background listening (mp3). The sound quality is rough and my hosting remains ridiculously bad, but the ideas come through. Thanks to all for participating.
The Education Writers Association is holding its annual conference in LA later this week, and will even post blog entries from the event. Yes, EWA is blogging. In fact, there’ll be lots about new media and multi-media packages, along with appearance by EdSec Spellings, Eli Broad, and new reports from EdSource, Art Levine on education research, and info on the student loan scandal. I'll be there, trying once more to learn how to report and write like a real journalist.
Hillary Clinton Critical of NCLB Before State Teachers Union EdWeek
Sen. Clinton voted in favor of the No Child Left Behind law in 2001. As a formal presidential candidate since January, she has yet to release any detailed proposals for overhauling the law, which is due for reauthorization this year.
No Child Left Behind foes fear $600M loss AZ Daily Star
Lawmakers agreed Wednesday that while it might be a good idea for Arizona to opt out of mandates required by the No Child Left Behind act, giving up more than half a billion dollars in federal funding is not a good idea.
Reports On School Crimes Are Rare Washington Post
In this era of heightened concern about school safety, few Washington area school systems regularly report school violence.
Continue reading "The News Fly Express: Reader's Digest Version" »
Report Undercuts Effects of Educational Software NPR
A new report from the Department of Education says that most education software does not boost test scores. But districts that have spent large amounts of money are not ready to give up on it.
Nutrition standards urged for foods sold in school CNN.com
The IOM recommendation covers items considered competitive with those foods, such as items sold in vending machines and other food and drinks sold in the school but not under the federal program, an area often profitable for the schools.
Cuomo: States Will Pursue Student Loan Fiasco NPR
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo told lawmakers that if the federal government doesn't step in to regulate the student loan industry, the states will. Cuomo has persuaded 4 major lenders and 16 colleges and universities to sign a code-of-conduct pact.
Project Wants More Talk About Education Wash Post
Two of the world's wealthiest charitable foundations are bankrolling a $60 million initiative aimed at making education an issue in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Teen to graduate college after just 1 year MSNBC
As a student at Lahser High School, Matisse had exhausted the curriculum by her junior year. Between the exams she passed on eight advanced placement courses and the eight classes she took at Oakland Community College, she had amassed enough credits to enter the university last fall as a junior.
Survivors of Shootings Face Long Road to Normalcy PBS
As classes resumed at Virginia Tech this week, survivors of the shootings had to try to get back into a normal routine, which has proven difficult for past communities affected by shootings, such as Columbine High School.
Billionaires Start $60 Million Schools Effort NYT
Eli Broad and Bill Gates are joining forces for a $60 million foray into politics in an effort to vault education high onto the agenda of the 2008 presidential race.
House passes bill to increase math and science teachers CNN.com
The bill, which passed 389-22, would authorize more than $600 million through 2012 for scholarships and stipends for college students studying math and science in preparation for teaching careers.
Wash. music teacher is top of her class USA Today
Peterson's selection is a victory for advocates of traditional teacher certification — she is the second National Board Certified teacher in a row to become Teacher of the Year, and the fourth in seven years.
Bush Presses Schools Plan During Trip to New York NYT
President Bush traveled to Harlem to seek common cause with the rival party, on its home turf, on his signature education initiative, “No Child Left Behind.”
According to this interview in Editor and Publisher (Birmingham Pulitzer: Prize Honors 'Basic Daily Reporting We All Do'), Brett Blackledge's community colleges story was original submitted in the local news category, then moved to public service, and then won in the category of investigative journalism. More than that, however, the story reports that Blackledge views his work as the "bread-and-butter stuff" of everyday daily newspaper reporting. Someone invite this guy to the EWA conference in LA next month. I want some of what he's got.
UPDATE: Dallas Morning News reporter and columnist Josh Benton points out that EWA members like Dan Golden have won Pulitzers in the past, and that the Blackledge stories only tied for second in the EWA investigative reporting category this year. "Finally, empirical proof that EWA has higher standards," quips Benton.
"No Child" law and state reform Seattle Times
By the snail's pace on reauthorization of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, Congress appears flummoxed over how best to maintain strong academic expectations and state flexibility.
If wired right, computers do belong in classrooms LA Times
A buzzed-about U.S. Department of Education study released this month found that some popular software programs schools use to teach math and reading are pretty worthless.
Colleges should be more accountable for new teachers Providence Journal
Without a practical relationship, how can a college stay current with the needs of actual schools, districts and children? They can’t. They get incredibly out of touch and teach a lot of theory and methodology that has no practical application.
Meeting Brings No Headway in 'No Child' Stalemate Washington Post
U.S. education officials and several Virginia school superintendents met yesterday to discuss tests for students with limited English skills under the No Child Left Behind law but made no progress toward solving a standoff over what the local educators call an unacceptable federal mandate.
Negotiators Say Sallie Mae to Be Sold for $25 Billion NYT
The nation’s largest education lender agreed to be sold to JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America and two private equity firms.
Textbook scandal reaches Congress USA Today
A slow-motion scandal surrounding a federal multibillion-dollar reading program has its first congressional hearing this week, but it remains to be seen whether the scrutiny will shed any new light on a complex, contradictory tale of textbooks, tests and allegations of federal arm-twisting.
Kennedy Wants Lenders Blocked From Data Washington Post
The chairman of the Senate education committee urged the Bush administration yesterday to block student loan companies from accessing a national database that holds confidential information on tens of millions of students.
My contributions, such as they were, included the observation that think tank research is pushing out academic research -- and its strategies for reaching reporters (embargoed reports, conference calls, outreach, more concrete language) might be a good model for researchers who want to get the word out. I also pointed out that there are relatively few education researchers who blog about their work, leaving the field to the think tanks and the handful of media-savvy folks we hear from over and over.
Still, the one thought that keeps coming back to me is how powerful it would be if a group of researchers like AERA came out with some consensus findings every year -- like the international group of scientists did about global warming recently -- so that reporters and policymakers didn't have to hash through individual studies on their own. Jack Jennings mentioned something about this during another session I did this morning, which I'll write about soon.
College freshman not ready, study says San Diego Union-Tribune
Professors believe high school teachers should cover fewer topics with more depth to prepare students for college.
Financial Aid Officers Benefit from Student Loans, Probe Reveals PBS
Financial aid officers at several high-profile colleges were put on leave after a probe revealed that they were receiving stock options, kickbacks and all-expense-paid trips from a preferred student loan lender.
Troubled Schools Turn Around by Shrinking NPR
Whatever the odds, Northwestern High School and others like it must embrace change. Baltimore hopes this will be the last year for its remaining comprehensive high schools.
DNA shows Larry Birkhead is baby's dad Boston Globe
"I told you so!" the late Playboy Playmate's former boyfriend said Tuesday upon emerging from a closed court hearing.
This recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune (A lesson in how to kill a school) is a great example of what I feel like I see all the time -- stories told almost entirely from the point of view of adults (and in particular teachers). Much as teachers' perspectives are important, wouldn't it be great -- and all the more compelling -- if we learned in this story (and others) how the kids who had to change school were doing, or what their parents felt about the changes?
Federal Official in Student Loans Held Loan Stock NYT
A senior official at the Education Department sold more than $100,000 in shares in a student loan company even as he was helping oversee lenders.
Merit-based Rewards for Teachers Pushed on Hill Washington Times
Rewarding effective teachers with more pay has bipartisan support on Capitol Hill as about a dozen House members pushed a bill last week that would help states and localities set up merit–based pay systems for educators.
Subtracting a 'gifted' gap in math education Christian Science Monitor
Project M3 steers often-overlooked students from low income and minority backgrounds into advanced math classes.
Testing service cancels launch of new exam AP
The makers of the GRE graduate school entrance exam have scrapped an extensive makeover of the test, citing concerns they wouldn't be able to accommodate enough students at test centers.
Battle to Win Top Colleges' Nod Escalating WashPost
Beka Badila, a senior at the Oakcrest School in McLean, did everything she was supposed to do to get into a good college.
Teacher disciplined for clothespin justice MSNBC
An Ohio substitute teacher’s tool for silencing chatty kindergartners — clothespins — doesn’t wash with school officials.
Testing rules to be eased Gannett
After months of pressure from states, the Bush administration said Wednesday that schools would be able to administer easier and more-suitable tests to certain students with disabilities who have struggled on traditional exams.
NCLB changes will allow more alternate tests AP
The change, outlined in final regulations Wednesday, would triple the number of children who can take tests that are easier than those given to most students under the 2002 law.
Chicago School Innovates, Rewrites Rules NPR
In the push for innovative schools, one Chicago principal has thrown out the rule book. Kindergartners go to school with 12th-graders. And the older kids teach the younger ones.
$500 Million Pledged to Fight Childhood Obesity NYT
The $500 million public health initiative by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is one of the largest ever tried by a private philanthropy.
Software's benefits on tests in doubt MSNBC
Educational tools, a $2 billion-a-year industry, has no significant impact on student performance.
Substitute Teacher Tells History Firsthand NYT
Arnold Blume, 81, has carved out a niche at the intersection of teaching and oral history.
It may come as a surprise to some that news coverage of particular topics -- science, international news, education -- is commonly subsidized by foundations and other organizations seeking additional coverage for a topic that might otherwise get lost in the shuffle.
Such is the case with the new Lumina Foundation-funded fellowship program for education reporters covering community colleges that's recently been announced by the Hechinger Institute (here) for 15 interested journalists that includes a $7,500 stipend for some participants.
No doubt, coverage of community colleges is in many ways often inadequate. The trick, of course, is to beef up coverage without losing the critical eye that provides new information and insights. "Our mission is neither to tout community colleges nor to condemn them," said Richard Lee Colvin, Director of the Hechinger Institute. "Rather, it is to help journalists tell the terrific stories yet to be told about this uniquely American educational enterprise."
Effectiveness of No Child Left Behind Debated PBS
President Bush's No Child Left Behind education law, passed in 2002 to help close the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students, is set to expire this year. Two education administrators discuss the law and give their views on its effectiveness.
D.C. Schools Takeover Gets Initial Approval Washington Post
The D.C. Council granted preliminary approval yesterday for a dramatic shift in power for the city's public schools, giving the mayor control over the budget, key administrative functions and the blueprint for modernizing every dilapidated building in the 55,000-student system.
Explaining No Child Left Behind Arizona Republic
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is visiting with Valley politicians and business leaders today after visiting Monday with first-graders at Mesa Arts Academy, a high performing K-8 charter school. Via EdNews.
A Great Year for Ivy League Schools, but Not So Good for Applicants to Them NYT
It was the most selective spring in modern memory at America’s elite schools, according to college admissions officers.
Based in part on an excellent and disturbing four-part series in the Orlando Sentinel last week, reform may be coming to Florida's charter efforts (Expect charter reforms, state says). Among the reforms that are being considered, according to the article, are online reports showing the academic performance and annual audits of charters, strengthening academic and financial standards that charter schools must meet, and bans on operating deficits.
Click here for news about how humorist David Sedaris may have done more than exaggerate his supposedly nonfiction stories, including one about how an elementary school in Raleigh set up a program "cynically designed to identify and cure young homosexuals by erasing their lisps."
Apparently it's not true, and the New Republic published a story about it last week called "This American Lie: A midget guitar teacher, a Macy's elf, and the truth about David Sedaris." Not that The New Republic has always been so great on facts.
There's a new Hechinger in town, or at least new to me. He's John Hechinger, who's been covering education for the Wall Street Journal for two years now (John Hechinger) and has already won some awards for his coverage.
If the name sounds familiar, that's because the Hechinger Institute at Columbia University runs seminars and briefings for education reporters, and is named after a famous NYT education editor, Fred Hechinger. Apparently, John's father. Nice.
