Here are my new coordinates:
New URL: here
New RSS feed: here
Master URL: here (if you ever can't find the site)
Contact: thisweekineducation@gmail.com
Thanks, and so long.
Best Of The Week
Funders "Heart" TFA
A Pack Of Dogs, A Fire Hydrant, And A Powerful Lobby
Urban Education
Unionized Charter Schools Headed East
A "National" Test For Urban Districts
How Cash Incentives Really Work
Setbacks For NYC "Incentives" Guru Roland Fryer
PLUS: New York City Department Of Education Responds
Bush Administration
No Crony Left Behind
Spellings Press Event Tomorrow May Be Faked
Like Imus, Edison Schools Is Coming Back
Campaign 2008
Obama Gets Tough On NCLB
Tensions Within The Universal Preschool Crowd
Teachers & Teaching
Follow The Bouncing Ball
Wisconsin NCLB Protest Teacher Gets Reprimand Letter
Research, Politics, and -- Yes -- Personal Experience
School Life
Cupcake Parties Are Killing Our Children
Cool Ways To Prepare For Saturday's SAT Exams
Creepy Congressman Wants To Eliminate Digital Divide For All The Wrong Reasons
Media Watch
Dropout Mania
Vivid WritingAbout Urban Education
Dirty Tricks Against NYC Education Critic
Brittanic Blogs
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!
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"
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.
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.
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
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!
Campaign 2008
Educating Elected Officials Through Their Pocketbooks
Richardson Slammed For Misrepresenting US Achievement
The Great Presidential Mashup "Cheat Sheet"
Bush Administration
Spellings Playing For A Stalemate?
Neil Bush's School Scam: The "Other" USDE Scandal
Kanye West Song Might Make Good Anthem For Ed In '08
NCLB News
How The NEA Ended Up So Opposed To Miller/McKeon
All Children Shall Be Proficient By, Well, Whenever
"No Able-Bodied Student Left Behind"
Teachers & Teaching
Short Boys Underestimated By Teachers
Teachers With Richer Kids Earn More Under Performance Pay
Mahatma Kozol
Foundation Follies
George Miller Needs New Friends...Like The Ed Sector
Real [Education] World, DC
Lang In For Schaffer At PEN
On The Hill
Having Done So Well On The War, Dems Turn To Domestic Issues
Why Did Miller Include Merit Pay In His Draft?
Are Unions Over-Reacting, Or Does Miller Proposal Over-Reach?
Media Watch
EdWeek.org Nominated For Online Journalism Award
The Hoff Loves All His Sources Equally
Secretary Right & The Hoff
Best Of The Blogs
Wait, Didn't I Read About That Somewhere Else?
Blogger Calls Out House Education Chair
Don't Name Your Blogs Like I Have
School Life
Colbert Can't Shake Klein On Paying Kids For Grades
Principal Bans Reporter, Then Apologizes
Lazy Teacher Meant To Show Star Wars, Showed Porn Instead
Campaign 2008
Democrats For Education Reform -- An "Emily's List" For Education?
NCLB 2.0
Editorial Responses Criticize Miller Draft
New NCLB Bill "Isn't Wonkery," Says Chairman Miller; Criticisms Are "Hokum"
Handy-Dandy NCLB Reauthorization Resources
Spellings Letter; Teacher Quality Draft Later Today
Bush Administration
Can Spellings Stay Focused?
Spellings Urged Early Rumsfeld Firing, Book Says
Teachers & Teaching
Walkthroughs Finished? Learning Objectives Posted?
NCLB, Like Shanker, Stronger On Standards Than Teacher Quality
What Next For Teacher Quality?
Media Watch
"This American Life" Does Foster Care
Magazines Lag Behind Papers On Web, Despite Increased Use Of Blogs
Individual School Profiles & Discussions Coming To Newspaper Websites
Rounding Up The Education Titles
Urban Education
Contrasting Views Of New Orleans
Restructuring Works In Chicago...But Teachers Pay The Price
School Life
First Days Of School For Angelina Jolie's Little Boy
Death Rates, Uniforms, Paying Kids, & Donated Hair
Objectifying Teachers
NCLB News
Conservative Scholar Opposes Multiple Measures
Bush Administration
NCLB "Coming Through," Says Departing Rove
Karl Rove Still Spinning The News On His Way Out The Door
Urban Education
Next Stop For Unionized Charter Schools Might Be Chicago
Media Watch
Reading Recovery Coverage: A Scandal Going On All Around Me
School Life
Exploding Playground Wood Chips ... And More
NCLB News
More Folks Like NCLB Than Like Their Local Schools, Says New Poll
Putting Freshmen In The Spotlight, Putting NCLB Under
Is Miller Breaking Up With Pro-NCLB Groups?
What Testing Guru Bill Sanders Really Meant About Multiple Measures
Teachers And Teaching
Report Praises Chicago Transfer Policy, Slams Evaluation
"Tough Liberal" --Friday Reading For Steve Barr & Others
Unions & Teachers & School Improvement
Urban Education
The War Within The Charter Movement: Quality Vs. Choice
Schoolchildren Narrowly Escape Bridge Collapse
Parents, Pedophiles, & Places For Their Kids
Media Watch
Job Opening In Dallas
Inane "I Like Turtles" Video Goes National
Scribbled Notes On A Cocktail Napkin: DFER Happy Hour
Posts Of The Week
How Steve Barr Is Not Like The Other Charter Show Ponies
Teaching Parents To Play With Their Kids: What If We're Wrong?
USDE
EdSec Wants More "Pocket Protector" Skills
The Two Margaret Spellings
On The Hill
How Congressional Earmarks Work
Senate Higher Ed Bill Endangers Quick NCLB Reauthorization
Our Hottie Is So Much Hotter Than Their Hotties
NCLB News
EXCLUSIVE: Miller Reauthorization Memo To Freshmen
Turning Up The Heat On "Multiple Measures"
Who's For, Against Letting Students Transfer To Better Schools
Campaign 2008
Obama Advocates Sex Ed For Kindergarteners, Does He?
What Anderson Cooper Should Have Asked The Candidates
Video NCLB Excerpts From Last Night's Debate
Urban Education
Weighted Student Funding (Among Other Things) Collapses In NYC
Taking Back Mayoral Control: It Ain't Going To Happen
Public Prep: A Public School With A Private Feel
Media Watch
Post Education Writer Doesn't Last Long
Comparing Coverage Of The "Curriculum Narrowing" Report
Former Washington Post Reporter Looks Into Testing Effects
Little Action, Lots Of Blogging
Business Of Education
Reader Rabbit Takes Over Publishing
School Life
StateTris: earn Where The States Are, Waste Time
Let's Simpsonize The Education World
Site News
What Your Free Daily Email Would Look Like -- If You Signed Up For One
Continue reading "What Your Free Daily Email Would Look Like -- If You Signed Up For One" »
Education Department
Spellings & Rove, Sitting In A Tree? As If.
Running Out Of July
NCLB News
Dem Groups Concerned About Miller NCLB Bill
Civil Rights & Business Groups Join Together To Fight For NCLB
Opting Out Of Highly Qualified Teachers
NCLB Implementation Roundup
Convenient Arguments: Clarence Page
Teachers & Teaching
University Of Chicago Calls Out Rest Of Higher Education Community
Louisiana Gives Teacher Mercedes Benz
Campaign 2008
Dems & Vouchers
More Kids Killed In Chicago Than Soldiers In Iraq
School Life
Dutch Kids Help Build Viking Ship Made Of Ice Cream Sticks
Bootylicious Teachers & Their Flip-Flops
Urban Ed
Charters Get Their Own Search Engine...iPhone Next.
Accidents: Yet Another Reason To Get Rid Of Summer Break
Cheating In The News
Media Watch
Merrow Team Wins Third Emmy Nomination
NY Times (and Balto Sun) Break Harry Potter Embargo
Best Of The Blogs
Now Blogging NCLB: The Hoff
Site News
Daily E-Mail Updates Now Available
First, ditch that bookmark -- you never remember to check it anyway. Go to the first yellow box right under my picture and sign up for a weekly email summary of what's been on this site. At least that way you won't be entirely in the dark.
Want something more frequent? Go to the second yellow box and sign up there -- you'll get a daily report on whatever crap material that I've posted during the day -- just like the SmartBrief or DA Daily, only later in the day and smarter.
Want to know the second it happens? Click the little orange "Get RSS" box (pictured) that's a little farther down the right-hand side, and "subscribe" to this feed. There's no money involved, it just means that the little RSS gnomes will send new content from this blog to your email or RSS reader without you having to do a thing. (Sort of like a Google News Alert, for those of you who do those.)
The Big Picture
Where's Our Michael Moore?
Capturing The Current School Reform Moment ... Down To The "Granular" Level
On The Hill
Fresh Off The FritzWire
Burr & Gregg Deliver The First Volley
....Or They Could Introduce NCLB Reauthorization Language
The Week Ahead (July 9-13)
NCLB News
Burr & Gregg Deliver The First Volley
Addressing NCLB's "Reverse Lake Wobegon Syndrome"
Urban Education
Payzant Says He Didn't Know About Pilot Schools Screening Kids Either
Do AP Incentive Programs Skew The Challenge Index?
Expanding District Boundaries, Beefing Up The NCLB Transfer Provision
Teachers & Teaching
What Most Folks Don't "Get" About Schools
Now Cool: Librarians
Foundation Follies
Who's In Charge Of What At The Gates Foundation? No One Knows.
Inside The Gates Machine
Media Watch
Is Wikipedia Accurate & Neutral On Education Issues?
Who Decides What's Important -- Readers, Or Editors?
School Life
The Water Gun Wars
Consultants Vs. Real Live School Administrators, Part 5
Special New York City Pull-Out Section
Yet Another Thing For Chancellor Klein To Worry About
Watch Out, New York City Schools -- Here Comes Medina
Bush Administration
Aspen-Bound EdSec
Briggs Nominated & Confirmed For USDE Post
Over-Reacting On Deseg Implications?
Campaign 2008
Obama Hands NEA Endorsement To Clinton
Bad Republican Advice On NCLB Strategy
Remembering John Kerry
Biden Takes The Lead
No Clear Way To Pay For Initiatives, Says FactCheck
NCLB News
Growth Models Across America -- And More Pilots To Come
Summer School For The Princeton Review
Spying On The NEA Convention
Foundation Follies
Looking Back At The Year That Was: The Fordham Version
Job Of The Week: The Andy Sector Wants You!
Media Watch
Does "The Pulse" Need CPR?
EdWeek's Online Extravaganza
School Life
This Is How We Roll [Our Backpacks]
"YouTube For Nerds"
Short "Vay-Kay" For St. Louis Area Students
Site News
Racism Watch, Part 2
Washington Watch
Reading First Scandal Moves Up The Media Food Chain
Why Spellings (Probably) Won't Get Canned
Kame’enui KO'd: Reading First Official To Leave ED
Campaign 2008
Edwards Rolls Out College Aid Plan
Top Dem 2008 Candidates Have UPK Fever
Candidates Begin To Talk Education...
NCLB Notes
Everyone's Got Different Takes On NAEP Scores
Hey, Let's Convene, Says Spellings To The Hill
Big Surprise: Chicago Hates Tutoring
A Recruiting Campaign That Would Make Joe Camel Proud
School Life
Headline Of The Week: "Love Me Tenure"
The Dangerous Book For Boys
Media Watch
One Student Dead Every 10 Days In Chicago
US News Reporter Moves To NY Sun
Former Ed Reporter Heads West
Site News
Complaints & Misunderstandings
Whatever you decide to do, please remember that this is a blog -- an online column, basically -- not an attempt to cover anything comprehensively or with excruciating even-handedness. That's EdWeek's job. Speaking of which, please remember that I even though my site is now hosted on the EdWeek page, I am not an employee of EdWeek.
Posts Of The Week
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Spellings Denies Early Involvement In Reading First
Campaign 2008
Education Shut Out (Again) During Debate
What If Presidential Candidates Break Out Of The Mold?
Can $60 Million Make A Difference?
On The Hill
Executive Privilege Over Reading First?
Redacted Reading First Emails
Head Start On The Move
Think Tanks, Advocacy Groups, & Foundations
Joe Williams Joins Newish Pro-Charter Group
Think Tanks All Dressed Up & Nowhere To Go?
Is The Education Trust Too Influential?
Urban Education
School-Level Control Still Under Attack
Vallas To Run (Part Of) NOLA School System
Who's Got The Best School & District Data?
Is School Reform Getting Too Corporate?
Teachers & Teaching
Covering Teachers Unions -- A Balanced Perspective?
Do Teachers Hate SES As Much As The AFT?
Drunken Pirate Sues Over Denial Of Education Degree
Media Watch
Reversals Of Fortune / Media Messups
Teacher Magazine Goes Online-Only (Sort Of)
Who's Got The Best School & District Data?
Blogwatch
The Ideal Education Blog
Best Of The Blogs (Das Blog)
Student Terrorists & More
Site News
This Week In Education On The Huffington Post
This Blog Is Better Than Grad School
It's true. This blog is better than grad school. How do I know? A very kind reader said so: "I just wanted to let you know that I'm completely addicted to your blog. I feel like I've learned more about the "political landscape" reading your blog than in all my years of grad school." How do I know it's not from my mom? Well, because mom doesn't read my blog.
UPDATE: Now it's up -- you can see it here.
Campaign 2008
Reading First Heats Up: Criminal Investigation, DI Wife
Making Education A Top Issue For 2008 -- Somehow
NCLB News
It's All About The Bill Language
Thirty-One Pending NCLB Proposals
Tutoring Myths & Realities
What It Takes To Be An Effective Legislative Staffer
Policy Watch
A Reality Check For Education Rhetoric
FairTest Vs. TestingFacts
Voucher Rollback In Ohio?
Finding The Right Big-City Superintendent
Media & Blogs
How Community Colleges Story Won A Pulitzer
School Reform Vs. Global Outsourcing
Today is my last day as a daily contributor to This Week In Education. I want to thank all the readers for such a warm welcome into the education community and particularly for your comments. I've really enjoyed being a part of the conversation and we can't have that conversation without readers! I especially want to thank Alexander for the opportunity to research education news and occasionally editorialize, for his professional advice, and willingness to help me learn everything I can about the education policy field.
You can still find me on my blog - Poor Starving College Student.
Thanks again - It has been a real pleasure!
Margaret Paynich
Campaign 2008
Tutoring Industry Denies Terrorism Halliburton Charges
Clinton Calls Tutoring Industry Terrorists Republican Contractors
Gingrich Hates Bilingual Education -- In Spanish
NCLB News
Wanted: Better Reasons To Leave Transfer Rules Intact
How Many States Tried To Roll Back NCLB? All Of Them.
School Reform And Campaign Finance
Policy Watch
The Reading First Zombie: It's Not Alive, But It's Not Quite Dead Either
Think Vouchers Are Dead? Think Again -- Again.
Is Universal Pre-K Stalling Out Already?
Computerized Tutoring
Charter Reform May Be Coming To FLA
LA Unified Slaps Down Green Dot Charter Proposal
Foundation Follies
Long Beach Up For A Broad Prize -- Again
More Coverage For Community Colleges -- And Better, Too?
Fordham Gets Pranked By A Pretend Pretend Gadfly Blog
Ed Trust Staffs Up
School Life
The Walking School Bus
ADHD Is So 90's -- Bipolar Disease Is All The Rage
Harsh Grades For Teachers Hit A Nerve
Media Watch
Good Things To Watch This Week, Part 2
How To Kill A Story: Talk Only To The Teachers
"The Education Of Ms. Groves" Wins Peabody Award
March 2007: The Month In Review (Updated)
Site News
See You At AERA
What have been the biggest education stories of March? Who have been the month's biggest winners and losers? What have been the most over- and under-reported stories? What's coming up next month?
These and other mysteries will be addressed in tomorrow's "Month In Review" roundtable, in which three real live journalists -- the NY Times' Diana Jean Schemo, USA Today's Greg Toppo, and the Chicago Tribune's Stephanie Banchero -- will share their ideas and observations.
Three big issues in and around Chicago these days are whether to ban "cloned" charter schools -- spinoffs and other campuses created to get around the 60-school charter cap (Banning Cloned Charters), whether a local columnist went too far in bashing local school councils for their occasional troubles running schools (Did The Tribune's Eric Zorn Go "Agley" In Criticizing Local School Councils?), and the resentments of public school parents when private school parents try and get their kids into elite public high schools (When Private School Parents Go Public). See picture, right.
Click on a link to see the details, or go to District 299 for more than you could ever want to know.
If this isn't big news, I don't know what is. A couple of kind folks have told me that a recent post from this blog is mentioned in today's Ed Daily (which costs a lot and I can't afford). The mention, "NCLB Rorshach," refers to my cribbed-from-a-friend description of how the USDE's new NCLB logo resembles bloody claw marks, or declining NAEP scores. Old logo on the left, new logo on the right.
Campaign 2008
Obama and The Annenberg Challenge -- Is EdWeek Reaching?
Education's Walter Reed Scandal
Teaching & Learning
The Focused Discomfort Of Learning
Disaggregating Students, Not Just Test Scores
NCLB News
Hearing-Palooza
What To Do About Negative NCLB Stories? Not Much.
Everyone's Favorite NCLB Angles All In One Place
Around The USDE
Beware The Ides Of March (March 13 Events)
USDE's Kerri Briggs Moves Up -- Again
Think Tanks
How To Tell All The Reports Apart
Watch -- Don't Read -- Your Education News
The New Education Next
Media Watch
Meet Larry Abramson, NPR's "New" Education Guy
Cool Features On The New USA Today Education Page
Blog Roundup: Best Of The Week (Partial Listing)
The Fly-Blast: Best of The NewsBlast and the Gadfly
School Life
Booing, Pizza, & The "V-Word"
What To Do About New Orleans?
The next time you see a big chunk of quoted text in a blog post, ask yourself why it's there. Is it concern that the link (to a newspaper, say) might expire or become outdated? Is it a sincere desire to create reader convenience? Or is it at its core simply a blogger wanting you to stay where you are and worrying that you won't come back?
Like the NYT, EdWeek now has a "most viewed" stories tab that lets you see which stories are getting the most reads (for an example see here). And, over the past few weeks, this blog has steadily creeped up the list and is (today at least) number two.
Of course, the list is totally unfair to everyone else at EdWeek, since I'm slapping up 5 or more posts every day and they're putting out one or two real articles a week. At best, the blog is "most glanced at."
But at least EdWeek readers seem to like the blog, and hopefully are stopping by to read the "real" EdWeek before or after they come here for some irresponsible gossip or snarky analysis. And, if it keeps up like this, maybe they'll find a way to pay me more than my current starvation wages. In the meantime, please write in and tell them to stop hiding my stuff down in the bottom left corner of their homepage (www.edweek.org). That's no way to treat their shiny new toy.
Halfway through January, I wrote about how researchers were being asked to go through unnecessary-seeming security clearances to work on USDE projects (see here).
Less than a month later, the NYT runs a piece about the situation (Critics Question Education Department’s Screening), which has since ballooned into a mini-uprising on the part of researchers who refuse to participate. Thanks to the researcher who originally brought this to my attention. If someone has a copy of the letter to Spellings, please share it.
It's been roughly a month now since I've been here on EdWeek.org, and so far, so good, it seems. Thanks to everyone who's bravely checked out the site for the first time -- and all of you longtime readers, thanks for making the move.
Thanks also to the EdWeek.org folks for putting up with my incessant demands -- if I was a real employee you'd have fired me by now. Aren't you glad I'm not?
To register any complaints, questions, or compliments, email me at thisweekineducation at gmail.com. Or, slap a comment in the comments section. Remember, you can sign up for a weekly email in the box to the right.
Best Of The Week
School Reform Hurricane: The Atlantic Monthly's Amy Waldman
What's Going On In The Education Industry?
Please Ma'am -- Step Away From The Blog
On The Hill
The Budget Is Coming, The Budget Is Coming
Federal Education Budget Update
Senate HELP Subcommittee Lineup
Teacher Incentive Fund Nearly Eliminated In Budget Agreement
The Department of Ed
When The EdSec Meets The Blob
Clowns To The Left Of Her, Jokers To The Right
Labor Budget Leaked -- Where's Education's?
NCLB Reauthorization
Quick NCLB Reauthorization Not Looking Likely - Still
The Education Industry & NCLB Reauthorization
Education Policy
Fordham Math Grades Vs. NAEP Math Achievement
Future Forces Affecting Education
Minority 12th Graders Vs. White 8th Graders -- Who Scores Higher?
Site News
Find Out About New Posts -- Without Coming Here
How This Site Works
More and more, it seems, folks are blogging without reading other blogs first, or just ignoring what they've seen on another site. This happens to me all the time these days, and it seems especially true of the group or "team" blogs, in which folks dip in and out of the sphere without necessarily keeping up with it. Not surprisingly, it's frustrating.
For others, however, it might be a perfectly good way to go, assuming their readers aren't reading anyone else, either. Who's to notice you're posting something that someone else posted hours or days ago? After all, that's what the newspapers do -- and they rarely give credit, either.
UPDATE: AFT John wonders if I'm being reasonable in the comments section below, and TonNet, a blog that's new to me, suggests that it's all about relationships.
In case you're wondering, there is a rough schedule for new posts on this site, but I don't think I've ever laid it out. Every morning M-F there's a roundup of the day's big newspaper stories (thanks to Margaret), as well as the Wednesday Carnival of Education Blogs and the occasional coverage of a hearing (anyone remember "cup-stacking" in the House education committee room?). Every week, there's a HotSeat interview with someone interesting (thanks in large part to Amanda). This week's HotSeat is Amy Waldman, who wrote about New Orleans in the Atlantic Monthly.
In between all that, there's the usual irresponsible commentary, unwarranted criticism, and the occasional bit of humor. Nap time is usually 4-6 pm, so don't expect much new stuff from me then (unless I'm skipping my nap in order to crush some upstart or skip merrily through the fields). Now you know.
Let's be honest -- it's a pain to come back here all the time. You don't want to miss the latest scoop, education headlines, silliness, or banter -- but unlike me you've got real work to do.
So this is how to avoid ever having to come back here again to check for new stuff: You can sign up for a free weekly email in the little box to the right under my picture, and get the week's best posts in your email inbox Sunday nights. Or, you can get nearly instant updates by hitting the orange "Get RSS" box to the right for emails whenever something new gets posted (hopefully not by accident).
It takes a couple of clicks, but you can even set it up to send updates to your email. Via Internet Explorer, or Firefox, or a personalized Yahoo page, or Google Reader, a feed reader like Bloglines, NetNewsWire Lit, or Sharpreader.
EdWeek now has a handy-dandy "most viewed stories" list next to each story you view (sorta like the NYT version). to which I point you merely to point out that This Week In Education squeaks in at #5. Not bad, considering what a short time we've been here. Thanks to everyone who's found their way over (and to all the promotion that EdWeek.org has been lavishing upon us).
Best Of The Week
Secrets Of The USDE: Insider Edelstein On The HotSeat
Subversion, War, Kit And Kaboodle - Hogwash! (NCLB Rhetoric)
Why No One Cares Deeply About Iraq -- Or Urban Schools
Are Management Companies Better For Charters
State Of The Union
Health Care Big, Education Small
Live-Blogging The State Of The Union (Sort Of)
Reaction Roundup - What Did You Think Of The Speech?
State Of The Union Preview: Reauthorize NCLB
More Stupid State Of The Union Fun
Campaign 2008
What Hillary's Candidacy Means For Education - Not Much
Obama & The Madrassa: The Real Education Story Of The Week
Where's Hillary On Education Reform?
Capitol Hill
Who's Under More Pressure To "Deliver" NCLB? Pelosi Or Bush?
The "Real" Congressman Miller Vs. The Other One
NCLB Reauthorization
Administration Pushes Its NCLB Plan - "Kit And Kaboodle"
States Not All Lowering AYP Standards
Tutoring, Textbooks, & Testing
Media Watch
Canned Quotes (& Questionable Experts) In The NYT
New Documentary: "Whatever It Takes"
Great Blog Writing
Public Agenda (Re)Starts Its Education Blog
Ravitch Moves Left On Teachers Unions
Earlier this week, we put USDE longtimer Fritz Edelstein on the HotSeat, where he told all sorts of secrets that only a 31-year USDE veteran can tell. But he's hardly the first. As some of you have requested, here are some past favorites:
Rick Hess -- A Liberals' Kind Of Conservative
Those rumors about good-looking slaves doing all his writing for him aren't true.
NYT Magazine's Paul Tough On The HotSeat
What he really thinks about school reform and social policy.
Matt Maurer & The Shadowy World Of Education PR Companies
Why it's better to get an AP story than one in the NYT.
Journalism Guru Richard Lee Colvin...
What makes a good education story? You might be surprised.
Fordham's Petrilli Survives The HotSeat
He'll always be our first -- and perhaps one of our funniest.
KIPP Co-Founder Mike Feinberg On The HotSeat
Any others you liked, or suggestions for future HotSeats, let us know.
Thanks to everyone who's offered congratulations (and even criticisms) this past week or so and helped make sure folks knew how to find me in my new home (so far, so good). These include
Joanne Jacobs Free-linking and thinking by Joanne Jacobs
NCLB: Let's Get it Right!
The Education Wonks "The time has come," the Walrus said..."--- Lewis Carroll
Sherman DormnWork to understand how schools have been social institutions
Intercepts A listening post monitoring education and teachers' unions.
School Me! Adventures in education
Eduwonk.com Education news, analysis, and commentary.
Thanks also to Jeanne McCann and the rest of the online crew at EdWeek.org, who has made the switch as smooth and painless as possible.
Dear EdWeek Readers -- Welcome.
As you'll quickly see, this blog is informal, constantly updated, and full of comments and speculation -- totally unlike the carefully reported and balanced journalism on the rest of the EdWeek site. And that's what makes it interesting --irreverent but still basically responsible insights on the world of education.
I've posted some entries from earlier in the week (below) so you can see what's been happening over the past busy week or so. Like in an email, newer entries are towards the top. There are usually three to five new posts a day, starting with a roundup of the most interesting news stories that's posted by 9 AM Eastern.
For the full explanation of who we are and how this blog works, scroll down to the bottom. If you have any questions, thoughts, or responses, please feel free either to comment in the comment sections below each entry, or send us an email at thisweekineducation@gmail.com.
Thanks. Hope you like it here, and come back often. -- Alexander
Welcome to the shiny new version of This Week In Education, now hosted by EdWeek.org. As noted in the post announcing this change (Pimp My Blog), this is either a very brave experiment by an upstart education writer and an established media giant or it's a really big mistake.
For anyone who is new to me and this blog, I am a freelance education writer currently based in Brooklyn, NY. I write mostly for trade publications and occasionally for policy mags. I also do some consulting, speaking, editing, and research. Before this, I was a Senate education staffer (Feinstein, Bingaman), a short-lived NYC Board of Education advisor, and a researcher and a classroom teacher.
This blog began when I found myself in exile Chicago missing the back-and-forth of my days in DC. Starting in the fall of 2003, it began as a highly opinionated roundup of the best education articles of the week, and then morphed into an even more opinionated blog the spring of 2004. In late 2005 I started another blog, District 299, which is all about education in Chicago (and is still going strong).
This Week In Education has been mentioned in USA Today and the Washington Post, including most recently as one of the top education blogs in the country. The blog includes a morning roundup of news stories, some regular features such as irreverent interviews with educationistas, and the usual smattering of gripes and grievances with other bloggers who simply don't know as much as I do. Superstars Margaret Paynich and Amanda Millner-Fairbanks provide invaluable research, reporting, and editorial assistance.
The main argument of this blog can be boiled down to the following: Too often, educators don't understand politics, politicians don't understand education, and education journalists don't understand -- or find ways to capture -- the interactions of these two different worlds. Everyone suffers as a result.
You can find the archive of back issues of this blog (from early 2004 to early January 2007) here. Or, if the link doesn't work:
http://www.thisweekineducation.blogspot.com.
There is unfortunately no archive of the email-based version of this site that began in Fall 2003 and lasted until May 2004.
