Last week, as was much remarked, I had some fun expressing my concerns about the cult of Waiting for 'Superman'. A couple folks asked if I might have anything constructive to say about how the attention the movie is generating might be put to good use. Heaven knows I'm skeptical about claims that Waiting for 'Superman' is going to have an outsized impact on school reform. And I'm borderline nauseous from constant urgings to praise and promote the flick. All that aside, though, I think it's a fine movie, a useful contribution, and could do some good—if the short-term...

This week, in light of my posts jabbing the Nashville merit pay study, the irresponsibility of tax cuts unaccompanied by spending cuts, and Waiting for Superman, I've seen a pretty big uptick in my "you're a terrible person" mail quotient. And that's been accompanied by some puzzlement about just "who the hell I think I am" and what my agenda is. In the spirit of being as clear as I possibly can, here are six tenets that I typically find guiding my writing, scholarship, and the rest: 1] Policymakers and policies can't "fix" schools or make teachers into good teachers; ...

In response to Monday's post on the Nashville merit pay study, Gates Foundation research honcho and Harvard professor Tom Kane sent me a really thoughtful, incisive take on the study's limitations. Tom, a good friend and one of the smartest folks in the business, is currently heading up the massive Gates research effort into teacher performance, evaluation, and pay. Tom and I sometimes agree and sometimes have spirited disagreements on these issues, but on this one we're reading from a shared hymnal. In fact, I thought his take so razor-sharp and succinct that I asked if I could share it ...

"In recent years, we've cracked the code. The high-performing charter schools, like KIPP and others, have figured out the system that works for kids in even the toughest neighborhoods." -Davis Guggenheim My pal Mike Petrilli has already ably addressed the hubris, banality, and, well, painful ignorance in that quote. I'll only add that, if Guggenheim or any of today's reformers think they're the first to decide that we've finally "solved" this challenge, they might want to acquaint themselves with the musings of Ron Edmonds or Ellwood Cubberley, or more recent, less-than-inspiring experiences with comprehensive school reform and small high schools. ...

I try to restrict my commentary to education; I don't usually wade into broader policy debates. But the recent contretemps over tax cuts--especially the new Republican proposal announced last week by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell--has major edu-implications. The feds are already spending a trillion dollars a year more than they collect; more than 40 cents of every dollar we're spending is borrowed money. Optimistic scenarios have us cutting this to "only" a half-trillion a year by 2020. Responsible public leadership requires making choices. Promises of freebies and endless goodie bags undermine the resolve to make such choices. Those asking ...

Tomorrow, Vanderbilt University's National Center on Performance Incentives will publish the Project on Incentives in Teaching (POINT) study, reporting the results of a major three-year teacher pay experiment in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. The study examines the effect of merit pay for middle school math teachers who were eligible for bonuses of up to $15,000 per year based on student test score gains. The study will, unfortunately, tell us nothing of value. Actually, it's worse than that. The study will confuse the issue, obscure the actual question of interest, and (depending on the results) lend either simple-minded advocates ...

It's Friday and it's been a long week, so I'll cut to the chase. Four things worth noting about the aftermath of Mayor Adrian Fenty's defeat in D.C. on Tuesday. First, the poaching is already on for the phenomenal staff that Michelle Rhee recruited to D.C. Assuming that Rhee is leaving, sharp-eyed talent hawks across the land are already contacting her team members. Unless they turn downs the outstretched hands en masse, this doesn't bode well for a transition. This means that it would behoove mayor-in-waiting Vincent Gray to move quickly on the leadership question, and to make ...

In Tuesday's biggest surprise, Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell shocked heavy favorite Mike Castle in the GOP primary, beating the nine-term representative, former governor, and former lieutenant governor by about six points. The result put an exclamation mark on a series of Tea Party primary wins in Nevada, Kentucky, Alaska, Utah, and Colorado. When it comes to schooling, the impact of this primary season is not yet well understood. Some, like Secretary Duncan, seem inclined to presume that K-12 bipartisanship will breezily return after November's election. Indeed, Duncan is in good company, as seasoned Washington hands trust that any Tea ...

Yesterday, hours before he upended D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty in the Democratic primary, City Council Chairman Vincent Gray appeared on CNN to chat about the contest. The early signs weren't great for those worried about what Gray's win means for the Michelle Rhee's reform efforts. Host John King asked Gray, "[The mayor] says...he's making tough choices and maybe he lost contact with some people. How do you keep that from happening to you...?" Gray answered, "Well...I'm a very inclusive person. I reach out to people. I've done that as council chair. I've been very inclusive with the ...

Last night, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty was decisively defeated in his reelection bid by City Council Chairman Vincent Gray. Fenty lost 56 to 42, a margin that pretty much reflected where the race stood last month. Gray's win throws D.C.'s nationally-significant school reform efforts into turmoil (see here or here for context). As early results trickled in, the cable television commentariat quickly made it clear that this result is likely to be interpreted largely as a referendum on D.C.'s school reform efforts. More than one talking head previewed what's likely to be one of the ...