This Week In Education
Written by former Senate education staffer and journalist Alexander Russo, This Week in Education was an opinion blog that covered education news, policymakers, and trends with a distinctly political edge. (For archives prior to January 2007, please click here. For posts after November 2007, please click here.) This blog is no longer being updated.
Federal
Opinion
Creepy Congressman Wants To Eliminate Digital Divide For All The Wrong Reasons
This post has been removed by the administrator.
Federal
Opinion
Halloween Happenings Around NCLB Reauthorization
There's been a recent lull in any real NCLB reauthorization news since Kennedy's folks put out the boring parts of their discussion draft and the rest of the Hill was focused on appropriations. But the AFTies report that Ted Kennedy is back on the march and The Hoff (how come that guy never links to me?) says that the House links have gone dead. Next thing you know, the lights will go out, a door will creak open, and Margaret Spellings -- face lit from below with a flashlight -- will cackle like a witch.
Education Funding
Opinion
Research, Politics, and -- Yes -- Personal Experience
Last week I linked to an article that mocked education research as a circus, to which some understandably took offense. Here's a recent ASBJ article on the same topic that may be more balanced but is no less scathing (Politics and Research). Advocates have learned to attack research methods ever more swiftly, even as research has gotten better, some say. Think tank "research" has all but eclipsed academic research in the policy debate in Washington. Not that better research would make a difference. Remember class size? Politics, budgets, ideology, and -- my favorite -- personal experience -- trump even the best studies. But there are a couple of folks out there doing good work, we're told -- not the usual suspects.
Education
Opinion
Better, Faster, Stronger?
There's some big news coming out about this site, which has with typical over-enthusiasm adopted Kanye West's "Better, Faster, Stronger" as its mantra. (I tried to get EdIn'08 to take it, but no go.) More on this tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Education
Opinion
A Quick Spin Around The Edusphere
Not that much is catching my eye this morning: Web Watch riffs off of yesterday's NYT story about de-stressing schools (8th Period Stress Relief). EIA Mike asks if the NEA is stalling on its endorsement to help Obama (The October 29 Communique' Is Up!). The conversation between Ravitch and Meiers is heating up (This Is Not Good Education). The Washington Monthly's uber-blogger Kevin Drum opines on gaps in the voucher argument (School Vouchers). And Joe Williams apparently forgot to invite me to one of those DFER shindigs where I get to drink beer on his tab (Talking About Ed Reform).
Education
Opinion
Dropout Mania
Wondering what this whole "dropout factory" thing is about? Me, too. Check out AP's interactive map here to see the national view and see where your state fits in. There's also district by district information if you click on the state map here.
Education Funding
Opinion
Funders Heart TFA - But Not For What TFA Corps Members Actually Do
Lincoln Caplan provides us with some impressive new numbers in his recent Slate magazine article on Wendy Kopp's Teach For America: Almost $500 million raised, a goal of 4,000 new teachers per year by 2010, a 98 percent acceptance rate, annual revenues nearing $120 million (up from $10.5 million seven years ago). Caplan names TFA the country's largest reform effort in the K-12 education space.
Education
Opinion
Around The Blogs
A quick spin around the edusphere to see what looks interesting: Scott Elliott from Dayton says that there's a Big Obama education plan coming in November.I can't wait, though I'm not particularly hopeful. It's going to take lots more than a new education plan for Obama to catch up to Clinton. The New York Times' newest blog cracks wise about schools' efforts to de-fang Halloween celebrations: "The parade included a devil with no pitchfork, a Power Ranger without a laser blaster and a pint-size Batman who had been told to leave his utility belt at home." (Are We Having Fun Yet?). Reacting to a post I made last week, Kevin Carey from the Ed Sector says that Time writer Cloud's characterization of education research is exaggerated and, frankly, kind of obnoxious: "What a shame that education research doesn't enjoy the pristinely empirical, de-politicized, consensus-rich environment that characterizes debates over tax policy, entitlement reform, and other issues studied by economists like Martin Feldstein."Meanwhile, In These Times has a piece about how a two year-old split within the labor movement has affected union organizing not nearly as much as predicted: Has the Change Led to Wins? Last but not least, the Times has a fun article about parents being asked to pay for kids' Internet games: Pay Up, Kid, or Your Igloo Melts.
Education
Opinion
Spellings Press Event Tomorrow May Be Faked
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff are holding a press event tomorrow in Fairfax County on the issue of emergency preparedness. No word on whether it will be faked or not like last week's fake FEMA press conference (US disaster-relief agency stages fake press conference).
School & District Management
Opinion
Unionized Charter Schools Headed East
On Friday, New York state officials approved Green Dot, a unionized charter school model from LA, to open in the South Bronx of New York City in partnership with the teachers union there. There are a couple more steps towards final approval, as you can see below from the joint press release.SUNY Trustees Approve Charter School for South Bronx