Obama: Controversial Statue Moved To Alma Mater This Week In Education

This Week In Education

Obama: Controversial Statue Moved To Alma Mater

"The 110-centimeter (3 foot, 6 inch) high statue, depicting a 10-year old Obama in T-shirt and shorts, wearing a Hawaiian ethnic necklace and standing with a butterfly perching on his hand, was first unveiled in December at Menteng Park by Central Jakarta mayor Sylviana Murni." (Obama statue moved to old school after Facebook complaints Bloomberg News)

Thompson: Autonomy for Change.

If there is any organization that should understand the need for holistic, systemic reforms, it is Mass Insight, the organization responsible for the brilliant The Turnaround Challenge.  If one ingredient is left out, it is nearly impossible to turnaround the "complex ecosystems" of persistently failing schools. 

As Mass Insight seeks to "give school level leaders the freedom to make staffing, scheduling, curriculum and related decisions, in return for being held accountable for dramatic student achievement gains within two years," we should ask, however, whether they have neglected the single most important factor in their otherwise outstanding model.  Their turnaround project rightly promised balanced autonomy to school leaders. But what about the professional autonomy of teachers?

Continue reading "Thompson: Autonomy for Change." »

Quote: Lessons From LA?

by Alexander Russo

“We think it’s a victory for students and the collaboration between teachers and parents and administrators.  The world is going to see what we’ve been saying all along: Give the authority to teachers and we will create quality schools.”-- UTLA president AJ Duffy about the LAUSD Board vote earlier this week.