Thompson: I Still Think Brad Jupp Is A Genius
I just read Brad Jupp's contribution to I Used to Think... Now I Think... and I find my opinion of him unchanged. As for my own beliefs, well, I used to think that 49% of the union's job was protecting its members, while 51% was representing students. Now I agree with Jupp that the primary purpose of unions should be measurable improvement of student performance. I used to think that the best thing we could do for kids was to merge the teachers' and the principals' unions. Now I agree with Jupp that unions should also recruit early childhood and adult educators, and teachers in dual-enrollment programs, charter, online, and private schools. I still think that innovative union leaders like Jupp are moving as quickly as possible to bring the rank-in-file into the reform process, but now I agree that we need a mass movement to close the
AM News: Ackerman Is Out In Philadelphia
Ackerman Out as Philly Superintendent Philadelphia Inquirer: Posts by Inquirer reporter Kristen Graham on the costly buyout of Ackerman's contract and other reaction from around the city.
US DoE Gives $10 million Grant for Charter School Facilities EdNews: The Local Initiatives Support Corporation assists charter schools with financing facilities requirements -- a high-priority need for many charter schools.
Ca. charter school association gets $15 million grant LA Times: The grant is the largest yet to the California charter schools group and the biggest of its kind from the nonprofit set up by the founders of the Wal-Mart Corp.
Talks between Chicago school and teachers hits snag Chicago Tribune: the two sides failed to come to agreement over teachers' raises and other concessions by the school district.
NYC reports increase in allegations of cheating The New York Times: Official allegations of cheating have risen more than threefold since 2003
D.C. charters have 'voice at the table' Washington Post: D.C. is now the second-most charter school-dense city, and officials want more.
Detroit Schools enrollment van seeks students EdWeek: Public schools officials are scouring Detroit in the district's bright blue enrollment van to sign up students.
Mo. Teachers Group Sues Over Social Networking Law EdWeek: A Missouri teachers' union said Friday that it is challenging a new measure that restricts teachers' use of social networking sites and their contact with students, saying it violates their constitutional rights.
Media: SchoolBook To Rely On Crowdsourcing, Require Facebook ID
A few more tidbits about SchoolBook I picked up since yesterday: SchoolBook was co-conceived by education editor Jodi Rudoren (whom I've met and freelanced for once or twice) and interactive guru Aaron Pilhofer (one of the wonderboys who's supposed to "save" the Times) as both a promising standalone project and also a way to try things out that might spread to other parts of the Times.
Rudoren says that (a) the Times has dedicated three staffers to the site, including beat reporter Anna Phillips, but is otherwise relying on user-generated blog entries, crowsourcing, etc., (b) there were discussions about folding in existing NYC education sites like
