Thompson: Targeted Class-Size Reduction For Toughest Schools
In "Does Class Size Really Matter?,"by Peg Tyre, explains that reducing class size, by itself, is not going to save low-performing kids. Research shows, however, that the positive effects of small class size are long-lasting, and that is more than can be said about test-driven reforms. Moreover, "African American kids who attended predominantly African-American schools get a bigger boost from
Five Best Blogs: Waivers, Failures, And Redefining AYP
Why states should refuse Duncan’s NCLB waivers The Answer Sheet: Based on his track-record with “Race to the Top” and School Improvement Grants, Duncan probably will replace these sanctions with a requirement to use student test scores to judge teachers.
Beyond NCLB’s ‘Avoiding Failure’ Plans Julie McCargar: Across Tennessee, almost half of the public schools did not make adequate yearly progress (AYP) this year, and 17 percent of the schools are on the list of low-performing schools.
'No Child Left Behind' set to relieve states in budget crisis CSM: Jennings said Duncan "should be concentrating on making sure they’re asking for waivers that make sense in terms of maintaining accountability.”
Niche Reforms Are Not The Answer David Cohen: Most school systems in the world have at least several elements of an infrastructure. The U.S. Advanced Placement Program has several elements, as do a few charter networks and some of the Comprehensive School Reform designs. Effective and sustainable school improvement will take more than piecemeal niche reforms.
The Conversation Atlantic: Joel Klein’s take on the public education system, The Failure of AMerican Schools, received more letters than any other article so far this year. Union leaders, teachers, parents, and students alike wrote in. Many attacked Klein; a few praised him; others offered their own theories about what’s plaguing U.S. education.
Nationalization Chickens Come Home to Roost Jay Greene Blog: I get the sense that conservatives who like Common Core want a do-over. They want to disengage from their former allies among the nationalizers and reposition themselves as champions of high state standards.