What “no excuses” model really teaches us about reform
This was written by Matthew Di Carlo, senior fellow at the non-profit Albert Shanker Institute, located in Washington, D.C. This post originally appeared on the institute’s blog.
By Matthew Di Carlo
“Apollo 20” is a Houston pilot program in which a group of low-performing regular public schools are implementing the so-called “no excuses” education model common among high-profile charter schools such as KIPP. (I discussed it in a previous post, here.) In the Houston implementation, “no excuses” consists of five basic policies: a longer day and year, resulting in 21 percent more school time; different human capital policies, including performance bonuses and firing and selectively rehiring all principals and half of teachers (the latter is one of the “turnaround models” being pushed by the Obama administration); extensive 2-on-1 tutoring; regular assessments and data analysis; and “high expectations” for behavior and achievement, including parental contracts.
Read full article >>National discussion on Civil War led by Virginia scholar begins
A national reading and discussion program on the Civil War has just begun at 65 community libraries across the country — including some in Virginia and Maryland — to better understand the conflict’s impact on modern Amerian culture.
The effort, called “Let’s Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War,” was organized by the American Library Association and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is being led by University of Richmond President Edward L. Ayers, a leading scholar on the conflict.
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