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Thursday, April 18, 2013

UPDATE: New Orleans Shows the Limitations of "No Excuses" Schools Schools Matter: Coverage of Opt Out's Occupy DOE 2.0

Schools Matter: Coverage of Opt Out's Occupy DOE 2.0:



New Orleans Shows the Limitations of "No Excuses" Schools

The debate over "No Excuses" schools has focused on their attrition rate and their potential for being scaled up. Schools such as New Orleans Sci Academy have produced great college acceptance rates for students who are dedicated enough to meet their goal of "100% of cultural expectations 100% of the time." It is too soon to tell, however, whether their culture prepares their graduates for life beyond the classroom.

An important subtheme of Sarah Carr's Hope Against Hope, a narrative of a year in three New Orleans schools, includes a preliminary exploration of whether the "No Excuses" rigor will help their charter graduates flourish in higher education. She raises questions as to whether structured school environments, where motivation is encouraged through external rewards and punishment, will produce long term benefits.

Carr describes Sci Academy and KIPP Renaissance high schools. Both embody the "No Excuses" commitment 


Coverage of Opt Out's Occupy DOE 2.0

From Education Opportunity Network:
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Occupy The Department Of Education Ushers In America’s Angry Spring

No offense, but the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education building in Washington, DC is not a pretty sight.
Crossing the National Mall on 4th street, you pass between the glisteningly modern National Air and Space Museum and the sculpted brown stone of the National Museum of the American Indian to come face to face with what can only be described as a monument to bland austerity.
It was at the base of this concrete and glass slab that a band of public school teachers, university professors, librarians, parents, and students gathered to speak out against the nation’s current regime of testing students, firing teachers, and closing 

Katie Osgood A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 minute ago
*Katie Osgood at Occupy the Dept of Ed* A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13 – @ the chalk face coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 21 hours ago A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13 – @ the chalk face: A collection of links from Occupy the DOE 2.0 #uoodc13 by Chalk Face, PhD As the dust finally settles on a great event, there’s still work to be done. Namely, collecting coverage of the event. I’m going to start posting links here. If I’ve missed any, please let us know in the comments. We’re expecting some long form pieces in the coming days, so the... more »