Jersey Jazzman Jammin' All Week
Cami Anderson's Rusty Knife
Newark's state-appointed superintendent, Cami Anderson, is so hard at work fighting against "adult interests" that she doesn't have time to attend public meetings of her elected school board. She doesn't even have time to explain herself to the NJ Legislature.But she apparently does have time to hobnob with a bunch of edupreneurs for a few days in the warm Arizona sun. Speakers at the AS
YESTERDAY
Corporate Education Reform Buys Public Broadcasting - Again
A couple of months ago, David Sirota broke the story of how PBS took money from plutocrat John Arnold to push a story touting a non-existent pension crisis. I'll admit that since then my radar has been more finely tuned to corporate-friendly frameworks when watching PBS or listening to NPR.So, as I was sitting at the kitchen table this evening, my ears perked up at the 5:30 break for WNYC, the NPR
APR 17
Charter Schools: The New Battle of Trenton
So you guys have all seen this:On Christmas Day, 1775, George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River, starting at what is known now as Upper Makefield, PA. The general led his forces south along the banks of the river, eventually sneaking up on the Hessians, the German mercenary troops of the British who were occupying Trenton. The Germans had been partying to celebrate the season, a
Arne-Ology & the Bad Incentives of Evaluating Teacher Prep with Student Outcome Data
As I understand it, USDOE is going to go ahead with the push to have teacher preparation programs rated in part based on the student growth outcomes of children taught by individuals receiving credentials from those programs. Now, the layers of problems associated with this method are many and I’ve addressed them previously here and in professional presentations. This post summarizes my earlier c
APR 18
The Endogeneity of the Equitable Distribution of Teachers: Or, why do the girls get all the good teachers?
Recently, the Center for American Progress (disclosure: I have a report coming out through them soon) released a report in which they boldly concluded, based on data on teacher ratings from Massachusetts and Louisiana, that teacher quality is woefully inequitably distributed across children by the income status of those children. As evidence of these inequities, the report’s authors included a few
Tom Moran crosses the line in latest editorial
(Note: as I was drafting this post this week, Bob Braun wrote several excellent pieces on One Newark, which I quoted from extensively. Oh to be retired and have time… Well, I can dream, can’t I?)The Star Ledger is my newspaper of choice. I’m sorry to see it suffering so much financial hardship in recent days. On average I’ve tended to agree with editorial page editor, Tom Moran more than I’ve disa
APR 21
Thank you
My blog hit a milestone this morning: it passed 10,000 hits, the last 1500 coming in the past 48 hours. And while Diane Ravitch can get that on an off day, I'm honored that that many people have stopped by my little corner of the universe in the month or so I've been doing this.So, as long as you keep reading, I'll keep writing. My goals are to inform, to speak for those who can't afford to buy a
APR 19
An open letter to Rowan University President, Dr. Ali A. Houshmand
Dear Dr. Houshmand,I understand that you have invited Gov. Chris Christie to be the keynote speaker at next month’s commencement ceremonies and that you are bestowing an honorary degree on him. Why?As you well know, Rowan University started out as a teachers college, and in fact in 1937, the school’s name was changed to New Jersey State Teachers College at Glassboro. Your school’s own website desc
Another “oops” in Newark school plan
The “One Newark” plan is a disaster for the city’s families. Now, even the district leadership all but admits it by again postponing crucial deadlines. Now parents who were promised a “match” with a new school this week won’t be getting it until next month. And to make things even worse, some Newark school principals […]
APR 19
Pastors: Cami must stop!
Scores of Newark’s religious leaders—including a major supporter of Gov. Chris Christie’s re-election–have repudiated as potentially “catastrophic” the state-imposed “One Newark” plan to close neighborhood schools and “launch” new charter schools in the state’s largest city. The pastors, who labeled the plan “disruptive and divisive,” called on Christie and state-appointed schools superintendent