Latest News and Comment from Education

Show All

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Takeaway: Education Sec. Arne Duncan on Education Reform - The Takeaway

The Takeaway: Education Sec. Arne Duncan on Education Reform- The Takeaway

Education Sec. Arne Duncan on Education Reform

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Stream m3u

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan Enlarge

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan((Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))

Getting Schooled: Remaking American Education

More coverage
“I would actually argue that in our country we dramatically under invest in education. I think there's nothing more important we can do than to reward great teachers and great principals. Education is not cheap, I agree with that, but try ignorance.”— Arne Duncan

We're 'Getting Schooled' this week on the future of education, pre-K through 12, in America. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joins us to discuss the reforms circulating in Washington right now.

Just yesterday the U.S. Department of Education announced the two states that will get the first phase of funding from the new education program, Race to the Top. The program awards federal funding to schools that have innovative plans for improving education. The various reforms being considered all come in the context of No Child Left Behind, the controversial, testing-heavy education reform begun by President George W. Bush.

Posted by at

Race to the Top NY: Tell Albany: New York Needs that $700 Million for our Students

Race to the Top NY: Tell Albany: New York Needs that $700 Million for our Students


Tell Albany: New York Needs that $700 Million for our Students

New York State is in the running to win $700 million in new education funding through President Obama's Race to the Top competition. To qualify, all Albany has to do is pass several common sense education reforms. Unfortunately, despite our state's massive budget crisis and the deep cuts to education, there is no guarantee the legislature will even vote on these measures.
We're a group of parents, teachers, students and community activists who are organizing to make sure the legislators in Albany don't miss the chance to secure this desperately needed funding. Together, we can make sure New York State's children get the world class public education they deserve.
You can help! Tell Albany New York State needs that $700 Million NOW. Click to send a free fax to your local Assemblymember and Senator urging their support this legislation.
Posted by at

Woman tries to make citizen's arrest of Karl Rove at book signing | The Los Angeles Independent - Community Newspaper Serving Hollywood and West Hollywood | News

Woman tries to make citizen's arrest of Karl Rove at book signing | The Los Angeles Independent - Community Newspaper Serving Hollywood and West Hollywood
| News

BEVERLY HILLS -- Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove left a book signing in Beverly Hills early Monday night because of disruptions by opponents of U.S. involvement in the Iraq War.
MAP: SABAN THEATRE
Map data ©2010 Google - Terms of Use

Jodie Evans, a co-founder of Code Pink, tried to make a citizen's arrest of Rove, and advanced toward him with a pair of handcuffs at the Saban Theatre.
"Look what you did -- you outed a CIA officer,'' Evans said, referring to Valerie Plame. "You lied to take us to war. You ruined a country.''
Evans was pushed away, then another protestor accused Rove being a war criminal.
"The only comfort I take is that ... you're going to rot in hell,'' she said.
Rove told the audience, "With all due respect, this goes to show the
totalitarianism of the left. They don't believe in dialogue. They don't believe in courtesy. They don't believe in First Amendment rights for anybody but themselves.''
Rove earlier drew applause from the crowd estimated at about 100 by KCAL-TV Channel 9 when he was accused of participating in a campaign of purposely lying to and misleading the American public about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, leading the nation into the Iraq War.
"If you want to keep interrupting me, you can get the heck out of here,'' Rove said, going on to call the Downing Street memos "a complete fabrication'' and the man making the charges "a lunatic.''
Rove said the charge that the George W. Bush administration lied about
weapons of mass destruction "is a pernicious political attack launched by


Posted by at

D.C. Schools Insider - Bill Turque chronicles Chancellor Michelle Rhee's effort to transform District public schools.

D.C. Schools Insider - Bill Turque chronicles Chancellor Michelle Rhee's effort to transform District public schools.

Feds poke holes in DC Race to Top bid


The District may well end up with a piece of the Obama Administration'sRace to the Top action when the grant competition moves to its second round later this year. Especially if, as Education Secretary Arne Duncanindicated Monday, the next group of winners will be considerably larger -- as many to ten to 15 states. After all, $3 billion is a lot of coin to unload, and Obama has proposed adding another $1.3 billion to fund.
If D.C. prevails, it's likely to be in spite of the weaknesses in its application, as outlined in reviewer comments posted Monday afternoon after announcement of the first round winners. Tiny Delaware, not a part of the pre-announcement chatter that was dominated by states such as Florida and Louisiana, came in first with 454.6 points out of a possible 500. Second-place Tennessee tallied 444.2 points.
The District, which came in last among the 16 finalists with 402.4 points, got hurt in four areas: no union support; lack of an evolved data collection system; questions about the sustainability of its gains in test scores and the narrowing of the achievement gap, and a tone in some passages suggesting that it is more intent on making a big national splash than putting human capital systems in place that will produce great teachers and school leaders.
Continue reading this post »
Posted by at

After cuts in education will come a ‘teachable moment’ | atlanticville.gmnews.com | Atlanticville

After cuts in education will come a ‘teachable moment’ | atlanticville.gmnews.com | Atlanticville

After cuts in education will come a ‘teachable moment’

Coda • GREG BEAN
Our clan no longer has children in public schools in New Jersey, but I certainly don’t envy the parents of children who are attending those institutions these days.

As we all know, the bill for years of mismanagement, overspending and prolific waste at the state level has finally come due, and New Jersey is on the brink of financial disaster unless Gov. Chris Christie can bring our state’s bank account to heel. He’s imposing draconian cuts in state spending across the board, and the amazing thing is that for the first time in eons, even most Democrats are resigned to the fact that something dramatic and unpleasant must be done.

Nowhere have those cuts shocked state residents at such a visceral level as the slashing of the state’s aid to education. Virtually every school district in New Jersey is scrambling to figure out how to provide an adequate public school education in the face of such frightening reductions in state aid.

Christie had cut $560 million in previously approved spending for education back in February, and the state budget he proposed recently for fiscal 2010-11 would cut about $1.06 billion. Of that, $820 million would be aid to K-12 public education, and $175 million would be aid to colleges and universities.

The size of those cuts will mean that every school district in the state will have considerably less money next year and must finally make adjustments in spending that should have come long ago.

Because there are caps in the amount that taxes at the local level can be raised each year for education, and with even more restrictive caps in the works, those districts have few options. Most of them have already increased property taxes to the point that this state has the highest local and state tax burdens in the nation. Even if districts could pass wallet-busting property tax hikes big enough to make up for the reductions in state aid, taxpayers just couldn’t afford it and would likely revolt. Which means the only choice left is making serious cuts to staff and programs.

Last week, nearly every newspaper in Greater Media’s stable was dominated by stories of how the cuts might affect local school districts in the coming year.

In East Brunswick, where I live and pay property taxes, there will likely be a 32.44 percent reduction in state aid next year, or about $6.6 million. The proposed budget calls for a hike of 15.8 cents per $100 of valuation in

Posted by at

This Week In Education Video: "Whatever It Takes" PBS Premiere Tonight

This Week In Education

Video: "Whatever It Takes" PBS Premiere Tonight

ScreenHunter_06 Mar. 29 22.47For two years I've been telling you about this project and at long last "Whatever It Takes," a documentary about a rookie principal (and former Saks Fifth Avenue buyer) who started a school in the South Bronx five years ago is getting its broadcast debut -- tonight at 10 pm Eastern on the PBS non-fiction series "Independent Lens." Do yourself a big favor and check it out.
Continue reading "Video: "Whatever It Takes" PBS Premiere Tonight" »
Posted by at

Open Memo to Wonks, Pundits, and Bloggers � The Quick and the Ed

Open Memo to Wonks, Pundits, and Bloggers � The Quick and the Ed

Open Memo to Wonks, Pundits, and Bloggers

March 30th, 2010 | Category: Accountability, Uncategorized


TO: Education policy wonks, pundits, bloggers, and/or twitter addicts
A little depressed and wondering what you’ll write about now that Race to the Top’s first round winners have been revealed? Sure, you could beat the various transparency/process stories to depth, begin immediate second-round speculation, or call for an even tougher second-round judging standard (crappy applications actually lose money!!). But, really, don’t you want to do something different?
Here’s an idea…
Consider writing about the administration’s initiative that could impact classroom learning the most: the $350 million fund to improve student assessment. In fact, here are just a few things that are driven by or dependent on high-quality assessments:
  • Race to the Top plans that evaluate teachers based on student learning
  • Accountability determinations in any new ESEA re-authorization
  • Data for our fancy new data systems and colorful data walls
  • The actualization of common core standards
  • Evaluation of charter schools and other “innovations”
I know, your eyes bleed over with all that stuff about validity, reliability, item theory, psychometric blah, blah, blah. I hear you. My first conference session on equating processes was one too many.
But, there’s a lot of intrigue here, too. There’s big money at stake, a variety of shifting consortia and players, and heavy lobbying from vendors. For those that like handicapping, states are scrambling left and right to make sure they’ve placed their bets with the winning group (what that means is another thing entirely). And for those wishful thinkers who’d like to see multiple providers and a system where financial and other resource inputs can be related to performance—keep an eye on
Posted by at

Education - Everything you need to know about the world of education.

Education - Everything you need to know about the world of education.

Prep schools look abroad for students


Dixi Wu of Kunming, China, practices violin after classes at Bullis, whose headmaster recruited her during a trip to China. (Sarah L. Voisin-TWP).













VALERIE STRAUSS
The Answer Sheet
A School Survival Guide for Parents (And Everyone Else)
JAY MATHEWS
Class Struggle
What's Right and Wrong With Our Schools

Posted at 3:03 PM ET, 03/29/2010

Delaware, Tennessee on hot seats

I have not been a fan of the federal Race to the Top school innovation program. I have predicted that politics and inertia will dissipate its impact, as often happens with federal money given to schools. But I do love the fact that the first grants, as revealed by my colleague Nick Anderson, are going to just two states, Delaware and Tennessee. This will make it much easier to focus on the results.
Posted by Jay Mathews | Permalink | Comments (0)
RECENT POSTS
More from Jay Mathews >" style="margin-left: 5px; vertical-align: middle; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">


Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)