Tuesday, January 4, 2011

New York state campaign donations topped by wealthy backers of charter schools during 2010, new study finds - NYPOST.com

Old-school politic$

Pro-charter fat cats topped elex donors

By BRENDAN SCOTT, Post Correspondent

Last Updated: 3:42 AM, January 4, 2011

Posted: 1:16 AM, January 4, 2011

ALBANY -- Wealthy boosters of charter schools, led by billionaire hedge-funder Bruce Kovner, were among the top donors to candidates for state office in 2010, according to a fund-raising analysis released yesterday.

The campaign-finance report by a coalition of good-government groups found Kovner, whose hedge fund, Caxton Associates, manages some $10 billion in assets, gave $283,200 to state campaigns last year, more than any other individual donor.

Kovner's contributions crossed party lines, including $55,900 to Democratic former Gov. David Paterson. The financier gave $130,000 to Republican candidates in their successful effort to recapture the state Senate.

The Brooklyn-born and Harvard-educated hedge-fund manager keeps a low profile on the city's social scene but has been an important backer of conservative issues and education for inner-city kids.

Kovner sits on the board of the conservative American Enterprise Institute and supports various charter schools around the state, including Bronx Preparatory. He also is the founder and chairman of the School Choice Scholarships Foundation, which rewards low-income kids in

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: GOOD READS

GOOD READS

Thanks for these, the best of recent review copies:

The Gift of Education: Public Education and Venture Philanthropy (Education, Politics, and Public Life)

Eye of the Hurricane: My Path from Darkness to Freedom

The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future (Multicultural Education)

Privilege: The Making of an Adolescent Elite at St. Paul's School (Princeton Studies in Cultural Sociology)

Click on covers for more.

Shanker Blog » The Year In Research On Market-Based Education Reform

The Year In Research On Market-Based Education Reform

by Matthew Di Carlo

Race to the Top and Waiting for Superman made 2010 a banner year for the market-based education reforms that dominate our national discourse. By contrast, a look at the “year in research” presents a rather different picture for the three pillars of this paradigm: merit pay, charter schools, and using value-added estimates in high-stakes decisions.

There will always be exceptions (especially given the sheer volume of reports generated by think tanks, academics, and other players), and one year does not a body of research make. But a quick review of high-quality studies from independent, reputable researchers shows that 2010 was not a particularly good year for these policies.

First and perhaps foremost, the first and best experimental evaluation of teacher merit pay (by the National

Tuesday churn: Labor conference coming | EdNewsColorado

Tuesday churn: Labor conference coming

by EdNews staff

What’s churning:

U.S. Department of Education officials have invited district and union leaders from 2,000 school districts to participate in a “conference on labor-management collaboration” set for Denver on Feb. 15 and 16.

“We have seen how good labor-management relations can create the conditions that drive student success so we want to bring together leaders in labor and management who are committed to collaboration around bold reforms,” federal schools chief Arne Duncan said in Monday’s press release.

To participate, a district’s school board president, superintendent and teacher union leader must all agree to

This Week In Education: AM News: Illinois Moves To Ban Teacher Strikes

AM News: Illinois Moves To Ban Teacher Strikes

by Alexander Russo

Eight school chiefs to watch in 2011 CSM: Education reform will be on many state education agendas across the nation in 2011. The past year saw Republicans elected or appointed to top state education posts in many states. But a bipartisan group of veteran education leaders has also stepped up to call for more dramatic change in how schools operate... What's New In High School? Stress Reduction 101 NPR: With college application deadlines looming, high schools are looking for ways to reduce student stress. Some schools have done away with Advanced Placement classes, while others are focusing on teaching kids how to handle the stress with yoga classes, breathing exercises and therapy dogs... Nearly all Mass. schools meet anti-bully deadline Boston Globe: Nearly every public school district in Massachusetts has filed an anti-bullying plan with the state... Illinois Tries to Curb Teacher Privileges WSJ: Under the new plan, teachers would not earn tenure until they've been rated "proficient" or "excellent" by their principals for four years using the new evaluations. Tenured teachers rated "ineffective" for two years could lose the job protection and revert back to probationary status. And the measure would streamline the firing process, making it easier to get rid of low-performing teachers. [See previous posts: Strike Threat Blocks Reform, Say IL Reformers,Could Lowly Illinois Lead The Way?

Leonie Haimson: Fact-checking Waiting for 'Superman': Documentary or Urban Myth?

Leonie Haimson

Executive Director, Class Size Matters

Posted: January 3, 2011 05:29 PM

Fact-checking Waiting for 'Superman': Documentary or Urban Myth?

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In the movie Waiting for "Superman", nominated for an Oscar as the best Documentary of 2010, the following statement is made:

" ...in Illinois, 1 in 57 doctors loses his or her medical license, and 1 in 97 attorneys loses his or her law license, but only 1 teacher in 2500 has ever lost his or her credentials."

Since the movie was released, these figures have been repeated frequently. They take up five pages in the Google search engine, were cited in the NY Times review of the film, the British newspaper the Independent, as well as by Brian Williams of NBC in the television program Education Nation.

But apparently not a single one of these news outlets, or the makers of Waiting for "Superman",

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