Latest News and Comment from Education

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Tim Shriver Talks Special Olympics, The Kennedy Legacy And Leading By Asking (The Inspirationals)

Tim Shriver Talks Special Olympics, The Kennedy Legacy And Leading By Asking (The Inspirationals)

Tim Shriver Talks Special Olympics, The Kennedy Legacy And Leading By Asking (The Inspirationals)

First Posted: 8/15/11 03:30 PM ET Updated: 8/15/11 08:47 PM ET

WASHINGTON -- Standard & Poor’s didn't say it in so many words, but the message was clear. S&P downgraded the credit rating of the United States because of a crippling lack of leadership in its public life.

Leadership is essential, especially in a democracy. The paradox is this: A nation "of, by and for the people," as Lincoln put it, needs inspiring leaders more than any other type of government. We cannot govern ourselves unless leaders summon what

School Privatization: Coming Soon To Your Town?- Boycott Koch Productss - Boycott Koch Brothers Products

Koch Brothers - Boycott Koch Productss - Boycott Koch Brothers Products
School Privatization: Coming Soon To Your Town?
Why Do The Koch Brothers Want To End Public Education?
The latest from Robert Greenwald's Koch Brothers Exposed.com

This film and investigation connects the dots and reveals why
the Koch brothers are trying to end public education and how
their wealth winds up in the hands of Jim Crow.

Watch the video, then call David Koch and tell him to
stop funding school resegregation now. His number is
212-319-1100
and tell him to stop funding school resegregation now.

CPS, Mayor Emanuel Announce Bonus Program for Principals Based on Private Funding

CPS, Mayor Emanuel Announce Bonus Program for Principals Based on Private Funding

CPS Announces Bonus Program for Principals Based on Private Funding

Updated: Tuesday, 16 Aug 2011, 8:55 AM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 16 Aug 2011, 8:55 AM CDT

FOX Chicago News

Chicago - After two years of salary freezes, CPS principals will have a chance to earn more, but they'll have to prove they deserve it.

Monday, the mayor and CPS officials announced the Chicago Leadership Collaborative, a training program designed to measure progress. Effective principals could be rewarded by as much as $10,000 a year.

The mayor secured $5 million in private funding to start the program.

“You can't just throw merit, performance pay out there and say a hail Mary pass. This is tied to a comprehensive,

All Education Matters: Sallie Mae Projected To Outperform

All Education Matters: Sallie Mae Projected To Outperform

Sallie Mae Projected To Outperform

Woohoo! Zack's Investment Research has given Sallie Mae a thumbs up!

They state:


SLM Corp., commonly known as Sallie Mae, reported second quarter core earnings of $260 million or 48 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 42 cents. The results also compared favorably with the prior-year core earnings of $211 million or 39 cents per share.

Favorable results at Sallie Mae were primarily driven by an increase in student loan originations

Michelle Buetow and Kate Martin Have My Vote | Seattle Education

Michelle Buetow and Kate Martin Have My Vote | Seattle Education

Michelle Buetow and Kate Martin Have My Vote

It’s time to fill in those ballots and send them in Seattle!

I’m the same way, wait until the last minute to pick up that envelope with the ballot in it open it and make some final decisions.

When it comes to the school board race I have two recommendations based on my observations and interaction with these individuals before they were candidates.

Just about every time I attended a school board meeting during the last school year, Kate Martin was there either speaking or intently listening. She is true to what she states as her goals and beliefs in terms of education. I admire her persistence and the consistency of her actions.

I have worked with Michele Buetow through the Alternative Schools Coalition in creating a stronger and more

High stakes testing practices in some states ressemble child abuse - Grand Junction Education reform | Examiner.com

High stakes testing practices in some states ressemble child abuse - Grand Junction Education reform | Examiner.com

As you are getting ready to go back to school, you may be feeling pleased that your child is going to a school with high test ratings. Before you decide if that's a good thing or not, read this story. You may be shocked at the lengths many schools and districts will go to, to raise their test scores. After reading, go to your child's school and start asking some hard questions. Need help with the questions. Contact me.

My last assignment in a public school was in Houston, TX where I worked at the Aldine Independent School District. I worked on a 5th/6th grade campus. The children began the school year by spending their first two days of school taking practice tests in all the tested subjects under test conditions.



Continue reading on Examiner.com High stakes testing practices in some states ressemble child abuse - Grand Junction Education reform | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/education-reform-in-grand-junction/high-stakes-testing-practices-some-states-ressemble-chlld-abuse-1#ixzz1VCY19129

This Week In Education: Thompson: Are Testing -- And Cheating -- The New Normal?

This Week In Education: Thompson: Are Testing -- And Cheating -- The New Normal?

Constituting America’s ‘Constitutional Scholars’ available for media interviews

Welcome to Constituting America, sponsors of the We the People 9.17 Contest.

Constituting America’s ‘Constitutional Scholars’ available for media interviews

Two dozen historians, scholars, authors and legal experts to offer constitutional analysis, insight

As Constitution Day (September 17) approaches, more than two dozen of the nation’s leading constitutional scholars, historians, authors and legal experts will be available for media interviews to discuss the U.S. Constitution’s continued relevance in Americans’ daily lives.

The scholars – participants in Constituting America’s 90-day “Analyzing the Constitution” project – will be available to comment on a wide range of constitutional issues as well as their participation in the recent Analyzing the Constitution Project, through which the scholars joined with citizens around the country to read their essays and analyze the Constitution over a 90-day period.

“The mission of Constituting America is to engage America’s adults and students in learning about the Constitution and America’s founding principles,” said actress, author and radio host Janine Turner, who founded the non-profit organization with co-chair Cathy Gillespie in 2010. “By making our constitutional scholars available for media interviews, analysis and commentary, we hope to spark a national discussion surrounding the importance of the Constitution in contemporary civic life.”

Turner noted that the Constituting America website – www.constitutingamerica.org – offers a wealth of additional constitutional resources. In addition to scholarly essays contributed by the scholars, the site features essays by Turner herself, as well as essays aimed at kids contributed by Turner’s 13-year-old daughter, Juliette, who serves as Constituting America’s national youth director.

The website also offers links to complete copies of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers and a variety of other educational resources.

“It was John Adams who said, ‘Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people,’” said Turner, an American history buff. “Our constitutional scholars are ready and willing to share their knowledge and insight in order to foster an informed and thoughtful discussion on America’s founding principles.”

Following is the list of scholars, historians, authors and legal experts participating in Constituting America’s Analyzing the Constitution project who are available for interviews and comments. To schedule an interview with one of these scholars or with Constituting America co-chair Janine Turner, please contact Amanda Hughes at (512) 573-8505 or amandahughesmail@gmail.com.

Constituting America’s Analyzing the Constitution Scholars

David Addington
Vice President for Domestic and Economic Policy
The Heritage Foundation

Steven H. Aden, Esq.
Senior Counsel
Alliance Defense Fund

W. B. Allen
Dean Emeritus James Madison College
Emeritus Professor of Political Science
Michigan State University

John S. Baker
Professor of Law Emeritus
Louisiana State University Law School

Andrew Baskin

Legal Assistant and Researcher
The Constitutional Sources Project

James D. Best
Author, Tempest at Dawn

David J. Bobb, Ph.D.
Director and Lecturer in Politics, Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship
Hillsdale College

Justin Butterfield
Constitutional Attorney, Liberty Institute

Robert Chapman-Smith
Instructional Design Associate, Bill of Rights Institute

Horace Cooper
Legal Commentator and Senior Fellow, The Heartland Institute

Carol Crossed
Owner and President
Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum

Cynthia Dunbar
Asst. Prof. of Law
Liberty University School of Law

William Duncan
Director, Marriage Law Foundation

Scot Faulkner
Executive Director
The Dreyfuss Initiative

Colin Hanna
President, Let Freedom Ring

Allison Hayward
Vice President of Policy, Center for Competitive Politics

Hadley Heath
Senior Policy Analyst, Independent Women’s Forum

Troy Kickler, Ph.D.
Founding Director, North Carolina History Project

Joerg W. Knipprath
Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

David B. Kopel
Research Director, Independence Institute
Adjunct Professor of Advanced Constitutional Law, Denver University, Sturm College of Law

Marc Lampkin
Quinn Gillespie and Associates

Andrew Langer
President
The Institute for Liberty

Gary McCaleb
Senior Counsel
Alliance Defense Fund

Dan Morenoff
Attorney

Prof. Will Morrisey
Hillsdale College

Joe Postell
Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Colorado – Colorado Springs

Jeff Reed
Former Constitutional Law Professor, Western Kentucky University

Professor Charles Rice
Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Notre Dame

Judge Jim Rogan
Superior Court of California

Tara Ross
Author, Enlightened Democracy: The Case for the Electoral College

Dr. Charles K. Rowley
Duncan Black Professor of Economics at George Mason University and General Director of The Locke Institute

George Schrader
Student of Political Science, Hillsdale College

Prof. Kyle Scott
Department of Political Science
University of Houston

Mr. Kelly Shackelford
President and CEO of Liberty Institute

Julia Shaw
Research Associate and Program Manager
B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies

Lawrence J. Spiwak
President, Phoenix Center for Advanced Legal & Economic Public Policy Studies

W. David Stedman
Editor, Our Ageless Constitution

Nathaniel Stewart
Attorney, Paul S. Teller, Ph.D.
Executive Director of the Republican Study Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives

Kevin Theriot
Senior Counsel, Alliance Defense Fund

Shanker Blog » Merit Pay: The End Of The Innocence

Shanker Blog » Merit Pay: The End Of The Innocence

Merit Pay: The End Of The Innocence

The current teacher salary scale has come under increasing fire, and for a reason. Systems where people are treated more or less the same suffer from two basic problems. First, there will always be a number of “free riders.” Second, and relatedly, some people may feel their contributions aren’t sufficiently recognized. So, what are good alternatives? I am not sure; but based on decades worth of economic and psychological research, measures such as merit pay are not it.

Although individual pay for performance (or merit pay) is a widespread practice among U.S. businesses, the research on its effectiveness shows it to be of limited utility (see here, here, here, and here), mostly because it’s easy for its benefits to be swamped by unintended consequences. Indeed, psychological research indicates that a focus on financial rewards may serve to (a) reduce intrinsic motivation, (b) heighten stress to the point that it

Best Questions: Special Needs « Whole Child Education

The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

Best Questions: Special Needs

Despite the rumors, school improvement is hard. It’s not about a single passionate leader. It’s not about “fixing” teachers and teaching or parents and parenting. It’s not about poverty. It’s not about money. And it’s not about standards. It’s about all of them. And more.

In this column, I’ll take on the real deal of school improvement—for all schools, not just certain kinds. And for all kids. Because it’s not about quick fixes or checking off the instant strategy of the moment. It’s about saying, “Yes, and…” not “Yes, but…” no matter what our circumstances are. It’s about asking ourselves the best

Why Mike Casserly Is a Stud :: Frederick M. Hess

Why Mike Casserly Is a Stud :: Frederick M. Hess

Jersey Jazzman: Christie Insults Teachers: Add Your Own

Jersey Jazzman: Christie Insults Teachers: Add Your Own

Christie Insults Teachers: Add Your Own

As I posted yesterday, there's still an idea floating around out there that Chris Christie has insulted the teachers union, but has refrained from insulting teachers themselves. That's nonsense, and we're collecting the evidence right here.


Look at our growing collection below (all emphasis is mine), and then add your own example of Christie insultingteachers - not unions - in the comments. I'll continue to update this list and eventually post it in one of the permanent pages of this site.


That way, whenever someone makes this claim again, you know where to send them.


April, 2010, CNBC:
“I love the public schools but the fact of the matter is there is excess and greed there,” said Christie, during an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box. [That's in the "public schools,"

The Educated Reporter: What Sweeping Cuts Mean for Classrooms

The Educated Reporter: What Sweeping Cuts Mean for Classrooms

What Sweeping Cuts Mean for Classrooms

We’ve all read about the effect the recession has had on the nation’s infrastructure, especially bridges and roads. But what about another critical resource – school facilities?

Districts nationwide are facing significant budget shortfalls. Long-term renovation projects are on the chopping block, and many campuses are delaying recommended repairs. In some districts, outsourcing school cleaning services is seen as a short-term way to save money, despite the long-term harm it does to the employees who are laid

D.C. teacher tells chancellor why IMPACT evaluation is unfair - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

D.C. teacher tells chancellor why IMPACT evaluation is unfair - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

D.C. teacher tells chancellor why IMPACT evaluation is unfair

Here is a letter that Alyson Perschke, a fourth-grade teacher in D.C. Public Schools, wrote to Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson about her evaluation under the IMPACT assessment system. Henderson has responded by email to Perschke, offering to meet with her about it.

IMPACT is a system instituted under former chancellor Michelle Rhee which evaluates some teachers in part on the standardized test scores of their students and is largely based on five half-hour evaluations of teaching skills each year by administrators and master teachers.

Read full article >>