Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Education - 3 minutes ago

Host Michel Martin checks in with Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of Washington, D.C. Public Schools. As chancellor, she made a number of controversial changes that were both applauded and denounced. A year ago, she started StudentsFirst, a group formed in response to increasing demands for a better public education system in America.

Does School Choice Really Help Students?

Education - 3 minutes ago

More than 2 million children currently attend charter schools, and that number is growing. But not everyone thinks the move away from public schools is best for students. Host Michel Martin speaks with one critic, Natalie Hopkinson. She's a contributing editor for *The Root*, and has two kids attending schools in the Washington, D.C. area.

Keeping First Generation College Kids On Track

Education - 3 minutes ago

For freshman college students, it's the end of first semester. For many first generation college kids, grades, work and money are already a struggle. In fact only 15 percent complete their degrees within 6 years. Host Michel Martin and a panel of moms and education experts discuss how parents can help their students succeed.

Libraries Make Room For High-Tech 'Hackerspaces'

Education - 3 days ago

As information becomes more and more digital, public libraries are striving to redefine their roles. A small number are working to create "hackerspaces," where do-it-yourselfers share sophisticated tools as well as expertise.

Libraries Make Room For High-Tech 'Hackerspaces'

Education - 3 days ago

Finals On Hold, Vigil Set After Va. Tech Shooting

Education - 4 days ago

Virginia Tech is quiet Friday morning after a gunman shot and killed a campus police officer and then killed himself Thursday afternoon. For hours the sprawling campus in Blacksburg, Va., relived the horror of a 2007 shooting that left 33 dead and raised troubling questions about the university's slow response to the tragedy.

Shootings Reported At Virginia Tech

Education - 4 days ago

Lynn Neary speaks with Lerone Graham, reporter for the Roanoke Times, for the latest about reported shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech.

Parents Of Deceased Drum Major Say 'Enough'

Education - 4 days ago

Robert Champion, Jr. died after a Florida A&M University football game last month. He was part of the school's legendary marching band. Hazing is suspected in Champion's death, and his parents say the university hasn't done enough to eradicate the practice. Host Michel Martin speaks with his parents, Pamela and Robert Champion, Sr.

Friendly Advice For Teachers: Beware Of Facebook

Education - 5 days ago

A New Jersey teacher posted comments on Facebook against a gay history exhibit at her school. Another teacher could lose her job for a post in which she called her students future criminals. Incidents like this around the country spark heated debates over privacy and free speech.

Governor should lead urgent, post-Lobato talks | EdNewsColorado

Governor should lead urgent, post-Lobato talks | EdNewsColorado:

Governor should lead urgent, post-Lobato talks

by Mark Sass

Mark Sass, a teacher since 1994, teaches at Legacy High School in the Adams Five Star School District. He is a member of the Denver New Millennium Initiative.

A Denver District Court judge has ruled that the state of Colorado is not fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide for a “thorough and uniform” school system.

Let me rephrase that statement: Our children’s rights are being violated! In any other instance, if the words children, violated, and rights were uttered in the same sentence there would be an outcry and over-the-top coverage by news organizations. What has the response been so far from our elected officials?

The state has said it will surely appeal the decision to the State Supreme Court. Governor Hickenlooper has stated that any changes to the state’s funding should be lead by a grassroots effort. The governor, speaking at

The Education Optimists: Billionaire Education Policy: Part 2 (Guest Post)

The Education Optimists: Billionaire Education Policy: Part 2 (Guest Post):

Billionaire Education Policy: Part 2 (Guest Post)

Posted by Sara Goldrick-Rab

The following is the second post in a two-part series by Robin Rogers, associate professor of sociology at Queens College and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY). For more about Robin and her first post,click here.

Before I jump into policy experiments, I want to reflect on the enthusiastic response that I received from last week’s Part One of Billionaire Education Policy. If I could summarize the response with one word, it would be relief.

A lot of people who work in education, philanthropy, and government are wary of the rise in billionaire policymaking, but are reticent in voicing their concerns. Perhaps this is fear of retaliation -- what Edward Skloot calls the “Brass-Knuckles philanthropy”of the Gates Foundation. But I see another, more heartening piece to this puzzle. People in the philanthropic and advocacy communities don’t want to

Small comfort. « Fred Klonsky

Small comfort. « Fred Klonsky:

Small comfort.

by Fred Klonsky

President Obama announced the official end of the Second Iraq War yesterday.

He made no mention of it being a “dumb war,” as he did as an Illinois Senator in 2002.

Nobody mentioned the lies that led up to our invading a country that was no threat to our own.

The New York Times barely paid notice. No mention of their role in willfully repeating the weapons of mass destruction justification of the Bush administration, knowing it wasn’t true.

There was no mention of the cost of US and Iraqi lives. For what?

Nine years.

Colin Powell didn’t show up at the United Nations to say he was sorry for

Financial Killings – And Educational Corpses | Edwize

Financial Killings – And Educational Corpses | Edwize:

Financial Killings – And Educational Corpses

by Leo Casey

The front page of today’s New York Times carries a devastating feature portrait of ‘virtual’ schooling, and the K-12 corporation founded by former Reagan Secretary of Education William Bennett which is making a financial killing off of indefensible ‘virtual’ charter schools. This is the unseemly reality of the future of American education advocated by Terry Moe in his Orwellian titled book, Liberating Learning.

David Montgomery, 1927-2011

by Leo Casey

David Montgomery, an esteemed historian of American labor, has died. Montgomery was a union organizer, blacklisted in the McCarthy years, before he became a professional historian.He never forget those roots: he was a powerful supporter of labor unions while at Yale University,

In the British Guardian, Eric Foner has a moving obituary.

Mapping the Potential Distribution of NJ Opportunity Scholarships « School Finance 101

Mapping the Potential Distribution of NJ Opportunity Scholarships « School Finance 101:

Mapping the Potential Distribution of NJ Opportunity Scholarships

by schoolfinance101

A while back, when the NJ Opportunity Scholarship Act was a hotter topic, I wrote a post explaining how, depending on which districts were included in NJOSA and depending on how family income qualifications were set and eligibility for those already enrolled in private schools, the largest share of scholarships could actually end up going to Orthodox schools in Lakewood. After all, Lakewood is home to the largest private schooled population in the state. Not only that, most families in Lakewood whose children attend the Orthodox schools actually have income below the 250% poverty threshold.

Even outside of Lakewood, in lower income urban communities throughout the state, private school alternatives are sparse, and primarily religious.

Here’s the lay of the land. These data are from the NCES Private School Universe Survey of 2007-08, in addition

Where do teachers come from? | Taking Note

Where do teachers come from? | Taking Note:

Where do teachers come from?

by John Merrow

If you live in or around NYC, John will be appearing in conversation with Randi Weingarten — the topic is “Unions and the Future Of Our Schools” — on Wednesday, December 14. Click here for tickets and info.

Talk it up on Facebook!

One benefit to my being a reporter is the opportunity to spend time with people who know more than I do. I had breakfast recently with Marshall “Mike” Smith, the Undersecretary of Education in the Clinton Administration, and our conversation inspired this blog post.

The assertion that our teachers come from ‘the bottom third’ has been in the air for some time. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems to believe matters are worse than that, because he recently told a press conference that most came from the bottom 20 percent of college graduates.

In a recent post, Matthew Di Carlo of the Shanker Institute provided a credible analysis of the studies that seem to be the basis for the claim. Di Carlo says that two studies by McKinsey & Company provide

2 charter schools allowed some families to bypass lotteries - latimes.com

2 charter schools allowed some families to bypass lotteries - latimes.com:

2 charter schools allowed some families to bypass lotteries

L.A. Unified will weigh a ban on preferences like those at Larchmont and Los Feliz, which admitted some students in return for special services or volunteering by parents.

The Board of Education on Tuesday will consider a ban on preferences in admissions to charter schools. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times

December 12, 2011, 10:39 p.m.

Two popular Los Angeles charter schools have allowed some families to bypass a lottery for admission in exchange for providing special services or a substantial volunteer commitment.

The practices of Larchmont Charter School and Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts have raised concerns that such preference policies, if allowed, could open the door to well-connected friends or wealthier families who promise to contribute. In effect, critics say, charters could end up functioning more like private schools than campuses almost entirely supported with tax dollars.

Neither school concealed its enrollment procedures and they

Des Moines Education Association: Thoughts on Proposed Statewide Retention Policy

Des Moines Education Association: Thoughts on Proposed Statewide Retention Policy:

Thoughts on Proposed Statewide Retention Policy

by Mr. R

INTRODUCTION

We are on the brink of doing great harm to thousands of Iowa children by retaining them in 3rd grade based solely on their scores on a single state reading test. Before embarking on a massive retention spree, perhaps we should demand that the politicians calling for this radical change provide ONE SHRED of research to support its efficacy. The Governor and his education adviser Linda Fandel point to miraculous test score gains in Florida when this policy was implemented for 3rd graders. Ms. Fandel even admits that the Blueprint plan for 3rd graders is modeled almost entirely on the Florida plan. When I noted in a question to her that the "Florida Plan" was a comprehensive $20 billion+ commitment to everything from reduced class sizes in lower elementary to intensive reading assistance and reading coaches along with retention and asked her if there was ANY RESEARCH that was able to isolate the retention variable as responsible for any part of the test score gains, she very candidly said that there wasn't--that they are submitting the Florida model as a "package." That flies in the face of

Scrooge and School Reform - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Scrooge and School Reform - Bridging Differences - Education Week:

Scrooge and School Reform

by Diane Ravitch

Dear Deborah,

As we enter the holiday season, our thoughts naturally turn to family celebrations, but also to those who do not share the advantages and blessings we enjoy. We all know Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol and the story of Scrooge. It's played regularly on television at this time of year, and we see how Scrooge comes to understand the plight of Tiny Tim and his family and realizes that he must strive to be kinder and more generous to others.

If I could update this tale for today's school reformers, I would begin by asking them to read a very important paper by Helen F. Ladd titled "Education and Poverty: Confronting the Evidence." A professor of economics at Duke University, Ladd is one of the nation's leading experts on issues of accountability. The paper was delivered at an academic conference last month. I recommend it to you and to all our readers. Aside from footnotes, it is only 25 pages long. (Coincidentally, Helen Ladd and Edward Fiske published an opinion piece, summarizing her paper, in The New York Times on Sunday. Read the full paper for the citations.)

I read Professor Ladd's paper and planned to summarize the key points, but when I finished, I realized that my

Charter Schools and Constitutional Rights | Seattle Education

Charter Schools and Constitutional Rights | Seattle Education:

Charter Schools and Constitutional Rights

by Kristin

Quiz time! Are charter schools allowed to violate students’ civil rights?

A. Yes
B. No
C. Some
D. We don’t know yet

The correct answer is “D – we don’t know yet.” Why? Because lawsuits over civil rights violations are being decided different ways. The key question is whether charter school management organizations count as “state agents” — that is, acting on behalf of a government body.

You might think it’s a straightforward question, but it’s not. Federal law is inconsistent. Some courts have decided that both for-profit and nonprofit management organizations, as private contractors, are not state agents

All Things Education: In which I nitpick on the achievement gap, charters, and Rhee's legacy in DC

All Things Education: In which I nitpick on the achievement gap, charters, and Rhee's legacy in DC:

In which I nitpick on the achievement gap, charters, and Rhee's legacy in DC

by Rachel Levy

With the release of the NAEP TUDA stats, there's been a lot of conversation swirling around achievement gaps and the efficacy of neo-liberal education reforms in urban districts. In particular, there's been some talk about how to judge Michelle Rhee's legacy, especially in light of the fact that that DC has the largest achievement gap between black and white students and one of the highest between poor and non-poor of all the cities featured in the report. Education journalists such as Alexander Russo weighed in here and Dana Goldstein offered some mostly solid analysis here.

Some folks are saying that Rhee's policies caused the gap. I don't agree with this. While Rhee's policies are no good, let's be honest: that gap was there way before Rhee came to town. Furthermore, DC has always had

Shanker Blog » The Deafening Silence Of Unstated Expectations

Shanker Blog » The Deafening Silence Of Unstated Expectations:

The Deafening Silence Of Unstated Expectations

by Matthew Di Carlo

Here’s a thought experiment. Let’s say we were magically granted the ability to perfectly design our public education system. In other words, we were somehow given the knowledge of the most effective policies and how to implement them, and we put everything in place. How quickly would schools improve? Where would we be after 20 years of having the best possible policies in place? What about after 50 years?

I suspect there is much disagreement here, and that answers would vary widely. But, since there is a tendency in education policy to shy away from even talking realistically about expectations, we may never really know. We sometimes operate as though we expect immediate gratification – quick gains, every single year. When schools or districts don’t achieve gains, even over a short period of time, they are subject to being labeled as failures.

Without question, we need to set and maintain high expectations, and no school or district should ever cease

I'm Skeptical But Intrigued By AFT Initiative, NEA Report :: Frederick M. Hess

I'm Skeptical But Intrigued By AFT Initiative, NEA Report :: Frederick M. Hess:

I'm Skeptical But Intrigued By AFT Initiative, NEA Report

by Frederick M. Hess • Dec 13, 2011 at 8:14 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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I'm skeptical when folks who've seemed to drag their heels offer up nifty new proposals and innovations. So, I don't want to sound all "gee, whiz" here. At the same time, it's important that skepticism not morph into reflexive dismissal. With that in mind, we've seen a couple noteworthy developments from the AFT and NEA in recent days.

First, in Minnesota, the Minnesota Guild of Public Charter Schools, a non-profit launched by the AFT local, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, has been approved to operate as a charter school authorizer. Supported by the AFT's Innovation Fund, the venture will, in the words of MFT president Lynn Nordgren, seek to "authorize schools that rely on teacher expertise to identify and use effective teaching strategies, promote engaged student learning, create educational autonomy, ensure effective organization and develop shared management." This is potentially a really interesting development, and one that ought not be merely brushed aside.

Last Thursday, in Washington, the NEA's Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching released its notable