Desperate times call for desperate measures. Nowhere is education in more dire straits than in Washington, D.C. Of course, overhauling a dysfunctional system inevitably leads to turmoil and disaffection. But a new poll from the advocacy group Education Reform Now shows overwhelming support for the course of action taken to fix D.C. public schools. Not only the more modest reforms but also some of the messier business of reform elicits widespread approval:
In one of the most surprising elements of the poll, respondents were...
Take a look at this article from The Economist to see what truly bold teacher pay reform looks like. Will this fly? It seems doubtful. But it’s intriguing, and ratchets up the debate several degrees. Another intriguing move by Michelle Rhee. (Hat tip to Alex Ooms).
It only took 13 months after the U.S. Supreme Court destroyed the last vestiges of race-based school integration, but the New York Times Magazine finally figured out that socio-economic integration might be a nifty idea.
School integration based on socio-economics is an issue a handful of us have been shouting about for years. But our appeals have fallen on deaf ears. Perhaps the spread in the Times will help. Or perhaps the court’s abysmal decision will force school districts to get creative.
In any case, the Times seems finally to get it:
And the effects of those high concentrations of poverty were striking: poor students in Louisville [Kentucky] black and white, fared worse when they attended schools filled with other poor kids.
For a somewhat outdated but thorough examination of the issue, read this publication. Disclaimer:...
It’s far too early to draw definitive conclusions, but Washington, D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s no nonsense, no B.S. approach seems to be getting results, according to this article from the Washington Post. Time and further study will tell whether this is a blip, or if perhaps Rhee is dragging one of the nation’s most troubled school systems kicking and screaming in the right direction.
We all know politics can get ugly. Education politics can get even uglier. Six weeks ago I wrote about the “hornets nest” stirred up in Westminster over the use of school bond money. Today, the Denver Post’s Monte Whaley brings us up-to-date, as two conflicting efforts to recall a total of three school board members—Kevin Massey, Vicky Marshall, and Marilyn Flachman—appear to have blown the lid off the debate:
I don’t always agree with the D-Ed Reckoning blog, but I love reading it. For an example of why anyone interested in school reform should visit this blog regularly, read this merciless dissection of a progressive education school project’s shortcomings. Terrible truth-telling. It will make you wince. (And I’m someone who was "progressively educated" and who appreciates much about progressive education).
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Written by: Alan Gottlieb
The dependably astute Rick Kahlenberg has an insightful article in the current American Prospect magazine about the Education Equality Project (see this blog post and this EdNews article) and its philosophical rival, sponsored by the Economic Policy Institute. This is must reading for anyone interested in what Joel Klein and Co. are trying to do. It places this new movement in a historical context that was most helpful to me.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Written by: Captain Haddock
Saturday’s Rocky has an interesting perspective on the latest ProComp negotiations: how they affect Denver’s place on the national education scene. Originally viewed as a point of pride for Denver’s education community, ProComp is now being swept under the PR rug, according to the Rocky:
Denver’s pick as host of the Democratic National Convention was seen by city education...
