Schools for Tomorrow Blog

In the past 3 years the Denver BOE has authorized exactly two charter schools now in operation: West Denver Prep (opened 2006) and Denver Venture Academy (opened yesterday). In contrast, in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg just announced that 18 charter schools will be opening this fall. Charter schools under Bloomberg (and Joel Klein) have grown from 3,200 students in 2002 to an estimated 24,000 this fall. Bloomberg says:

“It’s the charter schools that let parents vote with their feet and tell us what the parents think about the quality of the education, of the schools. And I can tell you, one of the reasons that the public schools in the city have gotten better is because the charter schools exist and give parents an alternative and let parents see that you can do something better.”

This Spring the Denver BOE authorized exactly one...

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The next three days likely will comprise a critical moment in the showdown over the future of ProComp and education reform in Denver, as mediation takes place between DPS and DCTA to settle the disputed contract.

As Alexander Ooms skillfully pointed out, the natural and traditional advantage in these types of bargaining situations goes to the union. But the leadership of DPS may not be your typical school district leadership, and in some ways they have pushed DCTA back on its heels in the public relations battle. (Of course, they owe more than a little thanks to the teachers on the ground who are fed up with the union’s position.)

Yet anyone who doubts the ability of union leaders to overcome their tough situation...

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It is simply impossible, Pastorek has come to believe, for a traditional school system, run from the top down by a central administrator, to educate large numbers of poor children to high levels of achievement. “The command-and-control structure can produce marginal improvements,” he told me when we met last month at a coffeehouse on Magazine Street. “But what’s clear to me is that it can only get you so far. If you create a system where initiative and creativity is valued and rewarded, then you’ll get change from the bottom up. If you create a system where people are told what to do and how to do it, then you will get change from the top down. We’ve been doing top-down for many years in Louisiana. And all we have is islands of excellence amidst a sea of mediocrity and failure.”

This piece in The New York Times is from probably the best article I have read on education in the general press this year. Balanced enough to include...

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In my introductory blog, I wrote that I wanted to investigate/examine/interrogate the notion of teacher as professional. I wrote that teachers need to view themselves as professionals and that society needs to treat teachers as professionals, as opposed to treating teachers as well-intentioned “Mother Teresas,” fighting the good fight.

One way to judge whether or not teachers are treated and act like professionals is to compare teachers to other “professionals.” In 2005, the Finance Project, an organization that looks to “support decision-making that produces good results for children, families, and communities,” published a report that compared education to six other fields. The report, titled Preparing and Training Professionals: Comparing Education to Six Other Fields compares professional development in education to six other professions: law, accounting, architecture, nursing, firefighting...

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This one speaks for itself.

Hot of the press, this new report from the A-Plus Finance and facilities Sub-committee validates what many people have been saying for a while now: ProComp needs to be reconfigured to pay newer teachers more and to provide meaningful incentives, rather than almost exclusively salary-building components. Read a full story on the report, on the Educaton News Colorado website, by clicking  here.

If former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer wants to draw the attention of politicians and the public to the failings of American schools, holding a Capitol steps news conference may not be the best tactic.

The ever-energetic Romer and a phalanx of Colorado education and political worthies lined up on the west steps Thursday to raise awareness about the need for education reform. (See story here.) The event was part of Romer’s nationwide Ed in ’08 campaign, sponsored by the well-funded Strong American Schools group.

Several reporters lurked on the steps to listen, and a row of TV cameras was rolling. But, the event seemed to yield little coverage in Denver’s MSM (mainstream media, generally used as a term of derision on journalism blogs and discussion groups).

The Denver Post used only two smallish photos and a copy block on page 2 of its second section....

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It is simply impossible, Pastorek has come to believe, for a traditional school system, run from the top down by a central administrator, to educate large numbers of poor children to high levels of achievement. “The command-and-control structure can produce marginal improvements,” he told me when we met last month at a coffeehouse on Magazine Street. “But what’s clear to me is that it can only get you so far. If you create a system where initiative and creativity is valued and rewarded, then you’ll get change from the bottom up. If you create a system where people are told what to do and how to do it, then you will get change from the top down. We’ve been doing top-down for many years in Louisiana. And all we have is islands of excellence amidst a sea of mediocrity and failure.”

This is from probably the best article I have read on Education in the general press this year. Balanced enough to include the perspective of Diane Ravitch (with whom I...

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