New study on charter schools, pilot schools, and traditional public schools in Boston is again raising the question up there about the logic of the state’s charter school cap. This paper outlines one compromise state lawmakers could pursue (pdf).
Dan Willingham turns in a great blog post about how the underpinnings of education, or lack thereof, complicate research. This also help create the Neanderthal education politics we see as well.
As part of their closeout The Department of Education sent letters to every state today outlining where they are on Elementary and Secondary Education Act compliance and created a handy spreadsheet on the same.
Ted Kolderie and the Education Evolving folks try their hand at speechwriting for President-Elect Obama. “The torch has been passed…” it ain’t, but it’s interesting how state-focused these guys are going now.
Since the first year they did this cool teacher appreciation weekend in Ithaca, New York, it’s really grown into something pretty big.
Not only does Mike Petrilli do yoga, it turns out he also tosses around phrases like “amuse bouche.” Is he a foodie or is he French? Who knows! But we do know that he is stingy if you believe this article in National Review where he, Checker Finn, and Rick Hess argue that stimulus money will be bad for schools, or rather bad for education.
They’re certainly right that some reciprocal obligations are a reasonable and necessary accompaniment to big infusions of federal dollars and one hopes to see that in the stimulus. And they’re also right that school districts and states tend to absorb dollars in uncreative ways, which, by the way hardly makes them unique in the public sector. But they also seem to think that tough times inherently force sensible belt-tightening.
In fact, in education tough times can often just force mediocrity and there is little evidence that scarcity forces good fiscal decisionmaking. Rather, across the board cuts and similar strategies (last hired, first fired…) tend to be the norm during downturns instead of creative strategies designed to leverage longer-term solutions. Given the politics of education that’s not really surprising. But even notwithstanding the past quarter, or the past year, public schools are headed for some tough budget times. It will take deliberate decision-making and firm resolve to make the productivity enhancing reforms to address that. It won’t happen on its own whether through technology or hard times.
Eduimplications in the penultimate graf of this NYT story about the labor reunification project.
Brian Bennett passed away over the holidays after a long fight with ALS. And he was a fighter. Here’s DFER’s Joe Williams and ES board chair (and former San Diego school superintendent) Alan Bersin on Bennett and why his work mattered so much. He’ll be greatly missed.
Been underwater for a few days, hence the light posting, but here are a few things you might want to check out.
Wondering about this Michael Bennet fellow? Here he is talking to John Merrow about education and the incoming administration. As a special bonus, Hill staffer Celia Sims provides an outstanding round-up of school superintendents who have served in the U.S. Senate.
The NYT takes a look at the National Public Service Academy idea and where things stand. (I’m on the advisory board).
Charter school opponents are wising up that the way to kill them off is to have them wither on the vine for lack of key things like facilities. Meanwhile, this article ostensibly about charter schools and older inmates should be a reminder of how many students are in the criminal justice system and need services. States vary greatly in the job they do serving this population.
Denis Newman of Empirical Education has some useful thoughts on the stimulus and education.
Richard Rothstein and I discuss D.C. schools and the implications for the national school debate on Kojo Nnamdi’s NPR show. No mind-reading or other parlor tricks but a good discussion about D.C. schools and the different theories of action on school reform today.
It’s a hotbed of school reformers! The RMN takes a look at a milestone happening in Colorado and the leadership roles that Peter Groff and Terrance Carroll will have there when the legislature gets going this session. Both these guys have been involved in education reform for a while and have led important educational efforts in the legislature there.
Denver school superintendent Michael Bennet will be appointed (rather his appointment will be announced, natch) to the U.S. Senate tomorrow to fill out the term of Senator Salazar who is joining the Obama Administration as Secretary of the Interior. Bennet is one of the most thoughtful and effective school superintendents on the scene today.
One anecdote that says a lot: When you visit schools with him in Denver and drop in on classrooms the students tend to know his name and recognize him, and Denver is not a small school district with just a few schools.
Not since Strom Thurmond dined…? In the trivia department, I think the last school superintendent to serve in the Senate was Strom Thurmond. If that’s wrong someone please correct in the comments.
Multiple Intelligences: Although given his current job the education angle is getting the attention (I’m guilty, too, just look at the title of this post), in fact Bennet has worked successfully in several public and private venues, he’s an impressive guy. But, there are obviously high hopes he’ll be a reformer in national office given his track record on the education issue.
Don’t believe everything you read: This AP story from a few weeks ago has a misleading top – implying that Bennet modified Denver’s differentiated teacher pay plan to increase teacher support - that seems to now be framing some of the bloggy and other reax and coverage of the Bennet story. In fact, the issue on teacher pay was a long-term redistribution of salaries from some veterans toward newbies that was highly contentious at the time and where Bennet ultimately prevailed by hanging tough under pressure. More here and here. It’s true that in the end more teachers voted for the most recent contract than the original pay plan, which is good but more complicated than AP lets on.
Julie Corbett is with Mass Insight Education in Massachusetts, they’re the folks who put out the big turnaround report last year. Turns out her sister, Rachel Corbett, is an artist with trout as her muse. This is her holiday card from this year, one of several she does using various trout (or salmonids for the sticklers).
Happy New Year.
 Collective Bargaining in Education: Negotiating Change in Today's Schools Edited by Jane Hannaway and Andrew J. Rotherham
|  Better Benefits: Reforming Teacher Pensions for a Changing Work Force By Chad Aldeman and Andrew J. Rotherham |
 A Qualified Teacher in Every Classroom Edited by Frederick M. Hess, Andrew J. Rotherham, and Kate Walsh |
 Conflicting Missions and Unclear Results: Lessons from the Education Stimulus Funds By Sara Mead, Anand Vaishnav, William Porter, and Andrew J. Rotherham |
 Rethinking Special Education For A New Century Edited by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Andrew J. Rotherham & Charles R. Hokanson, Jr. |
 Location, Location, Location: How Would a High-Performing Charter School Network Fare in Different States? By Chris Lozier & Andrew J. Rotherham |
 Changing the Game: The Federal Role in Supporting 21st Century Educational Innovation By Andrew J. Rotherham and Sara Mead |
 Achieving Teacher and Principal Excellence: A Guidebook for Donors By Andrew J. Rotherham |
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