Friday Fish Porn – More Bellwether!

Last week it was Bellwether’s Sarah Kramer with a rainbow trout. This week it’s Bellwether Associate Partner Alison Fuller with an Alaskan salmon. Not enough fish? Then click here for an archive of Fish Porn pictures back to 2006 with an array of education figures.

Eduwonk Bends Under A Curve Of Links

I worry on Twitter.  If those Rasmussen job approval numbers are even in the ballpark, it’s going to get harder on ed reform not easier.  Reformers should remember that an army of editorial writers is still not an army. Old worry:   Vouchers for special education will lead to increased identification of special education students(pdf).   New worry?  Schools will resist identifying …

Reroute The Pre-K Debate!

It just can’t be a very good sign that when someone raises serious questions about one of the liveliest and controversial issues in our field those questions are ignored or distorted and caricatured. I’ve heard Checker Finn’s new book on pre-kindergarten education referred to as an anti-pre-k book (it’s not), an intemperate attack on the pre-k movement (it’s critical, sure, …

NAEPing

Today’s new NAEP data is mixed news with enough kernels for people to argue that current policies are/are not helping improve achievement especially for traditionally under-served kids, are/are not hurting advanced kids, some encouraging results for early grades but not for high school etc…it’s a stimulus program for education partisans!  Short answer, we need to do a lot better …

Rees On SES

The eagerly awaited Nina Rees missive on Supplemental Education Services is now out in Gadfly. It’s less about the significance of the SES program and more about its practical shortcomings. Rees says yes there is a quality problem, but then appeals to the school choice community to solve it! I buy the diagnosis but not …

Special Election/ALCS Edition: Conservatives Swing And Miss And Wash Post Doesn’t Field Cleanly

In The Washington Post Michael Dobbs writes up the state-of-play on education in the 2004 race. It’s a solid piece and good overview but the usually reliable Dobbs does a little too much “on the one hand…on the other hand” when in fact the evidence is reasonably clear. Regarding NCLB Dobbs writes: Little evidence supports …

NYT Charter School Tendentiousness. Part Whatever…

Today’s New York Times manages to turn a pretty straightforward story into another pop at charter schools. Because of the growth of charter schools (now more than 3,000), federal researchers will now only survey a sample of charter schools for the Schools and Staffing Survey. Traditional public schools and private schools are surveyed via sample …