Odds And Ends

Head Start: This Head Start announcement today is not just an event for an event’s sake.  The policy here matters on the thorny issue of Head Start reform. Update – Sara Mead has more.

Politics: All edueyes on Ohio, that matters, but pay attention to the state level elections in Virginia, important harbinger of what next year portends in a key swing state with some eduimplications.

Reports to read: ES takes a look at pensions in Rhode Island and what’s happening there.  Little state but big implications.  And the new report on harassment from AAUW is worth a look. Important issue and as opposed to past ones the measures here are tighter.

Op-eds: If this is the best NYT’s Michael Winerip can come up with to criticize Tennessee about then Race to the Top implementation there must be going a lot better than I thought.  At TIME Jon Schnur takes a look at why parents think their own school is great and the nation is a mess.

Housekeeping: You can get automatic tweets when content is posted on Eduwonk @eduwonk or if you want a live person I am @arotherham.  You can also post your own content at the Eduwonk Facebook page.

17 Replies to “Odds And Ends”

  1. Whaddaya mean that’s the best the NYT could do? What? This isn’t bad enough: “Math specialists can be evaluated by their school’s English scores, music teachers by the school’s writing scores.” If anyone cares, the comments section of the NYT piece is chock-full of reasons why the Tennessee experience is troubling.

  2. Andy despises Mr. Winerip.
    Andy believes a liar like Steven Brill over Mr. Winerip.

    As is becoming obvious, Andy doesn’t like data anymore as it’s not going his way. (see NAEP and DCPS.)

  3. As much as I support broad access to early childhood programs, I’m heartened to see that quality Head Start Programs will now have the opportunity to compete (and hopefully win) the funds and resources needed to improve and expand their programs.

  4. Yes, we will now see that those Head start operators who know the right people (like they play basketball with Arne or fish with Andy) will get the money even if their programs suck.

    30 years from now, if anyone bother or cares, will we find out if these kids ending up shoveling shit in Louisiana?

    Michael Winerip might, and there will probably be a new Brill or Rotherham around to piss on him.

  5. The RDF was said by Andy Hertzfeld to be Steve Jobs’ ability to convince himself and others to believe almost anything with a mix of charm, charisma, bravado, hyperbole, marketing, appeasement, and persistence. RDF was said to distort an audience’s sense of proportion and scales of difficulties and made them believe that the task at hand was possible.

  6. So bitter, Phillip. So very bitter. The unfortunate part is that the way you choose to convey your views turns everyone off to what you have to say.

  7. Regarding Phillip (sic) Marlowe, detective, wasn’t he portrayed by Dick Powell in the radio program of the same name? This must be a different Dick though….

    The Head Start program is often used by families whose kids have developmental problems, and might be fortunate to have a job “shoveling s***” someday, as opposed to suffering lifelong institutionalization.

    You can certainly tell who’s concerned about kid’s well-being vs. the almighty dollar in these discussions. Or rather, you COULD tell if the opposing view wasn’t so intentionally offensive.

  8. Ha, good one motorcyclist, for a fourth grader.
    Funny you can use the word dick, but not shit.
    Anyway, if you want to use an obscenity with me, use cocksucker.
    Head Start is also used by families who are poor, the ones whio can’t afford the nursery schools or church run preschools for 2, 3 and 4 year olds.
    That’s my experience with them.

  9. pgteacher,
    bitter,
    yeah, at the moment.
    How’s the student based budgeting charade going at your school(s)?
    Did your principal get community involvement that Dr. Hite stated was a part of SBB. Or did your principal follow what Dr. Hite directed the principals to do at their meeting 2 weeks ago-not share information with the staff and community?
    And the way it is set up, if you criticize the lack of “community” involvement, the Board Of Ed and Dr. Hite will blame the principals.

    Also, did your principal tell the staff member whose position isn’t going to be paid for next year before he/she told at the staff?
    Or did the staff member find out when the principal laid out the budget to the staff?
    That happened to my collegue.

  10. phillipmarlowe
    keep the truth coming, and keep it coming with plenty of wit, and cocksucker and dick humor.

    Evidence will only take us so far. It going to take more ridicule, a la you and Jon Stewart, before the “reform” bubble bursts.

  11. You’re right that evidence will only take you so far, but that’s because of the glaring cases against you (see KIPP as one of the successes brought on by the charter movement).

    Before you start to attack that statement on absolutist grounds, I’ll never claim all charters are great. What drives me nuts though is that the critics on this blog are always camping out on the extremist end of the spectrum. Quit bitching needlessly and recognize that your limited anecdotal experience may not solve everyone else’s problems.

  12. John’s getting a bit excited about the phallic references, no?

    “Evidence will only take us so far.” lol! You seldom even go that far, so why diminish that rhetorical distance?

  13. Evidence will take it only so far.
    When it doesn’t, people, notably Michelle Johnson, make it up.

    “Meow, meow,” purred Henrietta PussyCat.

  14. SBB is a pilot program and not at all schools. Clearly, it has some flaws, but I’d rather have a program that gives more budgetary control to the school than the status quo, where they’ve got discretion on 2% of the budget.

  15. pgteacher,
    your principal turned in his/her 2012-2013 SBB budget last week.
    They did so without school community involvement, and, it seems based upon your response, without input from your staff.
    It can be modified in January.
    Has your principal scheduled meetings for parent input?
    As for the amount of discretion, if your principal shows you anything, the only discretion you get increases as you cut/don’t fund classroom teachers.
    Ask your principal if you can get a copy of the Excel spreadsheet so you can do the budget.

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