Month: May 2012

To understand what’s happening with student loans you need to keep two things in mind at once:  There is a problem, yes, but there is also a lot of hysteria. And increasingly lost in the hysteria are the students we should worry about most – those making poor choices based on bad information or attending for-profit colleges that are ripping them off.  But the focus on overall debt is obscuring much of what’s really happening – median debt for students who borrow is less than $13K, for instance.  That’s what I look at in this week’s TIME column.

Student debt is completely out of control, right? The more than $1 trillion in outstanding college loans is front-page news and is pretty much the only educational issue the presidential candidates are talking about. Yes, ballooning student debt is causing real hardship for some Americans. But as with many educational flare-ups, the public debate is giving us more noise than signal. So before you decide to skip college based on the hysteria, here are a few things to keep in mind.

The interest rate to read the entire column? 0% with no origination costs.  You can’t beat that.  Just click here.

The Times breaks the news this morning that David Coleman is taking the helm at College Board when Gaston Caperton retires this fall.  It’s an inspired and non-traditional choice but David’s background brings a lot to the iconic organization – especially at a time of a lot of change in its part of the sector.  Coleman was one of TIME’s 12 for 12 education activists.  And here’s a look at the SAT from a few months ago.

Bellwether helped the National Chamber of Commerce take a look at school boards around the country and discuss some key takeaways and ideas for how business can play a constructive role in school board issues.  You can read about the cities – including some off-the-beaten path in ND and WY and some that are more well known here (pdf).  It was released at an event in DC this morning, you can watch here.  And if you’re a parent, editorial board member, voter, etc…you can see a set of questions to ask prospective board members and candidates here (pdf). We chose the cities by geography and diversity so the stories ended up as mix of successful and struggling boards.

Not surprisingly the key inference here is that there is not a single best governance model but rather best habits for boards across various governance structures. There are also a number of constructive ways for business groups to get more involved than is often the case today.

If you want to see the conversation in 140 characters on Twitter you can at #icswschoolboard

We’re going to close the Bellwether feedback survey on Wednesday evening.  Many thanks to all those who have responded, if you’re not among them you can learn more and respond via this link.  Will just take a few minutes.

If you only read one thing today, this WaPo op-ed by Mississippi TFA’er Eli Hager is a pretty good bet.  Unfortunately, the consensus he describes isn’t a simple right – left issue.

Wondering what MOOC is and what it means for higher education?  Laura McKenna tells you.  Joel Rose discusses an ed tech revolution.  Brooklyn Bureau looks at a possible school closing through the eyes of one principal.  And Briggs, Davis, and Cheney on principals.

Best response to my ‘if you want to improve science scores take a kid fishing’ column on Friday in TIME came via a reax on Twitter, “if that was true I’d be Albert Einstein” David Kelso wrote.

Smart and serious look at the new teacher test from Stanford/Pearson via Hechinger.

And Sara Mead is profiling some of education’s up and comers.

Audrey Waters asks why Mathalicious is raising money on Kickstarter in the first place.

This week’s TIME column is about science teaching.  If you’re not happy with our science achievement there is something we can all do – get kids outside more.

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, so let’s start this column with a nod to my 9^th-grade science teacher, Bruce Butler, who lit a spark in me by making geology and environmental science fun, interesting – and rigorous. I still think of him whenever I’m out hiking or fishing and come across some geological curiosity. He went on to a successful career as a principal and is retiring this summer, but would no doubt be happy to know that today’s science teachers seem to be having an impact on kids, too, according to science achievement-test data released yesterday…

…Ideas such as using innovative technology to simulate environmental experiences were touted, but perhaps the most promising way to improve science teaching and environmental education is also the simplest: get kids outside more. Children will learn more about the natural world by spending a few hours in it than days in front of a computer – and it’s healthier for them too…

The week started with video observations and as it ends a new Gates Foundation paper on teacher observations and improving reliability (pdf).

Next Tuesday the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is hosting a 1/2 day meeting on school boards and the role of business groups with them.  Speakers include:

Kelly Brough, President and CEO, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Anne Bryant, Executive Director, National School Board Association, Sandy Kress, Senior Counsel, Adkin Gump; Fellow, Education Policy, George W. Bush Institute, Don McAdams, Chairman and Founder, Center for Reform of School Systems, Cheryl Oldham, Vice President, Institute for a Competitive Workforce, Andrew Rotherham, Co-Founder, Bellwether Education Partners, Margaret Spellings, President, Institute for a Competitive Workforce; Senior Advisor, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Juan Williams, Journalist and Political Analyst, Fox News Channel.

Registration if free and is via this link.

Colin Powell talks with Harvard EdCast and puts host Matt Weber through the paces.  Well worth a listen all the way through.  Sandy Kress hops in the wayback machine to early 2002. Over at National Geographic they talk with John Hunter.  He was one of TIME’s 12 for 12 education activists.  And Robert Costrell takes a look at one transition issue on pension reform.