About Eduwonk & ES Media

About Eduwonk
ES Blog Editorial Policy
Education Sector
The Education Sector Digest
The Quick and the Ed

News Feeds & More

ATOM
RSS

Archives

Reviews of Eduwonk.com

2007 Winner, Editor's Choice Best Education Blog
-- Performancing.com

2006 Winner, Best K-12 Administration Blog -- "Best of the Education Blog Awards"
-- eSchool News and Discovery Education

2006 Finalist, Best Education Blog
-- Weblog Awards

Least influential of education's most influential information sources.
-- Education Week Research Center

"unexpectedly entertaining"..."tackle[s] a potentially mindfogging subject with cutting clarity... they're reading those mushy, brain-numbing education stories so you don't have to!"
-- Slate's Mickey Kaus

"a very smart blog... [if] you're trying to separate the demagogic attacks on NCLB from the serious criticism, this is the site to read"
-- The New Republic's Ryan Lizza

"everyone who's anyone reads Eduwonk"
-- Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media's Richard Colvin

"full of very lively short items and is always on top of the news...He gets extra points for skewering my high school rating system"
-- Jay Mathews, The Washington Post

"a daily dose of information from the education policy world, blended with a shot of attitude and a dash of humor"
-- Education Week

"designed to cut through the fog and direct specialists and non-specialists alike to the center of the liveliest and most politically relevant debates on the future of our schools"
-- The New Dem Daily

"peppered with smart and witty comments on the education news of the day"
-- Education Gadfly

"don't hate Eduwonk cuz it's so good"
-- Alexander Russo, This Week In Education

"the morning's first stop for education bomb-throwers everywhere"
-- Mike Antonucci, Intercepts

"…the big dog on the ed policy blog-ck…"
-- Michele McLaughlin, AFT Blog

"I check Eduwonk several times a day, especially since I cut back on caffeine"
-- Joe Williams, fallen journalist, Executive Director, Democrats for Education Reform

"...one of the few bloggers who isn't completely nuts"
-- Mike Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation

"I have just three 'go to' websites: The Texas Legislature, Texas Longhorn sports, and Eduwonk"
-- Sandy Kress, former education advisor to President Bush and former chairman, Dallas Board of Education

"penetrating analysis in a lively style on a wide range of issues"
-- Walt Gardner, champion letter-to-the-editor writer and retired teacher

"thugs"
-- Susan Ohanian

Education News and Analysis

American Educator
Chronicle of Higher Education
EducationNews.org
Education Next
Education Week
eSchool News
Inside Higher Ed
Jay Mathews' Class Struggle
Phi Delta Kappan
New York Times Education
School Wise Press
Stateline.org
Teacher Magazine

Policy and Political Blogs

The American Scene
Andrew Sullivan.com
Bloggingheads
Booker Rising
The Corner
Daniel Drezner
Dangerous Thoughts
The Democratic Strategist
Foresight
The Has Been
Huffington Post
Instapundit.com
Kausfiles.com
Loose Cannon
Matthew Yglesias
Mojo
Oxblog
The Plank (TNR)
Political Animal (Washington Monthly)
The Politico
Post Global
Real Clear Politics
Scotusblog
Taking Note
Talkingpointsmemo.com
Tank'd
Tapped
Think Tank Town
Volokh Conspiracy
WSJ's Blog Federation
Washington Whispers

EduReading


Collective Bargaining in Education: Negotiating Change in Today's Schools

Edited by Jane Hannaway and Andrew J. Rotherham


Why Newsweek's List of America's 100 Best High Schools Doesn't Make the Grade

By Andrew J. Rotherham
and Sara Mead

A Qualified Teacher
in Every Classroom

Edited by Frederick M. Hess, Andrew J. Rotherham,
and Kate Walsh

America's Teaching Crisis

By Jason Kamras and Andrew J. Rotherham

Rethinking Special Education For A New Century

Edited by Chester E. Finn, Jr., Andrew J. Rotherham
& Charles R. Hokanson, Jr.

Making The Cut: How States Set Passing Scores on Standardized Tests

By Andrew J. Rotherham

Education Blogs

A Constrained Vision
Andrew Pass
a schoolyard blog
ASCD
Assorted Stuff
Mr. B-G's English Blog
Barnett Berry
Bill Jackson's Education Blog
Bridging Differences (Meier and Ravitch)
Bulletin Board (NASBE)
Campaign K-12 (Ed Week)
Chaos Theory
Charter Blog (NAPCS)
Charter School Policy Inst. Blog
Chez Dormont
Chris Correa
Class Context
The College Puzzle
College Ready Blog (Athens Learning Group)
The Common School
Conversation Starters
Core Knowledge Blog
Critical Mass
Dangerously Irrelevant
Daryl Cobranchi
Dave Shearon
Dave Saba (ABCTE)
DC Education Blog
D-EDreckoning
Dems for Education Reform
The Deputy Head
Early Ed Watch
Early Stories
edbizbuzz
EdPol
Edspresso
Educated Nation
Educating One Mind
The Education Network
The Education Wonks
EduFlack
Eduoptimists
EdWahoo
Eduwonkette
Edwize (UFT)
Eponymous Educator
Essential Blog
Extra Credit
Flypaper (Fordham)
Fordham Fellows
From The Trenches
The Gadfly
Get On The Bus (Dayton Daily News)
Get Schooled (AJC)
The Gradebook (St. Pete Times)
Grumpy Professor
The Hall Monitor
Higher Ed Watch
Hip Teacher
I Thought A Think
IALA
In Other News (Ed Week)
Inside Pre-K
Instructivist
Intercepts
IvyGate
Jay Greene
Jenny D.
Joannejacobs.com
John Merrow
K-12 Hotlinks
Kindling Flames
Kitchen Table Math
Learning Now (PBS)
The Life That Chose Me
Mathew K. Tabor
Media Infusion
Ms. Frizzle
Moving At The Speed Of Creativity
NCLB Act II (Ed Week)
NCLBlog (AFT)
Newoldschoolteacher
NSBA's BoardBuzz
NYC Educator
Paper Trail (USN)
ParaNews (NCP)
Parentalcation
Paul Baker
Pedablogue
The Portable Princess
The PrincipalsPage
Principal's Policy Blog (NASSP)
Quasi Dictum
Roy Romer
Running on Empty
School of Blog
School Zone (MJS)
Schools for Tomorrow
Science After School
SF Schools
Sherman Dorn
SITE Mentor
Small Talk
Special Education Law Blog
Starting Over (Ed Week)
Swift & Change Able
Teach and Learn
Teacher Voices
Teachers At Risk
Teachers' Lounge
Teaching in the 408
Teaching Rookie
Think Lab
This is how I Swim
This Week In Education
Tim Fredrick
Up The Down Staircase
Urban Angle
VARC
What up, Mz. Smlph?
Whitney Tilson
Why Boys Fail
Why Homeschool

Educational Resources and Organizations

AALE Charter School Accreditation
Achieve
Alliance for Excellent Education
American Association of School Administrators
American Educational Research Association
American Federation of Teachers
American Institutes For Research
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Aspen Institute
Asia Society
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Broad Foundation
The Brookings Institution
Building Excellent Schools
Center for American Progress
Center for Education Reform
Center for School Change
Center on Education Policy
Center on Reinventing Public Education
Citizens Commission On Civil Rights
Coalition of Essential Schools
Community College Research Center
Community Training and Assistance Center
Council of Chief State School Officers
Council of Great City Schools
Core Knowledge Foundation
Data Quality Campaign
Democratic Leadership Council
eSchool News
EducationBug
Education Commission of the States
Education Evolving
Education Sector
EdSource
The Education Trust
George Lucas Educational Foundation
Greatschools.net
Haberman Foundation
Hechinger Institute On Education and the Media
IssueLab
Joyce Foundation
Just for the Kids
Knowledge Alliance
Learning Point Associates
Local School Directory
Michael and Susan Dell Foundation
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
The Mind Trust
Montessori
National Academies Center for Education
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
National Association of Charter School Authorizers
National Association of Secondary School Principals
NCLBWorks
National Center for Postsecondary Research
National Center on Education and the Economy
National Charter School Research Project
NCTAF
National Council on Teacher Quality
National Education Association
National Education Writers Association
National Governors Association
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching
National School Boards Association
New Leaders for New Schools
New Schools Venture Fund
The New Teacher Project
New Vision
Pre-K Now
Harvard's Program On Education Policy and Governance
Progressive Policy Institute
PPI's 21st Century Schools Project
Public Agenda
Public Impact
Reading Reform Foundation
Rick Hess' World HQ
The Savvy Source for Parents
Scholastic Administrator
School Data Direct
Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services
Standards Work
Teach for America
The Teaching Commission
Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
Trust for Early Education
Uncommon Schools
United States Department of Education
The Urban Institute
WestEd

Opinions on Eduwonk reflect the views of the author, Education Sector does not take institutional positions. Outgoing links do not constitute an endorsement.

Friday, October 07, 2005

More Sandi

Julian Betts, Andrew Zau, and Kevin King examine student achievement in San Diego. Results may surprise...the Blueprint worked in the lower grades, not so well in high school.
Posted at 4:21 PM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

A Vast-Left Wing Conspiracy?
A new report (pdf) from the Fordham Foundation tries to establish a charter typology. The results might surprise the usual suspects who characterize charters as a right-wing plot. Based on this method, turns out charters might be something of a left-wing conspiracy.
Posted at 3:41 PM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

The Terminator
LA Times' Helfand and Rubin take a look at the Governator's teacher dismissal initiative.
Posted at 2:53 PM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

AEI's Unintelligent Designs
Do you really need a conference to answer this question?
Posted at 2:45 PM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Choosing Sprawl?
Writing in Grist, Daniel Akst wonders whether school choice might help curb suburban sprawl. Not a bad question though he uses school choice pretty generically, not clear that any of what he argues is at odds with charter schools and charters might in fact help address some of the political challenges he discusses.
Posted at 2:41 PM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Two Articles

Jay Mathews revisits college rankings in his Wash. Post online column. A little background here.

In the NYT David Brooks turns in an interesting column about cultural capital:

...life prospects are wildly unequal. As Ross Douthat notes in The Atlantic Monthly, a child growing up in a family earning over $90,000 has a 1 in 2 chance of getting a college degree by age 24; a child in a family earning $35,000 to $61,000 has a 1 in 10 chance; a child in a family earning under $35,000 has a 1 in 17 chance.

But, because of this new Times Select service, you can't read the whole thing unless you subscribe, get it at the newsstand, or it pops up here.
Posted at 9:59 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Hurricane Blogging
vSkool.org (an organization for online ed providers) has started a blog with educational information for those displaced by Katrina. It's light on propaganda and has some useful information.
Posted at 8:53 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Alienating The Public: Part 834373
Another brilliant move that seems almost deliberately calculated to repel the public. Some teachers in California are refusing to write college recommendations for students until an agreement is reached on their contract. Going over big with parents!

The irony here is obvious and troubling. The teachers' unions are convinced that conservatives are out to do in the public schools, but if that is in fact the case, then it seems the best ally the conservatives have is, well, the teachers' unions.
Posted at 8:46 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

The Education Sector

Although Education Sector formally launches in January, its newsletter started today (monthly through the end of the year, twice a month thereafter). Here is the inaugural issue and you can sign up to get it delivered free. Takes just a few seconds to sign up.

Because of privacy policies, even if you got the 21st Century Schools Project Bulletin by email you will not automatically be signed up for The Education Sector. You must subscribe.

This issue includes briefs on Sandy Feldman, AYP, the Broad Prize, college rankings, and Katrina relief among other items. It's like the Bulletin, only more nifty!
Posted at 10:10 PM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Not Back On His 'Heels
Interesting article about Erksine Bowles taking the helm at UNC that also discusses other pols who have moved into college presidencies.
Posted at 10:05 PM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Capital Campaign
New report by Sara Mead on charter schooling in Washington, D.C., the most thorough look yet. Examines performance, opportunities, and challenges and makes recommendations for improvement. Washington Post on the report here.
Posted at 7:45 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

NYC Contract
There is a tentative deal in NYC on the teachers' contract. Lots of early analysis, praise, grumbling floating around. Insta-reax from smart money in the city is that it's a pretty square deal, Bloomberg got what he wanted -- the teachers' union out of the mayoral race, UFT head Weingarten got enough money to probably get this past her members, and NYC Chancellor Klein got some of the reforms he wanted and the groundwork for more next time (the excess teacher issue -- what to do with excessed teachers who do not land anywhere -- is a ticking time bomb, watch for it to explode in a few years). But, Bloomie looked like a sure bet to win reelection anyway so some folks wondering why he didn't hold out for more. Still, D mayoral candidate Ferrer considered to be the big loser in this deal because neutral UFT means no door knockers, phone banks, etc...

Lots of analysis and commentary. NYT here and here, NY Post here, NY Daily News here, Klein on the Politiker blog here and here, dissenting UFT critics here, UFT's blog Edwize here.

Harsh reality check here.

Update: NY Post's Sager goes a little overboard with the sarcasm but the underlying point is about right, the UFT leadership is now selling a contract with provisions addressing a bunch of issues they not too long ago went completely batty over when Eva Moskowitz raised them. Meanwhile, these guys are on the attack and these guys are spinning like tops about how this is actually a big win?!?! Are they that concerned this could go down?* But, in general big urban unions are better at exploiting language in these contracts than management so watch that ball going forward.

*Nonetheless, Eduwonk is setting the morning line at 6-1 in favor of ratification. That's good action for ICEers who truly believe...
Posted at 7:23 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Monday, October 03, 2005

Breaking Bennett News

Just out from K-12 this A.M., Bill Bennett out as chair of the board of directors obviously as a result of the back and forth of the past few days...

Update: This smells a little panicky on the part of K-12. The company is struggling some and must feel they can't take a risk here.
Posted at 11:10 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Watch The Apple!
Watch New York today, agreement on the contract and other big news coming this afternoon...lot of action over the weekend...
Posted at 10:52 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Edujobs!
Interesting jobs (policy analysis, development, and communications) at a fast-paced educational start-up, Education Sector.

You can get more specific information here.
Posted at 7:59 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

TFA
NYT's Lewin takes a look at Teach For America.

This year, Teach for America drew applications from 12 percent of Yale's graduates, 11 percent of Dartmouth's and 8 percent of Harvard's and Princeton's. The group also recruits for diversity, and this year got applications from 12 percent of the graduates of Spelman College, a historically black women's college in Atlanta.

Update: Michael Lach weighs-in, too.
Posted at 7:47 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post