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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, December 22, 2006

Happy Holidays

If you're a teacher and looking for a holiday break in February, Ithaca, New York, is rolling out the red carpet for you...
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Always An Eduangle...And, Always A Sign Of The Times...
So, Turkmenbashi finally met the one thing he couldn't control. The Eduwife has spent some time in Turkmenistan and we've got some friends in the teaching ranks there. One, in particular, wanted to start a charter school there, he liked the idea and the autonomy. So we helped him with some resources here and he pushed the idea as safely as he could, but to no avail. So I'm left wondering...who is more likely to see a charter school anytime soon, kids in Turkmenistan or kids in Washington State?

But, kids in Kansas might see one sooner...and a pretty signal one at that...
Posted at 7:52 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Farewell Feller
AFTie One-L notes that good reporter and good guy Ben Feller has left the AP ed beat to cover the White House and needles me for not mentioning it sooner. 'Tis true. Only thing I can add to her round-up is that more than a few women in the ed policy space -- in and out of government -- have noted that they're going to miss him...and I don't think they're referring to the prose...
Posted at 7:51 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Making A List...Checking It Twice...
Here, for your enjoyment, is a list of 100 education blogs!
Posted at 7:49 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Higher Ed Ed...

Kevin Carey, who knows a lot more about higher ed policy than I do, tells you what you need to know about today's NYT story.
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Another Edujob
Join the vast conspiracy! National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is looking for a federal policy director. Disc here.
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Ed Trust Shows You The Money!
Don't miss the new Ed Trust school finance report, just out today. This year looks at federal, state, and local. I wish it had trend data, there were some formula changes made in 2001 and it would be nice to see impact or lack thereof, but it's well worth checking out. Shows clearly how the kids that need the most get thrust into a system that gives them the least. And, shows that while there are some tough issues like state finance inequities that take a long time to fix, there are also some immediate steps Congress could take when No Child Left Behind is reauthorized -- like fixing Title I's comparability provisions.
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Finn-O-Rama!!! And The 2006 Box Score!
The current issue of Education Week can only be described as an orgy of Chester Finn! There is a big splash profile and then no less than one, two, and in fact three articles about Fordham's charter authorizing work in Ohio. It's all Finn all-the-time! All that is missing is a pin-up. To be clear though, Usually Reliable Robelen's work on Fordham in Ohio is well worth checking out.

But was it all Finn all the time in '06? People wonder and speculate (and miscalculate) what organizations get a lot of ink in Ed Week. Well, for 2006, here are the best numbers I could come up with. It is a lot of Fordham (but not all Finn) but a lot of ink all around among the DC-based eduideas organizations. The chart shows the number of online or print articles various organizations were cited in during the year. (Click for a larger view).
Posted at 7:04 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

EduJob

Pre-K Now is hiring for a federal policy director.
Posted at 6:00 PM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Carnevale Carnival!
A missive by Tony Carnevale has been circulating related to/attacking the recent Skills Commission report (see here and here, too). Now you can read it yourself by clicking here, sure to spark some debate...I don't quite get the stridency and think some of the concerns can be dealt with pretty easily as a matter of policymaking and execution, but you decide.
Posted at 2:38 PM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Send In The Goons! And, Why Eyes Are On The Wrong Ball
En passant AFTie One-L confirms the existence of teachers' union goons, this will no doubt be disconcerting to the Eduwife.

But good a time as any to mention that almost everyone on teachers' union watch around the '08 Democratic primary is looking in the wrong place. The parlor game is about which candidate, or potential candidate, will have the most cachet with the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers' union.

Yet the union is very unlikely to get too involved in the primary* and similarly very unlikely not to support the ultimate Democratic nominee. A good model is the '04 race where the union asked candidates to submit to an interview and then rated them acceptable or unacceptable. Only Senator Joe Lieberman earned an unacceptable rating, presumably because of his support for school choice and generally maverick instincts on education. And yes, you read that right, the organization representing most of the nation's teachers felt that Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton were more fit to serve as President of the United States than Lieberman...

Anyway, rather than national, the action is mostly in the states, especially early primary states. Getting the support of the state teachers' unions can mean bodies, access, publicity, etc...resources that are valuable in these primaries (though as Howard Dean found out, not invincible...his relentless slashing on No Child Left Behind didn't really pay off with voters). So in terms of candidates currying favor, staking out positions that play to or against type with the unions and so forth, that's the ball to watch. But of course, if you’re pro-reform there is nothing to worry about there because the state teachers’ unions are cornucopias of progressive reform ideas!

A candidate who succeeds without strong teachers' union backing can find themselves freed up to stake out bold positions on the education issue since -- despite occasional head fakes -- the unions will almost certainly prefer the Democratic nominee to the Republican one on a host of issues when push comes to shove. John Kerry had this opportunity in 2004 but didn't leverage it to full advantage. Voters want independent candidates, change oriented ones, and ones who will make tough stands. On education there is a powerful mantle to be grabbed there and one that reinforces other values. Also, in terms of currying favor versus currying reform, there is also a little bit of “stag hunt” going on and some group benefit if the candidates act strategically, though don’t hold your breath.

*Update: Mike Antonucci notes that the NEA is considering hatching some sort of kangaroo court endorsement convention. I remain skeptical this will amount to much beyond a PR sideshow because why would state leaders want to give up some real power they have now unless it is taken from them...? Of course, there could end up being consensus, an ideal outcome for the NEA, but state leaders have a lot of juice...And worth pointing out that I think the environment has changed and the idea that teachers move in lockstep is wrong. This is about activists and bodies, which can help generate votes, rather than actual votes.
Posted at 9:59 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Monday, December 18, 2006

Dissension In The Ranks!

This is interesting...seems the NEA has been stung by the criticism of their No Child Left Behind position...but now they can't please anyone! Via Intercepts.
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Climbing Down The IB Ladder
WaPo's Shapira looks at the IB elementary school program in Sunday's paper.
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The Horrid AYP Unmasked!

NCLB's "adequate yearly progress" provisions have some problems, sure. But the reality is that they're not nearly as bad as the rhetoric about them, and some of the problems fall in the "lesser of several bad choices" category because of the current state of play of state policy. These Hill staffers are not as dumb or out of touch as people think...This chart from the Olson-Hoff NCLB sweepstakes opus in Education Week debunks some of the common myths, especially the scapegoating of English-language learners* and special-ed kids. In the end, despite some sharp edges we're back to the question of whether we're going to hold schools accountable for educating discreet subgroups of kids, or not. In other words, is the right unit of analysis kids or schools? And also, again we face the disconnect between really grim achievement gaps and concerns that NCLB is telling us that some schools aren't doing a very good job...those kids do go to school somewhere!

*Though the figure above should be taken in the context that LEP kids are the least dispersed of these various groups. In other words, the n of schools (not the n-size of the subgroup) that could miss AYP because of LEP kids is smaller than these other groups to begin with. But it’s still not the millstone it's being made out to be.

Graphic courtesy of Education Week.
Posted at 7:31 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post

Winds Of Change
Transparency is easy to say, harder to do, but here's one important stab:

The National Council on Teacher Quality is launching a new online database designed to help researchers, the media, and the public make sense of various provisions in teacher collective bargaining agreements and board policies from the nation's 50 largest school districts. The website is the first of its kind—empowering users to compare over 300 distinct provisions that impact the day-to-day operations of schools. In other words, it's bad ass. That's a technical industry term for you lay readers.

You can, and should, join the National Council on Teacher Quality and the Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights on January 4th at 10 am at the Charles Sumner School (1201 17th Street NW, Metro Farragut North) for the launch of this revolution! Speakers include journalist and ES non-resident senior fellow Joe Williams and researcher Julia Koppich. For more info or to R.S.V.P. please email info@nctq.org or call 202-222-0561. Disc: I'm on the NCTQ board and served on the advisory board for this project.
Posted at 7:26 AM | Comments: 0 | Link to this item | Email this post