Education News, Analysis, and Commentary
In the Summer 2004 City Journal Sol Stern takes a look at No Child Left Behind, its origins, status quo, and prospects. Parts of the article are the journalistic equivalent of a lap dance – some squirming and faux enthusiasm but no real payoff. That said, it’s well worth reading because: (a) It shows many …
Motoring…Daryl Cobranchi is still displeased with Eduwonk’s view on the VA home-schooling law. You can read why for yourself here. Cobranchi cites Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925) to bolster the argument that the state should not regulate home-schooling noting that the SCOTUS said, The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this …
Continue reading “Appealing to Sister Christian Society of Sisters…”
Kaus gives voice (and summons Ron Brownstein) to the increasingly high-decibel rumor floating around about the Kennedy NCLB corrections bill that George Miller wants no part of. The retroactivity bill is a good idea, but — policy merits aside — this next step seems very ill-considered because (a) The Republicans will never let it see …
Fordham Foundation’s Terry Ryan takes a look at the lawsuit against charter schools in Ohio. Worth reading because it shows (a) how legally suspect the lawsuit is and consequently (b) how politically driven it is. Ryan notes that: This federal claim follows two unsuccessful lawsuits filed (against most charter schools themselves) in state courts by …
A concerned reader writes about Eduwonk’s notes on the recent charter conference: You sound like a crabby old coot! Complaining about the location, complaining about the plenary sessions, complaining about the bags, complaining about baseball(?)!!! My Lord! Hey, I got an idea for a story that would fit in well with the new, geriatric tone …
Must read Karin Chenoweth column on reading instruction in The Washington Post. New Mathematica study on free/reduced price school lunch eligibility. The punchline? Fraud not rampant. Incidentally, program integrity obviously matters but generally in practice, when in doubt, school officials give a poor kid a free lunch (often the best meal they see all day). …
Although he really was not very involved in education, Reagan fever is gripping conservative education types, too, this week. In the past few days both Chester Finn and Jeanne Allen both have written about Reagan’s educational impact. Both credit Reagan with launching the current wave of school reform, though Allen also argues that he was …
This Memorial Day there is too much rain and too many interesting news stories not to post a few… In The Washington Post Linda Perlstein writes that No Child Left Behind is squeezing out science and social studies in favor of reading. Paul Kimmelman and E.D. Hirsch explain — in different essays — why that’s …
Eduwonk does not condone drinking and driving, yet the saga of the superintendent of schools in Alexandria, Virginia, seems to be driven more by other agendas — namely angst about other decisions she has made and people trying to score points about zero tolerance policies — than real concern about her DUI arrest. To recap, …