Gwinnett County, a model for the nation to follow?
Georgia, as a second-round winner in President Barack Obama’s Race to the Top competition, was already getting some attention for its ideas on education reform. For one thing, it’s among the few states that participated in the competition that plans to use some of its funding to pay for early education initiatives. Today, the state […]
Are charters holding students back at high rates and, if so, how might that affect their outcomes?
In an article published in the November 2010 issue of The American Prospect, The Hechinger Report takes a look at whether charter schools tend to hold students back more often than regular public schools do, and what that might mean for student outcomes. The research on retaining students – particularly if they’re older – has […]
What (the best) teachers think
Last week, 50 “highly effective” teachers — as defined by a number of measures, including value-added test scores in some cases — descended on New York City to show off their skills to tourists and other passersby in Rockefeller Center.* NBC flew them in as a part of its Education Nation series, and along with stints of teaching […]
The education reform show – now playing 24/7
Yesterday, NBC gathered a group of more than 300 teachers from around the country in a tent built on the skating rink at New York City’s Rockefeller Center — along with thousands who logged on online — and asked them provocative questions about charter schools, merit pay, teacher tenure and, of course, Waiting for “Superman.” The Teacher […]
Promise Neighborhood winners announced; disappointment for NJ
The U.S. Department of Education today launched a new anti-poverty program, Promise Neighborhoods, with the announcement of winners in a $10-million planning-grant competition. The program is intended to foster the creation of 21 versions of the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) in cities, towns and Native-American reservations across the country. Winners will receive grants of up to $500,000 […]
Obama’s back-to-school speech: “It’s about working harder than everybody else”
In his back-to-school speech today, in Philadelphia, President Barack Obama covered many of the same themes he addressed in last year’s more controversial talk. The main ideas were rather bland, if worthy: Stay in school; do your homework; show up on time. This year, Obama also acknowledged the recession and how it might be affecting students’ personal lives. He then borrowed […]
Can we “SIG” that instructional coach?
The acronym for School Improvement Grants – SIG – has become a verb at a middle school in Oakland, California, according to an illuminating blog post by an assistant principal there. In the post, assistant principal Kilian Betlach gives us insight into the chaos but also the hope that the Obama administration’s revamping of the SIG […]
Tests as teacher-training tools: Two views from winners
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the department’s picks for two plans to create new and improved tests to replace the fill-in-the-bubble versions that most states have long used. The grant competition was billed as a mini-Race to the Top, with only three contestants. The one loser was a smaller group of states proposing […]
Charter schools and English language learners
Charter schools get a lot of accolades, but rarely are they touted for their work with English language learners (ELLs). That’s because in charter-school hot spots like New York City, charters have tended not to serve ELLs as much as they do other students, causing some groups to complain that they’re avoiding some of the […]
Racially homogeneous charters = freely chosen segregation?
In an op-ed in New York’s Daily News this week, Stuart Buck defends all-minority charter schools against accusations that they’re reviving racial segregation, arguing that “there is a type of freely chosen segregation that may further the goal of educational achievement.” Buck makes some interesting points, but readers need additional context to weigh the merits of his argument. […]
