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Everything You Know About Education Is Wrong
A groundbreaking study of New York schools by a MacArthur “genius” challenges the typical understanding of what makes a good school
Reposted from ‘The Altantic’ Think of the ingredients that make for a good school. Small classes. Well-educated teachers. Plenty of funding. Combine, mix well, then bake.
Turns out, your recipe would be horribly wrong, at least according to a new working paper out of Harvard. Its take away: Schools shouldn’t focus on resources. They should focus on culture.
By Matt Larsen Reposted from the Heritage Foundation
Earlier this month, the National Center for Education Statistics released another round of results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. While both fourth- and eighth-grade math scores saw modest increases, this glimmer of good news is dimmed, unfortunately, by persistently flat reading scores.
Since 1996, fourth-graders’ math skills have improved significantly—by some 17 points on a 500-point scale, and eighth-grade math has improved 14 points over the same time period. However, since 1998, fourth-graders have improved their reading scores by just six points and eighth graders by just two points.
Commentary: School choice … is it really?
Reposted from EdNewsColorado.org Written by Julie Poppen on Nov 21st, 2011.
Julie Poppen is editor of Education News Colorado’s sister site, EdNews Parent.
Well, it’s that time of year and I’m not talking about racing around looking for cranberries or figuring out how many pounds your bird should be. I’m talking open enrollment.
Six years ago, this was my situation: I frantically sought all the information I could on Boulder elementary schools. I analyzed their websites, loading them with way too much import: “Oh, that one is nicely designed and creative – they must have fabulous parent volunteers and the school must be top-notch, too” or “Geez, what a crappy website, don’t they care enough to present a positive image to the world?”
by Senator (Ret.) Gloria Romero and Peter H. Hanley on 16. Nov, reposted from redefinED.org
Editor’s note: Gloria Romero is a former Democratic senator from California and the California director of Democrats for Education Reform. She serves on the board of the American Center for School Choice. Peter H. Hanley is the center’s executive director.
State makes its waiver bid
Written by Todd Engdahl on Nov 14th, 2011. Reposted froom EdNewsColorado.org
The Colorado Department of Education on Monday filed its formal application for waiver from some provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind law, asking for exemption from NCLB’s requirements for Adequate Yearly Progress and for greater flexibility in spending of some federal funds.
The application has been in the works for more than three months, with Colorado among the parade of states seeking waivers from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was modified in 2001 with passage of the NCLB law.
Lessons from Boston’s education reformers
Reposted from ColoradoBiz Mag By Scott Laband 11-7-2011
Here are some things business leaders need to know
As the vice president of Colorado Succeeds – a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to reforming the state’s education system – I am often asked why business people care about the education system and what they have to offer.
My time in Boston for the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation’s 2011 Leadership Exchange trip provided impressive answers to those questions and reaffirmed what we already know: Business leaders have the obligation and opportunity to transform our public education system to better serve our students.
Committee filings shed financial light
Written by Nancy Mitchell on Nov 2nd, 2011. Copyright © EdNewsColorado.org
A handful of political committees active in school board races in Jefferson County, Denver and Westminster filed campaign finance reports Tuesday night, showing how their dollars benefited their board picks until a few days before the election.
The committees were created and largely funded by teachers’ unions and Stand for Children Colorado, a national advocacy group whose endorsements were typically at odds with the union choices. In Westminster, however, the statewide teachers’ union and Stand joined forces.
Do We Really Need to Spend More on Schools?
reposted from the Wall Street Journal - Opinion AUGUST 5, 2011 BY PAUL E. PETERSON
Even as the president was signing the debt-limit bill designed to cut spending this week, he insisted on continuing “to keep making key investments in things like education.” Don’t be surprised if the president and his allies reiterate this call for more spending in the nation’s schools, which they argue is necessary if our students are to remain competitive.
Reposted from EdNews Written by Nancy Mitchell on Oct 14th, 2011. Copyright © EdNewsColorado.org
LAKEWOOD – Increasingly pointed exchanges between two Jefferson County school board candidates ended Thursday with one asking the other to “stop spreading lies” during their closing statements.
Tension between candidates Lesley Dahlkemper and Jim Powers, who are seeking the District 4 seat representing central Jeffco, was clear early in the debate at a Lakewood church. In her response to a question about vouchers, Dahlkemper said she did not support them and that her opponent’s position keeps changing.
TFA Selection Criteria Linked to Student Gains
Reposted from Edweek By Stephen Sawchuk on August 2, 2011
Certain aspects of Teach For America’s selection process appear to be linked to student achievement gains—a sign that it’s possible to recruit candidates who are more likely to have an edge in the classroom, a new study concludes.
The study, by Will Dobbie of Harvard University, shows that the information used to select TFA candidates predicts a degree of student achievement during the candidate’s first year of teaching. To give an example, students assigned to a teacher with a one standard deviation increase on the group’s leadership metric score, on average, .054 standard deviations higher in math.
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