Flip-Floppery On RTTT, & More

A “Race to the Top” flip-flop Fordham
Now states will be able to claim that they have “narrowed achievement gaps” when all they’ve done is make their tests so easy to pass that virtually all kids—black and white, rich and poor—do so, magically erasing any group differences.

Boston Consortium Brings Together All K-12 Sectors Lesli Maxwell 
Educators from the public, charter, parochial, independent, pilot, and suburban schools that make up the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity have agreed to work together on promising teaching practices.

Homecoming Rape Case Proceeding Insanely Slowly The Awl
Six of the suspects in the Richmond High School homecoming gang-rape of a 15-year-old have pleaded not guilty to rape. Somehow, the other four (or more) suspects have not been charged yet. Nor have the approximately twenty on-lookers!

Arizona Takes on Seniority Stephen Sawchuk
A few weeks back, I mused whether we'd see more state and local action to review seniority provisions, since it seemed like states were doing a lot on evaluation and pay, but not the related issue of seniority. Somehow I...

An Overview of the Nonprofit and Charitable Sector Open CRS
Having a greater understanding of the nonprofit and charitable sector as a whole may help policymakers evaluate proposals that may impact the sector.

What's The Right Role For Government In Children's TV? National Journal
I tend to agree with Diane on this one.  Now, a short video from Yo Gabba Gabba! 

Thompson: The Politics of the RttT

DHHS Secretary Mike Bloomberg announced his resignation in the wake of last week’s ill-timed statement, at the height of the battle for health insurance reform, that heart surgeons would be evaluated based on their patients’ survival rates. Though gracious in praising the outgoing Secretary, President Obama was reported to have murmured "At a time when we are trying to recruit the best talent to serve our most vulnerable populations and stress early interventions, we are going to punish doctors for conditions that may be beyond their control? ‘You can’t make that up!’ Those data-driven guys need to get a life."

Seriously, I’m hopeful that the failed politics of the RttT will kill chances of an ESEA reauthorization that seeks to reform NCLB-type accountability.

USDE: Duncan Dances On RTTT, ESEA Reauthorization

Carmel Martin looks like she might be about to fall asleep in this picture but the folks at EdWeek put the screws on Arne Duncan during a recent visit to EdWeek's Bethesda compound (Education Week).

Now that the rubber is almost about to hit the road on RTTT, Duncan seems to be backpedaling and defending his positions on charter schools and turnarounds and whether RTTT is based on evidence or not. 

Duncan's ideas about ESEA still seem unformed, though.  Someone needs to remind him that, unlike with RTTT Congress will be closely involved in ESEA reauthorization.  Prepare to spread that money around.

Cartoon: Bart's Blackboard

"I do not have power of attorney over first graders" (Bart's Blackboard)

Brookings: Olde Timey Panel, Olde Timey Report

There's something "off" about the Brookings report release and panel being held today, though I can't quite put my finger on it.

Or maybe I can. 

Oh yes, now it's coming clearer. 

Right there.  Yep.  That's it.

The "olde timey" thing.

News: Charters Out Of Control (& More)

State charter schools program is 'out of control' Minneapolis Star Tribune
In the past decade, 18 charter schools have been built with $178 million in junk bonds, with financing costs on some projects chewing up nearly a quarter of the funds raised.

Green Dot charter schools founder repays group $50,866 LA Times
Local charter school founder Steve Barr, a national figure in school reform, has repaid his organization more than $50,000 after an internal review determined that expenses he had charged were undocumented or unjustified.

Louisiana Audit Faults Vallas for Use of State-Owned Car EdWeek
The superintendent of the Recovery School District misused his state-owned vehicle according to an audit released last week.

Mission: Educational engagement Journal Sentinel Online
Milwaukee Public Schools will spend some $4 million in federal stimulus money over two years to support a major parental involvement program in 35 schools

The Innovation Economy Conference (video)
A Conversation with Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education Moderator: Gwen Ifill, Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and Moderator and Managing Editor, Washington Week

Healthy, organic and cheap school lunches? Order up USA Today
Starting with just one school in spring 2006, Revolution Foods has quietly grown year by year and now delivers about 45,000 breakfasts, lunches and snacks daily to 235 public and private schools in California, Colorado and the District of Columbia .

Teachers: Mrs. Spring-Winters Married Her Cousin

I'm guessing that the 2nd graders in Kimberly Spring-Winters' classroom don't know that her husband is --gasp! -- also her first cousin.   They probably don't care. 

But they and their parents might know soon, given that the teacher (pictured) is featured prominently in a New York Times article about people marrying their cousins. 

Will her principal and school board leave her alone?  I sure hope so.  Spring-Winters (is that a real name?) lives in the small town of Muncy, PA.  The school district is not named. 

Kids: Second Teen 'Sexting' Suicide Story

About two weeks after she returned to school, a counselor observed cuts on Hope's legs and had her sign a "no-harm" contract, in which Hope agreed to tell an adult if she felt inclined to hurt herself, her family says. The next day, Hope hanged herself in her bedroom. She was 13.

---

Her death is the second in the nation in which a connection between sexting and teen suicide can clearly be drawn. (St. Petersburg Times)

Blogs: Bad Guys, Single-Sex Schools, Think Tank Reports

Mr. President: Be the bad guy, start closing schools Uncle Jay Mathews
Many fine people, including President Obama, are trying to make public schools better, but I don't see much progress.

Are Single-Sex Schools Bad For Boys? Jezebel
I'm not convinced that the excitement of the opposite sex helps hetero kids learn math. But it does seem logical that, regardless of sexual orientation, children learn social lessons from opposite sex peers.

The Report That Got Away LFA
Journalists barely flutter an eyelid when think tanks churn out reports pushing radical changes that rest on little or no evidence.

YouTube Beatings Migrate Down to Middle School Gawker
Time was, vicious YouTube beatings didn't start until high school.

Sixth Grader Tells Obama Afghanistan Drains Resources Chris Prevatt
“There’s nothing left to cut, Mr. President.”

Improving Media Coverage of Education Education Next
A Brookings panel discussion Wednesday afternoon should be interesting.

Platoons! What Are They Good For? Nancy Flanagan
I hate it when teachers say they're "in the trenches." Calling common standards "goalposts" grates on my sensibilities, as do drills, recruits, maneuvers, tactics and...

Quote: Where Are Obama's SuperProjects?

"You’re really unlikely to find better times than 2009, 2010, and 2011 to spend a bunch of money on large-scale projects." (Matt Yglesias)

Schools: Best (Worst) Parent Letter Ever?

Be thankful this guy doesn't have kids are your school.  Gawker posts about a completely over the top letter written by a high priced Wall Street parent to his son's private Houston high school (here).  Jocks just want to dress as cheerleaders and make fun of non-heterosexuals, I guess.

Thompson: Hard Facts and Spin

Dean is a hard act to follow. After reading Tom Toch's original document, as opposed to his Education Week article, I still see the same pattern. The Education Sector and the Eduwonk have long battled with themselves over facts and their meanings. Now, Tom Toch and the Education Sector agree that Charter Management Organizations (CMOs). have won "congratulatory coverage in the national media," at a time when Secretary Duncan hopes they can play an increasing role in turning around the toughest schools. But Toch then writes "the research for a report on CMOs that I’ve produced for the think tank Education Sector reveals that many of these organizations are going to be hard-pressed to deliver the many schools that Duncan wants from them." The Education Sector sees the same evidence and writes "state and national leaders increasingly see leading CMOs as an important part of their larger plans for educational reform in the toughest educational environments."　(emphasis mine)

TV: Colbert Interviews "War On Kids" Director (Why?)

To his credit, Stephen Colbert seemed like he wasn't having a lot of fun during last night's interview of Cevin Soling, the director of the new movie, The War On Kids.  But I could have suggested a bunch of more interesting guests to have talk about education (call me!).  The War On Kids is a scare-you-mentary about how public schools are like prisons and kids are being drugged into conforming with militaristic school rules.  It repeats lots of favorite incidents -- true or not, I don't know -- about prison designers being used to design schools, six year olds in handcuffs, widespread drug use required. 

Turmoil At Denver Board Meeting

Michelle Moss, center, becomes emotional Monday night as she is forced off the Denver school board early and says goodbye to her peers. (Denver school reforms approved amid turmoil Denver Post)

Richmond Aftermath, Duncan Incentives, Etc.

Rape At School Brings New Despair To Richmond NPR
Residents wrestle with the effects of the brutal gang-rape of a girl at her high school.

Duncan Aims to Make Incentives Key Element of ESEA EdWeek
The education secretary wants a reauthorized law to reward high-performing schools, districts, and states.

Private lenders focus on jobs in student loan fight The Hill
Private lenders such as Sallie Mae and Nelnet would no longer be able to originate ...

Teachers make house calls Journal Sentinel
From St. Louis to Springfield, Mass., to Great Falls, Mont., teachers are experimenting with the approach in the hopes that stronger partnerships will increase student achievement.

Suburbs taking interest in charter schools Journal Sentinel
Charter schools that were opened in the suburbs tended to be heavily controlled by existing district leadership - even though charter schools are supposed to be independently run - and fashioned to serve only small, select groups of students.

Court won't revive student's suit over grad speech Boston Globe
The Supreme Court won't revive a student's lawsuit against a school that punished her for talking about her religion during her high school graduation speech.

Teachers: Inside The World Of Foster Kids

A magazine about foster kids?  Sure, why not.  A magazine by foster kids?  Now that's something special.  It's called "Represent!" and it includes some pretty amazing, gritty content from kids who are "in care."  And I'm not just saying that because my friend Virginia is one of the editors there. The Fall issue focuses on kids and art.  The summer issue focused on mental health.  There's content for kids and for social workers and teachers who work with these kids (about 500,000 nationwide).  Check it out.  

Charter School Magic, Testing Nightmares, & More

Charter schools hold promise, but they're no magic bullet LA Times
Charter schools are on the cusp of national stardom. Less clear, though, is whether charter schools offer real, long-term solutions to fixing public education in America, or whether the Obama administration should be relying on them so heavily as a means of turning around the nation's record of academic mediocrity.

Fixing Poverty Freakonomics
If you want to fix poverty, you’ll have to fix governments first.

More standardized testing nightmares Valerie Strauss
Here are some of your test horror stories about testing--and at the end, one that the author calls “the ultimate” such disaster.

Innovation Follies LFA
We shouldn't abandon important work just because it isn't flashy enough for the Wall Street Journal editorial page.

Blather, Rinse, Repeat TCKB

The more pertinent question might be which of the two groups is paying attention to the academic needs of poor children. Based on the evidence, it’s hard to say.

Study Sees Little Traction for NCLB's Tutoring Provisions Inside Research
A study by the National Center for Education Statistics finds that only about a fifth of eligible students are getting free tutoring services under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Five strikes against an education writer Jay Mathews
Others can assess my successes, if any. I prefer to dwell on my failures.

Thompson: The Same School with the Same Socio-Economic Challenges

After Newt Gingrich misstated the facts regarding Mastery Charter Schools in Philadelphia, the media could have checked into the true story of the schools’ outstanding accomplishments without distorting the  challenges faced by the toughest neighborhood schools.

So it was doubly dismaying when Secretary Duncan was even more inaccurate in claiming that Mastery kept "the same students," and he was not challenged by the press. Duncan made a similar misstatement in Oklahoma City, but I had hoped he was just being overly effusive in praising the wonderful KIPP students who were accompanying him.

Millot: Read Toch's CMO Report Here

Education Sector’s November 24 report, Growing Pains: Scaling Up the Nation’s Best Charter Schools examines the problems CMOs face trying to replicate their various philosophies of teaching and learning in new public schools. Considering the source, the content and conclusion are predictable and deserve little attention: While each CMO faces operational problems, the concept’s success is more a matter of removing charter advocates’ longstanding list of government barriers – inadequate per pupil payments, a lack of access to facilities or financing, etc, etc.

Yet, the report demands close review - because it’s real author, content and conclusions have gone missing. Until now.

Reading: Weekend Roundup

Joblessness adds to burden on D.C. area schools Washington Post
As the lunchroom poverty barometer rises, schools are solidifying their role as centers for social services.

To Pay for Longer School Days, Some Parents Try Raising Money NYT
Parents of students in public and magnet schools must get creative to finance extra hours in the classroom.

Taking Tater Tots Off the Tray Miller-McCune
Recommendations from a panel of nutrition experts seek to make school lunches healthier, but enacting them is easier said than done

Why Are Selective Colleges Getting So Selective? The Atlantic
Studies show that the schools we apply to are a better indication of future success than the schools we attend.

Prescribing marijuana to kids The Week
Proponents of cannabis for kids say it can help treat autism, ADHD, cancer and AIDS symptoms.

At This School, It’s Marijuana in Every Class NYT
At most colleges, marijuana is very much an extracurricular matter.

Are Girls The New Boys Matt Yglesias (again)
If it’s true that society has developed an aggregate preference for girls that would, of course, be a change from the historic pro-boy bias of the peasant farmer.

What's Going to Happen to Textbooks? Atlantic Wire
Some think this might be a good idea, given the high cost of traditional textbooks. But it's not clear that will be enough to get e-readers on college campuses and in high schools.

Duncan: The Week's Media Events

Here's Arne Duncan's upcoming schedule of media events and photo ops -- though I can't manage to get excited about any of it.  

Be assured there will be the usual mix of fear-mongering, repetition of talking points, and exhortation. 

News: A Little Bit Of This & That

Retired Los Angeles teacher keeps at it, for free LA Times
Five mornings a week, Bruce Kravets, 66, puts on a coat and tie, straps on his helmet and bikes to work at Palms Middle School on L.A.'s Westside, where he teaches math. For free.

Two charter school studies, two findings on effectiveness Washington Post
As President Obama pushes for more charter schools, the education world craves a report card on an experiment nearly two decades old. How are these independent public schools doing? The safest and perhaps most accurate reply -- it depends -- leaves many unsatisfied.

Schools work to improve parental involvement Journal Sentinel
It's a vexing issue in Milwaukee, as well as thousands of other districts where students face major hurdles and many parents lack the knowledge, power or will to help their children succeed.

Chaos control is a challenge as Montgomery enrollment surges Washington Post
Oakland Terrace Elementary School in Silver Spring, one of the most overcrowded schools in an crowded district, has 800 students, 10 kindergarten classes, 11 portable classrooms and only four and a half restrooms. But the numbers are an abstraction until lunchtime.

Teachers begin using cell phones for class lessons AP
Cell phones, the subject of tugs of war between parents, teachers and students across the nation, are taking on a new role in the classroom: learning tool....

City’s Schools Share Space, and Bitterness, With Charters NYT
Charter schools, a third-term priority of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, are squeezing the city’s public schools for space, and more are on their way.

Site News: Millot To The Rescue

Good news.  Starting this week, longtime education industry insider Marc Dean Millot (pictured) is going to be posting a weekly piece on the education industry on this site.  I've been a fan of Millot's for a long time, though we come from different ends of the political spectrum and don't always come to the same conclusions.  Here are some previous TWIE posts addressing Millot's insights and opinions:

Problems With Foundation-Funded Research
Think Tanks: A Row Of Little Georgetown Boutiques
Are Management Companies Better For Charters? (No)
The "New" Think Tanks: Management Consulting Firms

Millot understands that public education is, among other things, a $600B a year business, and has the background and patience to explain to the rest of us how money affects schools (through vendors, nonprofits, private foundations, management consulting firms).  He's knowledgeable, insightful, and usually fearless in what he is willing to say. And he's not a wide-eyed enthusiast for "businessy" concepts that may or may not actually work in schools.  You can read a biography here.

Asking Too Much Of Innovation

I am convincing few if any of the innovationistas at the National Journal's education blog that, perhaps, we're asking too much of so-called "inovation."  After all, the question put forth to start the conversation (What's Needed To Make Sure Innovation Is Working?) presumes that innovation is fundamentally a good and right strategy for addressing education's woes.

But I'm having a grand time losing, and have enlisted Dana Goldstein's fascinating and timely article on the rise of innovation as a favorite (fetish?) of the Obama administration.  It's called The Innovation Administration. 

Don't think it's dry and boring or predictably progressive.  There's politics, romance, opportunity, and some surprisingly critical quotes from folks like Eric Nee and Vanessa Kirsch you might think would be unwaveringly enthusiastic. 

Thompson: Innovation and its Discontents

The first 13 contributors to the National Journal’s discussion on innovation largely echoed the heroic infatuation of theorists with "disruptive innovation," arguing that education needs "radically new approaches," "federal leverage" to destroy local policies and "antiquated" contracts, and the adoption of Frederick Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom as the innovators’ Bible.

Diane Ravich provided a reality check, however, "educators do not need to reinvent the wheel. They need schools that are stable ... (educators) do not need is a plethora of programs showered upon them by non-educators who know everything ..." Agreeing with Ravich’s reminder that "it is not the role of the federal government to dictate ‘solutions’ that are not based on research or court orders," Bruce Hunter noted "many innovators have a political and ideological agenda, rather than an educational agenda."

The discussion’s turnaround was prompted by Alexander Russo, who asked whether innovation is "over-rated and ... (whether) implementation of simple ideas is the real thing we need more of? Health care organizations have learned the immense power of extremely simple tools like mosquito nets, home visits, water filters, cell phones, and small loans. ... I worry that we'll end up with too many wild-eyed innovations and another distracted decade."

Celebs: Jolie Turns On Obama

"She's into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts." (UsMagazine)

Kidnapped Supe, Turbaned Teachers, & More

NY dad pleads guilty to kidnapping superintendent AP
A former New York City police officer has admitted he held a suburban school superintendent at gunpoint in June....

Obama Turns to Sesame Street & Corporations to Invigorate Science Ed Change.org
Obama wanted $115 million, which was cut to $7 million by the House, and to zero by the Senate.

Oregon teachers may get OK to wear religious clothing in class Oregon Live
Oregon's prohibition on allowing teachers to exercise their faith by covering their heads or wearing other religious garb dates to a shameful anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant period in state history and is overdue to be changed, House Speaker Dave Hunt, D-Gladstone, said Monday.

Historic Bangs Avenue School will be retitled to honor President Obama Asbury Park Press
The next step is to send an already-drafted letter to Monmouth County Schools Superintendent Carol K. Morris, who then will notify the state Department of Education. A ceremony is expected to be announced at a later date.

LAUSD Superintendent orders hiring freeze and other cuts Daily News
Cortines said the district is facing an estimated $50 million to $60 million deficit this year and a possible $480 million deficit for the 2010-11 school year.

Mass. Senate hopeful Khazei touts City Year legacy AP
During the first half of 2003, Alan Khazei watched as his life's work skittered toward the edge of a fiscal cliff. [you read about him in Dana Goldstein's innovations article, remember?]

EdSector CMO Report: Who Lost Tom Toch?

Thanks to a couple of eagle-eyed readers (including MDM) for pointing out that the much-delayed Education Sector report on charter management organizations lacks the name -- and apparently much of the content provided by -- its original author, writer and EdSector co-founder Tom Toch. 

Asked about the situation, Toch said, "I removed my name from the report because a good deal of my analysis was removed and, as published, the report does not reflect my research findings on the current status and future prospects of charter management organizations."  

Toch says he submitted the 20,000-word report in June, based on two years of investigation, but did not see anything further until a paper copy of the final report was shown to him this past weekend. A good deal of the candid commentary from those within the charter community "had been removed," according to Toch.  And the report recommendations were added on by someone else. 

Toch can't publish the original version of the report because of copyright issues but he points to several other pieces (in Education Week and the Kappan) that reflect his findings more completely, and notes that he will continue to write and speak on the issue. 

No response yet from Education Sector. 

Love Triangles, Asperger Runaways, Poor Kids, Etc.

An education love triangle joins forces to invade Washington Post Gotham Schools Good will and holiday cheer all around as Michelle Rhee’s current fiance endorses her ex-husband in his quest to get a column in the newspaper Rhee spurns.
 
Tween Protests Anomie of Modern Urban Life  Gawker
Francisco Hernandez—after being warned by his mom that she needed to have a serious talk with him about his performance at school—hopped on a subway train with ten dollars in his pocket and just rode the rails. For eleven f'ing days, before a transit cop recognized his face from a poster.

Should School Reformers Pay More Attention to the Non-Academic Needs of Poor Children? EdNext
Joe Williams and Pedro Noguera debate the proposition in Poor Schools or Poor Kids?, an article just published on the Ed Next website.

From Test Takers to Test Makers ASCD Inservice
Norwegian educator Kari Smith found that her students who were good at retaining factual knowledge and answering what and when questions often did well on tests but did not necessarily understand the material. In contrast, students who did understand the material and the relationships between facts had trouble demonstrating that knowledge at test time.

While N.Y inner-city schools struggle for survival... Small Talk
"Ross Global, Courtney Ross’s new charter school, is holistic, organic, Ayurvedic, artistic, and evolutionary. But when you’re building an educational Utopia, there are going to be some casualties."

Is Wall Street Stealing Our Rhodes Scholars?  The Atlantic Wire
Is something wrong if the crème de la crème of American undergraduates are going to Wall Street? This is question has long troubled some in the Ivy League, but now it is being asked with reference to a very specific group of élites: the Rhodes scholars.

Performance Management: Is There An App For That?

“Performance management” is one of those buzz phrases that I usually like to make fun of, but I did my best to withhold judgment last week when I had the chance to talk with Lori Fey from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, which is all over the concept and has a new report out on the topic. (Plus which, my favorite Bush-era press guy Kevin Sullivan pitched it to me.)

Five years ago there were “precious few” examples of performance management in school settings, according to Fey, and now there are at least 18 district examples and 14 charter networks doing it.  The newest cohort of Dell grantees includes Denver, Charlotte-Meckl, and PG County.

I remain skeptical about the power and usefulness of this approach, but I did take away at least one hopeful idea:  streamlining data collection and analysis so that it’s a tool not an obstacle to educators and teachers.  It's gotta be easy and fast for it to be of any real use. And I do like the notion that sometimes the data is useful to debunk myths about school performance and start new conversations.  Lord knows we need some new conversations around here.