Liberal Bloggers Hate Education, Too

Check out the results of a poll of the liberal bloggers known as the netroots, who just met recently (I think that teacherken was there).  They hate education reform, too.  College affordability gets a bare mention.  Only the gap between rich and poor makes a decent showing.  And that's not exactly school reform now, is it?  As we're learning.  Details below. 

Spellings Open-Minded About Federally-Mandated Spanking

Kudos to Spellings for showing off her TedStrong wrist bracelet and talking about her admiration for Ted Kennedy.  Colbert suggested the idea federally mandated spanking.  "Maybe we oughta try that," remarked Spellings.  Colbert came back at her with the idea that school sanctions don't work -- we should go straight to bombing them.  Spellings said that she didn't like the word "sanctions" but remained suspiciously silent on the whole bombing idea.  It was light, as expected, but I guess she did OK.  What did you think?   

UPDATE:  Now there's video.  Hooray.

Big Stories Of The Day

Students pass state test, but at what cost to their education? Cleveland Plain Dealer
For all of those accomplishments, Principal David Root has only one thing to say to the students, staff and citizens of Rocky River: He's sorry

Audit: Detroit Public Schools misused $53.6M (Detroit News)
Detroit Public Schools misused $53.6 million in federal funds designated for low-income children and should return that amount to the U.S. Department of Education or provide documents that the money was used properly. .

First Lady defends critcized 'No Child' tests USA Today
Ask first lady Laura Bush and she'll tell you that, come what may, the 2002 education law, championed by President Bush, will be a lasting part of her husband's legacy.

Time is on charters' side (Las Vegas Sun)
How long does it take for a charter school to find its groove? In the case of Clark County’s Explore Knowledge Academy, five years.

Districts Compare Notes on DataThe most successful systems were found to be those that focused on how to use the information to improve instruction.

An Insider Takes On TFA's Classroom Effectiveness

Plucked from obscurity by a mention in last September's New York Times Magazine article about TFA, UCLA doctoral student Megan Hopkins is no stranger to the highly-touted program.  She was a 2002 corps member in Phoenix.

Her critique of the organization is in the latest Kappan. Now, Hopkins tells us what it’s really like to go up against the TFA machine -- without tenure.

If an organization is placing teachers in classrooms, teacher quality should be a primary concern.

Click below for the full interview and a better pic than the one I used before.

Around The Blogs

Will Next ESEA Be Harder or Easier on Schools?
Professor Hoff can't say what he thinks, but we know it's "both."

Don’t Confuse Lack of Consensus with Failure in Education
New blog -- check it out.

No, I’m not Randi’s dandy
Petrilli tries to defend his tattered virtue.

What Is the Most Racist City in America?
Chicago. Boston.  Chicago.  Guessing.

D.C. proposal several steps beyond ProComp
From someone who'd know.

Fair and balanced
More questions about Andywonk's Obama endorsement.

 Trend Watch: Push-In ESL in Indiana
Yes, they have ELLs in Indiana.

Sesame Street Co-Opts iPod Ad Tune -- Instructionally Appropriate?

Remember that ubiquitous iPod ad with the catchy song that went "1,2,3,4"?  Sure you do.  Here to help us all get through a summer Tuesday is the artist, Feist, doing a Sesame Street version of the song.  No word yet on whether the combination of lyrics, visuals, and repetition is considered an appropriate instructional approach.  NB:  The original version will NOT help your counting skills.  Via Matt Yglesias (Via Sara Mead).

Eductaion Hurt By High Gas Prices, Says Fox News

Indeed.  The effects are increasingly apparent.

Via Wonkette (via ThinkProgress)

What Spellings Will Do On Colbert Tonight

Secretary Spellings' pop culture thing wore off on me a long time ago -- though apparently I'm alone. She's slated to be on Colbert tonight.  Here's a link to her Daily Show appearance, based on which we can predict that on tonight's show she will ham it up to show that she's in on the joke and flirt with the host to distract him from the hard question he's trying to ask-- including salacious lip-licking at key moments.

Former SC Clerk Heads Obama Education Work

Wondering who's coordinating Obama's education work? 

Danielle Gray (pictured) is the Deputy National Policy Director for the Obama campaign, who oversees Obama's education policy work. 

Based out of Chicago, she's a Harvard law school grad (03) who's on leave from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. 

Before that, she clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer October term 2005.  She was a member of Obama's Senate campaign staff in 2004. 

She was voted “most likely to be a Supreme Court Justice” by her HLS classmates. Duke for undergrad. 

In addition, Obama has Heather Higginbottom as National Policy Director, and scads of education advisors -- LDH, Schnur, etc.

Any other tidbits or juicy gossip, let us know. What's her favorite drink?  What's she really think of private school vouchers?

Palm Scans: The Way Things Are Heading

Some folks are bringing in palm scans to prevent cheating at the graduate school level (Try Palm Scans To Finger Cheats Wall Street Journal).

It won't be long before they trickle down to K-12, I'm imagining. 

First, for SATs, right? 

Big Stories Of The Day

Arlington schools superintendent resigns Dallas Morning News
Arlington Independent School District's superintendent resigned Monday after officials began looking into whether he had violated state laws dealing with the acceptance of honorariums from nonprofits that do business with the district.

Does new S.A.T. help with admissions decisions? CSM
The College Board releases a positive report on the writing section, but many schools are doing their own studies.

Doubts Linger on Pre-K-8 Strategy  Washington Post
Like surgical scars, once promising or trendy ideas for reform have left their marks all over the D.C. school system. Many came as officials pursued the best way to configure schools for students coping with their turbulent adolescent years.

San Antonio district debuts propane buses  MSNBC
San Antonio-area school district showed off new classic-yellow school buses Monday. They look the same as most others, but officials said they are the first propane-fueled buses in the nation.

District bars teacher-student texting MSNBC
A new school district policy in southern Mississippi prohibits teachers from texting or communicating with students through Internet social network sites such as MySpace.

Around The Blogs Once More, With Feeling

“D-Ed Reckoning” eviscerates progressive education
I don’t always agree with the D-Ed Reckoning blog, but I love reading it.

Time to Take a Deep Breath
Let's be clear: It serves no one well--least of all educators--to depict public schools as powerless and educators' dedication as wasted. Defeatism has no place in discussions of school reform.

The Collapse of the Annenberg Challenge
Every few days I have a new object for “the worst ever” prize. Our new American-as-apple-pie identification with torture is the one that keeps me up at night.

BRING ME A HIRE LOVE
My friend the newspaper editor forwarded me an article she read in Slate’s “Dismal Science” section, Hot for the Wrong Teachers, with a little note: “Is this true?”

Students, Turn On Your Cell Phones Please?
What would happen if instead of silencing or confiscating cell phones in the classroom, teachers encouraged students to use them?

A Great Debate on Teach for America
...over in the comments section at The Chancellor's New Clothes (click here) where TFA's and critics duke it out.

Looking back, some advice for new teachers DISD Blog
Some of the advice given in new teacher books just isn't relevant anymore like standing at the door and shaking hands with every student who walks in. (I did it, and it was awkward for everyone involved).

How college gender imbalances impact the social scene… Why Boys Fail
As more colleges approach a 60-40 ratio of women to men, Richard Whitmire writes, the effects on friendships and romantic relationships could be devastating.

More Chances For Campaign Surrogates Flub It Up Duke It Out

Politico just did a story about how campaign surrogates often seem to flub things up and get fired from their high-prestige but often unpaid jobs (Meet the seven super surrogates). 

The flubs, if not the firings, have already taken place in education:

Think Carly Fiorina on Meet The Press saying that McCain wanted to fully fund NCLB, or Jason Kamras last week creating some confusion about where Obama stands on test-based performance pay.

There's more education surrogate action to come this week, including Keegan vs. Linda Darling Hammond at NCSL on Wednesday, and Keegan vs. Schnur at New America on Thursday.

Merge Integration With Accountability -- Or Let It Go

Kudos to Emily Bazelon for her Sunday NYT magazine piece The Next Kind of Integration, which gives a clear update on the recent changes in the law and how districts are responding.  (As an editor at Slate, Bazelon is also kind enough to look at and occasionally greenlight my story ideas.)

That being said, I don't think that the strategies outlined in the piece stand much chance of working.

In essence, Bazelon seems to be suggesting that, as in Louisville, carefully-created systems that use economic class as well as race can meet the law's requirements and, by grandfathering in some students, remain practically and politically viable. 

While I have no real objection, I think it's extremely optimistic to think that this could happen on a national scale.  Racial or economic integration is no longer really an option for many urban districts without a radical shift to larger (city-suburban) districts or the massive return of white families to city schools[, a point Bazelon makes].  Neither of those things seems to be on the horizon. Ditto for any type of pro-integration mandate from the courts.

Even in places where it might still be numerically possible, I'd remind us all that if we've learned anything from NCLB at all it's that "receiving" schools don't like to take in new kids -- especially if they're minority, low-income, low-achieving, or all of the above.  This we already know. 

To make academic or class-based integration viable, lawmakers would need to create a special provision or reward for schools that increase their proportion of low-income or minority kids -- protecting them from getting slapped down by short term performance but still holding them accountable after the first year.  Without something along those lines, it feels to me that talking about integration is increasingly nostalgic and quite possibly a waste of time. 

Don't Think States & Districts Do It Any Better

Everyone likes to complain about NCLB's tutoring program, called SES.  But check out what the Chicago Tribune's Stephanie Banchero just dug up about a state-funded after-school program: 

State after-school grants go to dubious programs, political supporters. 

About half the $20,000 grants were funneled through political influence to shady or non-operational efforts, says the Tribune. 

Big Stories Of The Day

The Next Kind of Integration New York Times
In response to the courts, class is replacing race as the primary basis for desegregating schools. It’s a mix that just might work.

Teachers battle summer slide Arkansas Democrat - Gazette
Children make strong academic progress during the school year, but some of that seems to evaporate during summer, educators here say.

 1,250 N.O. families apply for private school vouchers Times Picayune
About 1,250 families have applied for the state's first school voucher program, seeking mainly to enroll children in kindergarten classes in Orleans and Jefferson parishes' private and parochial schools, state education officials said Saturday.

 US company sets up £100,000 emergency exam marking centre Daily Mail (UK)
The American company at the centre of Britain's school exams fiasco has set up an emergency marking centre in an airport hotel in a bid to clear the backlog of test papers.

 Skepticism Greets Big Gains Washington Post
State reading and math tests taken by Maryland students were shortened and tweaked this year, leading some critics to question whether the shifts contributed to surprisingly strong gains in achievement.

Rotherham Last To Jump Onto The Obama Bandwagon

The Ed Sector think tank doesn't like to take positions, and apparently neither does its co-founder.  Former Clintonite Andy Rotherham waited until well after the primary was a done deal to endorse Barack Obama for president, only just today announcing his position at the end of a long blog post.  In delaying so long, Rotherham avoided that ugly Bill Richardson business of looking disloyal with an early Obama endorsement -- or the UFT-style embarrassment of picking Clinton and then having to switch over to Obama later on.  But this after-the-fact endorsement can hardly be called timely, and reveals a troubling lack of transparency.  On a blog that seemingly prides itself for giving readers the unvarnished truth, Rotherham kept mum about his position for months when it really mattered. There's still no word on whether he supported Obama from the start, or how he came to his decision.   Tell us what really happened, Andy!

Around The Blogs

City Chiefs Lobby for Hot-Button Issues The Hoff
Committee members didn't seem to be excited about these big three ideas...It's clear they'll re-emerge next year—or whenever Congress gets around to debating the law again. 

The Four Words Not to be Uttered on the Campaign Trail Campaign K12
Apparently, the McCain camp has decided talking about NCLB is not good.

Mom arrested for stealing teacher's purse Detention Slip
 The best way to thank teachers for all their hard work and dedication is by robbing their purse and going on a shopping spree with their credit card.

Chris Lehmann Responds KDeRosa
Chris Lehmann, Principal of Science Leadership Academy (SLA), responded to my criticism of one of SLA's projects in a recent post. Here is Chris's response with my comments.

Now that's a great idea -- a state board of ed blog Get On The Bus
Susan Haverkos, a state board of education member who represents about half of the Miami Valley, an her board colleague Colleen Grady have launched a blog where they...

Rhee on Rose Joanne Jacobs
Charlie Rose talks with Michelle Rhee, chancellor of D.C.’s troubled school system.

Harlem Children's Zone For President!

Earlier this week in his speech before the NAACP in Cincinnati, Obama spoke about the Harlem Children's Zone:

"And that's why I'll build on the success of the Harlem Children's Zone in New York and launch an all-hands-on-deck effort to end poverty in this country - because that's how we'll put the dream that Dr. King and Roy Wilkins fought for within reach for the next generation of children."

This is the bigger, broader effort that has been profiled in the Times Magazine and is the subject of Paul Tough's forthcoming book, Whatever It Takes.

Teacher-Bashing Could Generate The Next "Boston Public"

As Garret Keizer wrote, teachers have long been the "hicks" of the professional world.  But at least we weren't  always so disrespected.  Before the assault by the Republican Right, now joined by some on the Left, most people left us alone.

Now we are accused by Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter of being a "retrograde liberal interest group."  Matt Miller accuses of of defending practices that are "blighting the lives of a million poor children." A-Russ couldn't have gotten prime space in Slate if he was criticizing librarians. 

Dems always need to attack one of our own so we can seem tough. But there is no such thing as bad publicity, and maybe teachers will get a new sitcom out of it. 

One version, Obama Country, would be patterned after the redneck chic that accompanied Jimmy Carter. Teachers will be all kicked-backed, snorting our left-over Rum (a gift from a parent), barely distinguishable from the hound dogs under our desks, driving students out of school because "we have a failure to communicate here," and not wanting to address the real question of "is our kids learning?"

Or maybe we'll inspire the opposite, a new Dallas.  In that one, teachers might be portrayed as sex-crazed political masters obsessed by greed, unearned power, and the destruction of the younger generation.

Big Stories Of The Day

Education Reformers Tackle NCLB Flaws US News
"I know this is hard for you to hear Chairman [George] Miller, but we need national standards and national assessments," Klein said. He pointed out that the country needs an accurate and uniform way to measure how students are doing across states and against students from other developed and emerging economies.

In squeeze, teachers do work of nurses Associated Press
During the past two school years, teacher Julia Keyse had to enforce an unusual rule in her kindergarten and first-grade classroom: No interrupting while she pricked Caylee's finger to check her blood sugar and adjusted her insulin pump.

Nat'l Education Assn. spent $285K lobbying in 1Q Forbes
The National Education Association spent nearly $285,000 in the first quarter to lobby on everything from the No Child Left Behind Act to charter schools and school vouchers, according to a recent disclosure form.

1 in 4 California high school students drop out, state says LA Times
The state, using a new system for tracking dropouts, discloses a rate considerably higher than previously reported. About 1 in 3 students in Los Angeles Unified left school.

"A Good Reason to Support No Child Left Behind"

"As a general rule of thumb, if there's any policy proposal that is opposed by both the Texas Republican Party and the American Federation of Teachers, it's probably a good idea."

A Good Reason to Support No Child Left Behind

Sacked, Reinstated -- And Suing

An Australian teacher was fired, reinstated, and is now suing over a women's magazine article that described her sex life and included semi-naked pictures (Nude photo teacher to sue government over sacking). Link is NSFW.

A Secret Think Tank Blogger Would Solve All Our Problems

Most of the time, I find much to agree with and little that's objectionable from Kevin Carey's blog posts over at The Quick And The Ed. Though sometimes a little too self-serious and lengthy for my tastes, he's usually a reasonable and reflective  antidote to all the predictable puffery we usually get from the think tank boys.   

Carey's post today about blogs and anonymity (Realism and Anonymity) doesn't go down so easily, however -- in large part because it seems like Carey is trying to make fine-grained distinctions that aren't particularly useful or consistent, and because he fails to acknowledge the self-interest that's involved in his arguments. 

It would be much more interesting for Carey to reflect on the questions that many have about the predetermined nature of think tank research findings, consider the the advocacy role played by his and other think tanks, and acknowledge that transparency and attribution questions surround politically-minded think tanks as much if not more so than  journalism.

Perhaps he -- or someone else inside the education policy complex -- could best (or only) address these delicate issues with -- yes -- a pseudonymous blogging identity that would allow complete candor.  I highly recommend it. 

Morning Blog Roundup

To make up for the lack of a blog roundup yesterday, here's a morning version to start your day:

Obama Rep Endorses Pay Based on Student Performance EdWeek
In answering a question, Kamras said that "student achievement does need to be part of that equation" in performance-pay plans.

Warnings to AFT'ers on Weingarten Ed Notes Online
AFT members around the nation who might have been impressed with the militancy of Randi Weingarten's words, should examine the impact of her decade of leadership of the UFT which has resulted in a union at its weakest point in well over 3 decades.

Jonathan Alter on KIPP Ed Notes Online
This was sent out by Leonie Haimson to the NYC Education Listserve:

One Man Truth Squad Core Knowledge Blog
New York’s DOE “truth squad” could learn a thing or two from Reid Lyon. Find an article about the imminent demise of Reading First, scroll down to the reader comments, and there he is.  And here.  Over here too.

 Sack race is too risky Joanne Jacobs
From England: Officials banned the sack race and the three-legged race from a school sports day “because the children might fall over and hurt themselves.”

NJ Raises Minimum Cut Scores From 33 To 50+ Percent

Kudos to New Jersey.  You don't see this very often:

State raises minimum standards on proficiency tests
NJ Star-Ledger

The change raised the so-called "cut scores" for proficiency to at least 50 percent in the four affected grades, and also raised the requirements to be considered "advanced proficient."

In New Jersey and many other states, cut scores have been set notoriously low with the advent of increased testing and, especially, No Child Left Behind, which requires schools to reach proficiency targets in reading and math or face possible sanctions.

[Of course, the state standard and test rigor may still be low.]

Big Stories Of The Day

Barack camp: Beware of 'recycled bromides'Los Angeles Times
The statement went on to promise that Obama would "fix and fund No Child Left Behind, expand access to early childhood education, and make an affordable ...

McCain's Education Plan Includes a Policy Departure NY Sun
The promise to "fully fund" No Child Left Behind was a departure; previously Mr. McCain has said he would freeze nondefense discretionary spending, including spending on education.

PLUS:  Choice and Teacher Quality Top McCain’s Education Agenda EdWeek

Push to double U.S. science grads is lagging San Francisco Chronicle
A high-profile push by business groups to double the number of U.S. bachelor's degrees awarded in science, math and engineering by 2015 is falling way behind target, a new report says.

Students at L.A. alternative school tell success stories in their own words Los Angeles Times
The new state system of tracking individual students to determine a more accurate dropout rate is also a step toward helping those who have left school and preventing others from leaving, officials say.  

So You Think You Know Incentives? You Have No Idea.

Lots of folks think they know whether cash incentives for kids work or not -- and why.  But an upcoming segment on the PBS NewsHour might suggest otherwise. 

How these incentive programs work -- and how kids and parents respond -- is more complicated than you might think.  And I'm not just saying that because they let me get an early peek at the segment and let me hang out in their offices sometimes. 

Keep an eye out for it. From Learning Matters.

What Weingarten Wore

Forget what Randi Weingarten said or proposed in her acceptance speech, or what her ascendancy might mean for school reform. 

What did she wear, and how did she look?

I'm no fashionista but the look is a little too  prim and proper for my taste.  The mid-sized pattern to her suit jacket seems distracting without being really bold.  I am hoping the slacks weren't the same.  A new haircut, natch.  Not too much lipstick, which is good.

What do you think? Of her outfit?

See the whole speech here.

Sawchuk Moves From Ed Daily To EdWeek

Congrats, condolences. Education writer  Steve Sawchuk has left Ed Daily and is headed to EdWeek.  At the Daily, he covered teacher quality and accountability for three years.  Before that, he worked for the Title I Report.  He says he goes to be each night "with dreams of growth models dancing in my head."  No word yet on what beat he'll be covering for EdWeek.