The Hoff Loves All His Sources Equally

Beat reporters and their sources have ongoing and highly symbiotic relationships that must yet exhibit a certain amount of distance in order to be healthy and good (ie, providing balanced news coverage). That's why, at the end of this post, EdWeek's David Hoff tries to make clear that -- however admiring his sources may be towards him (as I have noted) -- to him they're just sources, no one more important than the other.

Why Did Miller Include Merit Pay In His Draft?

If you're not already sick of the NEA-Miller story, there's a new Klein-Hoff EdWeek piece up online today that fleshes out some of the events of the past week. Included are not only the whole he-said, she-said about the TEACH Act language that you probably already know, but also some interesting tidbits like how the NEA made sure to have folks from each of the House ed committee members' districts at the Monday hearing, the toe-the-NEA-line responses of some Dem House members about the issue.

That leaves two questions: Why did Miller include the merit stuff in the first place, and what's going on between the NEA and CTA? I don't know if Miller had to include the merit pay stuff to have any chance of McKeon's support, or for other reasons. But fighting the merit pay thing and revamping the AYP system at the same time (and comparability) continues to seem to me to be biting off more than necessary. Or I'm missing something -- Miller puts in the merit pay stuff just to give something for the NEA folks to focus on, hoping to preserve the standards and accountability provisions. Let me know if you've got it figured out.

Wait, Didn't I Read About That Somewhere Else?

Today's edition of the Andywatch features this timely post about the fake CNN segment "Students First In Line" (about training high school kids to be soldiers) that has been going around the blogosphere for about a week now.

Blogger Calls Out House Education Chair

Once again, Kevin DeRosa at D-Ed Reckoning outdoes my in the nasty negative category, calling the House education chairman a "whiny bitch". Basically, he doesn't like Miller's draft, and thinks Miller is carping too much about Spellings' disapproval. And you thought that I was bad.

Neil Bush's School Scam: The "Other" USDE Scandal

"An independent watchdog agency has asked the Department of Education to investigate why President Bush's younger brother, Neil, has received money earmarked for the president's signature education initiative to sell a curriculum program that has not been subjected to the rigorous evaluation it deserves," according too this story (Why is Bush's kid brother getting federal bucks?). "CREW says nearly $1 million has been spent on the systems in 16 school districts, mostly in Texas, where George W. Bush served as governor before his election in 2000, and Florida, where brother Jeb Bush is governor."

Kanye West Song Might Make Good Anthem For Ed In '08

I was supposed to show you the Kanye West's Ed In '08 promo, which apparently is getting lots of YouTube attention, but was so bored and disappointed by the spot -- perfunctory, obvious, unimaginably forgettable -- that I needed a jolt of West's live performance at the VMA of his new song, Stronger -- whose opening chorus (see below) might actually be a good anthem for Ed In '08.

N-n-now th-that that don't kill me, can only make me stronger.
I need you to hurry up now, cuz I can't wait much longer.
I know I got to be right now, I can't get much stronger (wronger?)
Man I been waiting all night now, that's how long I been on you.
I need ya right now. I need ya right now

Lazy Teacher Meant To Show Star Wars, Showed Porn Instead

According to this Fox News story, a group of 5th graders who were supposed to be viewing a Star Wars DVD instead got an eyeful of porn (here). They're still trying to figure out how it happened, though apparently (see coloring book image) there's lots of Star Wars porn for kids laying around. Me, I'm wondering how showing the movie got into the lesson plan in the first place. I'm a hard-ass that way, I guess.

Having Done So Well On The War, Dems Turn To Domestic Issues

Maybe she'll have changed her mind by today, but as of Wednesday afternoon's edition of CQ today the House majority leader was saying that she still wanted to do a full NCLB reauth as part of the Dems' return to domestic issues (where they think that they may be able to do better than they have on the war). Wow. That makes me feel really confident about its chances. (Domestic Issues to Claim Spotlight)

Big Stories Of The Day

No Gifted Child Left Behind? Time
Nearly half of lower-income students in the top tier in reading fall out of it by fifth grade.

Thompson: Leave No Child Left Behind behind Baltimore Sun
Today, Fred Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee and television and film star who has entered the campaign for the Republican Party presidential nomination in 2008, suggested that it's time to leave No Child Left Behind behind.

Early-Education Advocates Face Tougher Sell EdWeek
Early education conference provided an opportunity for advocates to push preschool as an economic investment.

Austin moves forward with teacher performance pay plan Austin American-Statesman
Nine schools selected to be in pilot group this year. Via EdNews.org.

Secretary Right & The Hoff

Seething with indignation (if, as usual, not entirely making sense), here's what Andywonk has to say about his love of Hoff, my loose grasp of time and space, etc: Hoff, Russo, & Interns.

The subtext [of Andy's post], as per usual: "I must be right. I am always right. Right, right, right. No one can be more right than I am. I am...Mr. Right. No, that's not right. I am...King Right. No, no one likes kings. I am...Secretary Right? Yesss."

Then, in practically his next breath, Andy swoops in with a late, long, and obvious post about the NEA and Miller. Oy. Who's paying for him to do this, again?

UPDATE: Andy takes note of this post but doesn't seem to recognize that the "I must be right" bit (above) is a lampoon of his always-rightness, not a tantrum on my part. You got that, I know, but I'm adding brackets and quotation marks to help out the others.

Mahatma Kozol

Those crafty folks at the Fordham Foundation aren't first out of the gate with this partial fast thing, letting the rest of us do their work for them, but they get credit for perhaps the funniest (or most tasteless) graphic I've seen on it so far: Mahatma Kozol.

George Miller Needs New Friends...Like The Ed Sector

Tom Toch peeks out from behind the curtain at the Ed Sector to pipe in that maybe George Miller needs a new friends and family plan these days, and to lament the split with the Ed Trust and bash the CTA for bashing Miller. True that (and more on the CTA-Miller relationship later). However, it's easier for Toch to say nice things about Miller since his outfit doesn't really have to deal with the Hill and try to get the language changed like the Trust does. (The Trust is an advocacy outfit, along with its research, while the Sector is a purely an old-school think tank.) Too bad, since I'm sure the Trust -- and Miller -- would appreciate the extra set of hands. Come on, Ed Sector, get up there on the Hill and make something happen. It takes more than reports and events and smarts to make a real difference in the lives of kids.

Educating Elected Officials Through Their Pocketbooks

Whether or not Democrats For Education Reform (DFER) is ready to do battle at this level is not really known, but give them credit for trying. Attached is Joe Williams' email calling on reform-minded Democrats and their supporters to "stand up to the CTA and NEA goons who are out to strip everything that is good and pure from NCLB" (made up quote --joking!). The only thing that gives DFER any real chance here is that they have a PAC -- perhaps their main innovation on the school reform advocacy front -- to which they hope you will contribute. They didn't help get the House freshmen elected (the NEA did), and they don't represent teachers (again, NEA and AFT), but maybe they'll help get some of lawmakers re-elected (or replaced). Or at least that's the idea.

Previous posts: An "Emily's List" For Education?

EdWeek.org Nominated For Online Journalism Award

Congrats to the good folks at EdWeek.org for being named finalists in the annual online journalism awards put out earlier this week. Besides hosting this blog (a decision they almost instantly regretted), EdWeek.org does lots of other great stuff, including web updates, the new AP wire service clips, and all the rest. Here's the story that won them recognition in their category. The Orlando Sentinel is also up for its series on charter schools sucking.

All Children Shall Be Proficient By, Well, Whenever

I guess pretty much everything is on the table, since according to the fat cats at the AFT blog who can afford Ed Daily there's apparently been some talk about loosening the 2014 proficiency targets that have made -- or muddled -- NCLB for so long. It seems like the AFTies think it's a good idea. Hmm. I may be thinking about this too simplistically, but what does doing that get you, substantively or politically? Miller did everything short of that, and his unholy alliance of business, conservative, and civil rights supporters broke up over it. Still the teachers weren't satisfied. So who does getting rid of 2014 get you, and what does getting rid of it actually accomplish? I'm not sure, and until then disinclined to think it's a good idea. But that doesn't mean it's going to happen. Far as I know, neither this blog (nor any other) has substantially influenced the reauthorization process. God willing, it will always be so.

"No Able-Bodied Student Left Behind"

'Students First In Line' Program To Offer Job Training At Needy Schools
Stolen from Alan Gottlieb's Schools For Tomorrow blog.

Richardson Slammed For Misrepresenting US Achievement

The good folks at FactCheck.org point out that presidential candidate Bill Richardson "keeps claiming U.S. students rank 29th in math and science, but they score better than that." He also says that we used to be Number One. Oops! Double oops!. See also here for a post about other education-related claims made by Richardson that have been challenged.

How The NEA Ended Up So Opposed To Miller/McKeon

I wrote on Monday that the CTA was coming out stronger against the Miller/McKeon draft than the NEA, which had -- until then -seemed tolerably pleased. And well they should have been. However, Andy (Eduwonk) Rotherham (pictured) wondered how I could ever have thought that the NEA was supportive of the Miller/McKeon draft. And you know he's always right. Well, a look back at the week behind shows that it wasn't at all clear to me (or anyone else) how things would turn out on Monday -- though perhaps it should have been. Read below to see how it all unfolded.

Colbert Can't Shake Klein On Paying Kids For Grades

As expected, faux conservative newscaster Stephen Colbert made much fun of NYC Chancellor Klein's plan to pay kids for good grades -- except when Colbert realizes the money-making potential: "Is this only limited to students, because I think I could ace some of those fourth grade exams?" asked Colbert. Colbert also suggested taking the logical next step -- bringing back child labor -- and he tried to one-up Klein's program by offering $700 for kids to come over to his house, smoke cigarettes, and play violent video games. Klein generally parried all this well and got his talking points out, including that the effort is privately funded, has worked in Dallas (??), and that people in education are overly scared of trying new things. Check it out here. A good mix of fun and earnestness.

Big Stories Of The Day

On education, Giuliani has a troubling record LA Times
When he campaigned for mayor, he vowed to fix the schools, cut crime and boost the economy. Today, the city is safer and has more jobs. But New York City schools remain troubled.

Utah May Swap Standardized Tests for Online Exams Salt Lake Tribune
In place of the old tests, she and the K-16 Alliance would like to see students in grades two through 12 take adaptive, online tests at least three times a year. She said the tests could possibly become part of the U-PASS system the state uses to gauge schools' academic progress.

Girls here, boys there Cincinnati Enquirer
A year after new federal rules made it easier for schools to segregate classrooms by gender, the trend is exploding nationwide, but schools now realize that it's a tough change to sustain. Via EdNews.org.

Md. Exit Exams Will Be Multiple Choice Only Washington Post
State plans to eliminate written-response questions from its high school exit exams to address long-standing complaints about how slowly test results are processed.

Are Unions Over-Reacting, Or Does Miller Proposal Over-Reach?

While it's easy to look at this week's NCLB meltdown as the result of teachers union recalcitrance, Bess Keller's piece on the comparability provision (Proposed NCLB Rule on 'Salary Comparability' Draws Scrutiny) raises the possibility that the Miller draft, on the whole, tries to do too much -- not just fixing NCLB's flaws but carving out new ground that is especially difficult to reach under the current circumstances.

NYC Schools Chancellor To Appear On Colbert Report

Not to be outdone by Secretary Spellings' powder-puff appearance on the Daily Show earlier this year (see video here), NYC Chancellor Joel Klein is scheduled to appear on the Colbert Report tonight at 11:30 eastern. It should be fun. Colbert, much more than Jon Stewart, is known for taking a little bit out of his guests. But the good folks at Slate have written a piece on how to avoid getting completely owned.

Not Much Hope For NCLB 2.0

"With every passing week, the 110th Congress looks less likely to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the fate of which will therefore hinge on the 2008 election," begins this NRO commentary (No Question Left Behind). "So long as these monster questions lack agreed-upon answers, I don’t see much hope for an NCLB consensus, and I don’t see much hope for NCLB 2.0 anytime soon."

Real [Education] World, DC

It sounds like the intro to an MTV reality show: "Eight young people leave the classroom, come to Washington, D.C., and are immersed in the world of education policy." But no, it's actually a program run by the folks at Fordham. And, of course, it has its own blog (here).

Widespread Concern Over NCLB Dynamics, Direction

NCLB fails our schools USA Today
Bill Richardson: A one-point plan for No Child Left Behind: Scrap it.

Teachers attack education lawSan Mateo Times
The state's largest teachers' union on Monday launched a campaign decrying the 5-year-old No Child Left Behind Act as a failure and criticizing a proposal to renew the plan as only making the situation worse.

What's Good for Children NYT
With Congress gearing up to reauthorize the act, business leaders are rightly raising their voices in an attempt to prevent the teachers’ unions and their political allies from weakening this important law

No Race Left Behind NRO
One part of [the law] has generated surprisingly little debate, but ought to — namely the law’s requirement that schools track the scores of racial subgroups of students, and that each group hit the target pass rate on the tests.

Education Reform Goes From Bad to Worse Conservative Voice
Miller’s proposed changes to No Child Left Behind gut its school-choice provisions.

Big News Of The Day

Green Dot charter to take over Locke High School
LA Times
The Los Angeles Board of Education voted Tuesday to turn over one of the city's most troubled high schools to a charter school organization, marking the first time an outside group will run a traditional public school in Los Angeles.

The Great Presidential Mashup "Cheat Sheet"

I don't think that any of the candidates have said anything noteworthy on education -- or that anything they say about the issue before the primaries are done with should be believed -- but maybe you want to know for yourself. Fine. Yesterday, I showed you the Washington Post "issue tracker." Today's it's the Slate/ Yahoo!/ Huffington Post overview of what each of the candidates have said on education, in preparation for tomorrow's, er, debate.

"What have the candidates said on the issues so far? Are they changing their stories? Our cheat sheet on the previous debates will help you be the judge. Here we're offering background information on education, one of the three issues selected by readers for the Slate/Yahoo!/Huffington Post candidate mashup." (The Democrats on education)

Principal Bans Reporter, Then Apologizes

Those pesky reporters may not seem like much, but mess with them and you might get embarassed. A Kentucky principal was forced to apologize after banning a reporter from a school event. The reporter had covered a racial incident at the school, displeasing the administrator. Via Romenesko.

Fasting Over NCLB

Having failed to make the school transfer provision a high-profile issue and feeling shut out of the reauthorization process, author and advocate Jonathan Kozol (whose book Shame Of A Nation was a big seller last year) has now resorted to a partial fast in protest of the law. Read all about it on the Huffington Post (Why I am Fasting: An Explanation to My Friends).

What Was Good Enough In 2005 Isn't Good Enough Now

I'm still not exactly sure how, in the carefully-choreographed no surprises world of Congressional hearings, there were actually a couple of mildly unexpected developments at yesterday's monster NCLB gabfest: the CTA's media campaign against the Miller draft (see previous post below) and the late-breaking flareup with Reg Weaver over merit pay (that's why the teachers didn't go first, eh?). The AP has that one covered here, via EdWeek. You can check out the long list of speakers and download their testimony here. You can watch the whole six hours of testimony here. Things get fun at around the 5:23 mark. [Listening back, it sounds like there was a breakdown in talks between Miller's staff and the NEA folks sometime last week, during which the NEA folks were looking for but didn't get something more than they were willing to take in 2005.]

Lang In For Schaffer At PEN

Albert Lang, formerly of Communication Works, is moving over to PEN and will soon be taking over the reins of the PEN NewsBlast, which Howie Schaffer founded and turned into such a behemoth. Congrats, condolences.

Big Stories Of The Day

Teachers and Rights Groups Oppose Education Measure NYT
A draft House bill to renew the federal No Child Left Behind law came under sharp attack from civil rights groups and the nation’s largest teacher unions.

PLUS: NCLB Reauthorization now a "war" DFER

States Move Toward Closer Scrutiny of Preschools EdWeek
States move forward on efforts to certify early-childhood programs according to how well graduates perform in kindergarten.

Male teacher ranks at 40-year low Newsweek
Stereotyping, low pay, lack of role models. Why the number of men teaching in schools is at a 40-year low.

California Teachers Union Defies NEA "Suits"

A couple of sharp-eyed folks have noted this afternoon that, while the NEA seems to have gotten what it wants (or thinks it can get) from the Miller draft, the California Teachers -- powerful forces for Miller, McKeon, and Pelosi -- are taking a much harder anti-NCLB line. See NCLB II post here (Ca. Teachers Oppose "Miller/Pelosi" Bill), and Schools Matter here (which contrasts the NEA and CTA positions): "We must thank the CTA for taking the position that the Suits for the NEA will not."

Teachers With Richer Kids Earn More Under Performance Pay

"Teachers at predominantly white and affluent schools were twice as likely to get a bonus as teachers from schools that are predominantly black and poor," based on this Orlando Sentinel story (Merit pay for teachers reveals sway of affluence). "It wasn't supposed to work that way." Via a friend.

Don't Name Your Blogs Like I Have

I've done just about everything wrong when it comes to blog naming, according to this recent article from Slate (What not to name your blog). I named this one something boring, and didn't name it after myself. I named the other one (District 299) something so obscure that even folks in Chicago didn't know what it was (at first). But at least I didn't go for irony, Star Wars allusions, or bad puns. And I like to think I've chosen my antagonists wisely.

Spellings Playing For A Stalemate?

Read all the way to the end of this NPR piece (Hill Panel Ponders Future of NCLB) and you'll see first word I've heard of that Spellings is saying she'd rather have the current NCLB than the Miller draft. Saber-rattling? Maybe. But for those who are most worried about multiple measures and all the rest, it's going to be a serious consideration.

Short Boys Underestimated By Teachers

No wonder some parents are holding their kids back a year before they start school, if this report from EdWeek is right: Teachers Underestimate Short Boys' Intelligence.

It Was The Best Of Laws, It Was The Worst Of Laws

A hearty thanks to Sherman Dorn for bringing a little humor to a dreary Monday morning. My favorites:

1. It was the best of laws, it was the worst of laws.
2. All happy reforms are alike; each unhappy reform is unhappy in its own way.
6. It was a dark and stormy reauthorization.

My nomination: "As George Miller awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed... into a gigantic standardized test." Dorn welcomes additional nominations. Go here for some ideas.

Or, if you have to, you can listen in/watch the hearing here.

WashPost "Issue Tracker" Monitors Candidates On Education

Still not really ready for any real work today? I'm with you. Check out this fun little tool from the Washington Post folks, which lets you see who's doing or saying what on education (and other issues), or at least who's being talked about in relation to the issue. Last I checked, Obama had 12 education-related mentions, with Hillary just behind him. "The issue tracker includes information from the Web sites of a wide variety of sources across the political spectrum. Sources include news organizations, political parties, interest groups, bloggers, unions, trade organizations, candidates, activists, and more."

Getting Into Kindergarten

New York City isn't the only place where it's hard to get into a "good" kindergarten, but it's perhaps the most dramatic example of the phenomenon. Watch tonight on TLC (7pm Eastern) as three very different sets of parents try and figure out what's best for their kids and how the process works. Who knew that the nursery school directors were so important?

Big Stories Of The Day

Save School Standards Washington Post (editorial)
Does this country want to make schools better -- or just make schools look better?

Schools Under Scrutiny Over Cheating NYT
At a time when the pressure to do well on standardized tests in public schools creates incentives to cheat, states are just beginning to look for the patterns that betray it.

Love for city schools New York Daily News
A survey of nearly 600,000 parents, teachers and students in city schools yielded some surprising results - about 90% of parents are happy with their kid's teacher, and only 1% want less test prep.

Rewriting History Textbooks Post-Sept. 11 NPR
Think back to those days in middle school: European and American history held sway, while the Middle East got no more than a mention. But the events of Sept. 11 changed all that.

What To Make Of This Tentative Witness List

The only folks I can think of who aren't on this tentative witness list for today's NCLB hearing are EdSec Spellings (not invited? disinclined to appear?) and General Petraeus. By having everyone speak, the committee pretty much ensures a certain amount of cacaphony. And by putting Kati Haycock -- one of the draft's most vocal critics -- off in the teacher quality corner, the committee sends a clear message that it doesn't like being called out.

UPDATE: From Mike Antonucci: "EIA has the exclusive tip that "Sammy the Bull" Gravano will be called in as a surprise witness. Gravano will reveal that "multiple measures" and "growth models" are mobspeak for racketeering of Title I funds."

Best Of The Week (September 4-9)

Campaign 2008
Democrats For Education Reform -- An "Emily's List" For Education?

NCLB 2.0
Editorial Responses Criticize Miller Draft
New NCLB Bill "Isn't Wonkery," Says Chairman Miller; Criticisms Are "Hokum"
Handy-Dandy NCLB Reauthorization Resources
Spellings Letter; Teacher Quality Draft Later Today

Bush Administration
Can Spellings Stay Focused?
Spellings Urged Early Rumsfeld Firing, Book Says

Teachers & Teaching
Walkthroughs Finished? Learning Objectives Posted?
NCLB, Like Shanker, Stronger On Standards Than Teacher Quality
What Next For Teacher Quality?

Media Watch
"This American Life" Does Foster Care
Magazines Lag Behind Papers On Web, Despite Increased Use Of Blogs
Individual School Profiles & Discussions Coming To Newspaper Websites
Rounding Up The Education Titles

Urban Education
Contrasting Views Of New Orleans
Restructuring Works In Chicago...But Teachers Pay The Price

School Life
First Days Of School For Angelina Jolie's Little Boy
Death Rates, Uniforms, Paying Kids, & Donated Hair
Objectifying Teachers