Best Of The Week (March 17-21)

Bridging The Racial Divide
White Teachers, Black and Brown Kids
Stuff White People Like (About Kids & School Reform)

Campaign '08
Controversial Obama Fundraiser Tied To Teacher Pension Fund

NCLB News
Tomorrow's NCLB Announcement -- Today
Triage For Failing Schools -- The Coverage
March Madness: Divisional Matchups
Why Academics Struggle With Politics

Foundation Follies
Gates Focuses On State Advocacy
Andywonk = Ann Coulter?
Author Eggers Expands Philanthropy

School Life
Boarding Schools, Extreme Violence, 'Taj Mahal' Construction
STDs & Childhood Obesity: Flaming Hots For Breakfast

Teachers & Teaching
Perimeter Rap [VIDEO]
"Diary Of Anne Frank" Was A Blog
New Video Game Looks Simple But Isn't
"Students! Pay no attention to the apostrophes on the side of your school bus."

Media Watch
Writing Gigs At Hechinger Institute
First, Kill All The Education Researchers?

Plus: Daily News and the Daily Blog Roundup

Big Stories Of The Day

Bandaging No Child Left Behind Los Angeles Times
Once again, Margaret Spellings is doing the right thing for schools by bending, if not actually breaking, the law.

Top Principal Could Teach CEOs a Thing or Two USA Today
Molly Howard is the 2008 Principal of the Year selected by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and MetLife.

Minnesota Meets New Orleans in Mentoring Effort EdWeek
Web program allows mentors, King students to stay in close touch for things like homework help, advice.

Iowa could participate in program to ease No Child Left Behind Hawkeye
"It's too early at this time to tell (whether Iowa will apply for the program). We still have to review criteria," said Elaine Watkins-Miller, director of communications for the Iowa Department of Education.

White Teachers, Black and Brown Kids

There's been lots of talk about the Obama race speech earlier this week -- most of it about how well he did and what the speech means for America as a whole.  But what about the day-to-day reality of -- in many places -- schools full of mostly white adults teaching the children of mostly black and brown parents?  If, as Obama says, we need to acknowledge that whites and minorities have deep-seated resentments towards each other in order to move past that standoff, what does that mean for the adults -- parents, administrators, teachers -- who share responsibility for educating children?

Author Eggers Expands Philanthropy

What to do when your little after-school writing program struggles but then gets really big? In this video sent to me by a friend, author and part-time philanthropist Dave Eggers describes the process -- and what comes next:

What jumps out from the talk is the organic nature of the Eggers project, its use of humor and "found" talents and interests, its open admissions about struggles and luck, and its ad hoc growth.  Such a stark contrast to some of the current crop of "mistake- free" corporate-feeling initiatives, and yet not obviously any less effective.   

Around The Blogs (And Some Leftover News)

NCLB on Letterman Campaign K12
Al Franken, who is challenging Sen. Norm Coleman, a Republican, for his Senate seat in the swing state of Minnesota, showed up on David Letterman on Tuesday night ... and bashed No Child Left Behind!

NCLB reform leaves California behind Educated Guess
Finally, some sensible changes to the No Child Left Behind law. And once again, California won’t be able to adopt them.

KidZui Lets Children Explore Web Safely WSJ
A new service called KidZui aims to offer kids a safe subset of the Internet where they can roam freely without triggering parental worry.

Text-messaging rumor mills AJC
Rumors spread by text messaging flew through three Gwinnett high schools this month. The rumor mill said a shooting would take place on campus or gangs were bringing weapons to school. Students panicked and left school early.

10 Signs of What Is Not a Crummy Poor-Kid School Jay Mathews
Two engaging books came out a year ago, each so compelling I planned a major column with guest commentators and debates and confetti and dancers and rock music. Then life intruded.

Principals May Gain Option To Jettison Bureaucrats NY Sun
High-performing principals could essentially opt out of the bureaucratic system, saving them thousands of dollars and putting pressure on central administration to downsize, under an idea being considered by the city Department of Education.

New Video Game Looks Simple But Isn't

Crayon Physics Deluxe. Slate

Writing Gigs At Hechinger Institute

If you're an education writer or editor looking for a regular gig, it looks like the Hechinger Institute (JournalismJobs.com -- Job Listing.) is looking for someone to manage a series of projects (and for freelancers to do the writing as well).  Send your resume to: Matt Bruderle (hechinger@tc.edu).   

"Diary Of Anne Frank" Was A Blog

Not so sure that the Internet has been bad for student literacy?  Check out this article from Salon (Teenagers and the Internet), which argues that perhaps we grownups are getting things wrong.

"The average teen chooses to spend an average of 16.7 hours a week reading and writing online. Yet the NEA report did not consider this to be "voluntary" reading and writing...Teenagers today read and write for fun; it's part of their social lives. We need to start celebrating this unprecedented surge, incorporating it as an educational tool instead of meeting it with punishing pop quizzes and suspicion."

Andywonk = Ann Coulter?

As you can imagine, my favorite of the 40-something comments on the Freakonomics blog roundtable conversation that Andy told me to check out is this one:

"Including Andrew Rotherham in this panel is akin to inviting Ann Coulter to a foreign policy roundtable with Condoleeza Rice, Henry Kissinger, and Madeline Albright. Shilling for a few narrow ideas with huge financial backing from the Gates Foundation does not make one an expert."

Link: How Can the Achievement Gap Be Closed?

Big Stories Of The Day

States’ Data Obscure How Few Finish High School NYT
Federal figures gathered under the No Child Left Behind law hide a severe dropout epidemic, researchers say.

Getting a taste of teaching Baltimore Sun
North County High is one of six Anne Arundel County high schools that offer a teaching academy, school officials' self-sufficient approach to addressing a chronic shortage of teachers: They're trying to grow their own.

'Moment of silence' challenged in Ill. MSNBC
A federal judge favors expanding a legal challenge to a mandatory moment of silence in classrooms into a class-action lawsuit that would include all Illinois school districts.

Nebraska Bill Would Affirm State Tests as NCLB Yardstick EdWeek
Less than a year after mandating statewide reading and math tests as an alternative to Nebraska’s unique grassroots assessments, state lawmakers are poised to neuter the district-level tests altogether.

Idaho Turns to Chess as Education Strategy NYT
Idaho officials plan to make their state the first to offer a statewide chess curriculum as part of a pilot program for second and third graders.

Student urinates in lunch box in class MSNBC
A Florida teacher was put on paid leave Tuesday while officials investigate why a student urinated in a lunch box during her class.

Around The Blogs

"We need a teacher."
Ed Policy Blog says only a teacher would make a real education president.

"Differentiated accountability"
Sherman Dorn rounds up blog responses to the NCLB announcement so far.

"How long can you look at a test score?"
Staring too long at test scores can make you go crazy, say the AFTies.

Let's Carnival!
The carnival is well into its third year, by my calculations.  Amazing.

Why Academics Struggle With Politics

Switching from academics to politics and back again is no easy task -- as we know from last week's Samantha Power gaffe.   (The Obama advisor called Clinton a "monster" in an interview and had to resign.)  Closer to home and at a much smaller scale, Eduwonkette seems to miss the political point I was making about making NCLB seem more fair (and powerful) by calling for -- you guessed it -- better data.  She may be right, but politics doesn't wait for better data, and educators of all stripes are going to have to think more politically if they are ever going to get into the political debate where the policy decisions are made.  Most of the time, it should be noted, Eduwonkette gets this.  I blame the approaching AERA conference.

Gates Focuses On State Advocacy

There's been a slow but steady change in how Gates get things done.  At first, Gates focused just on schools, using intermediary organizations to dole out the money and get things done.  Then, realizing the importance of district systems, they started in on district-level efforts, working with district administrators.  Lately, the focus has turned to the state level, supporting -- or in this case creating -- state level capacity to push for school reform.  That's the focus in Illinois, where Gates and Joyce are creating a new state level organization to push for improvements.  I'm not sure if they've done this in other places. 

STDs & Childhood Obesity: Flaming Hots For Breakfast

The latest post from Will Okun is up  (Fifty Percent), focusing on the spread of STDs among high schoolers despite sex ed and -- Flaming Hots! -- the popularity of junk food among his students despite the spread of obesity. 

Here, an example. Yummm!

"Students! Pay no attention to the apostrophes on the side of your school bus."

Students! Pay no attention to the apostrophes on the side of your school bus
Change of Subject (Chicago Tribune)

Big Stories Of The Day (Besides NCLB)

Why good students don't reach college Christian Science Monitor
Support during the complex application process is key, a new Chicago study finds.

Schools embrace fingerprint scanning Stateline  
Schools across the country are scanning students’ fingerprints so that they can pay for meals or check out books at the touch of a finger. But a growing backlash from parents and civil libertarians has led some states to outlaw or limit the technology.

Authority Grab Eroding Stature of State Boards EdWeek
Lawmakers and governors are seeking to expand their authority over K-12 education and, in some cases, reverse policy set in motion by elected or appointed panels.

D.C. Takes Early Action To Help Those Failing Washington Post
Plan includes in-home substance-abuse counseling, solutions for public-aid problems and other programs for students' families.

Study Finds ‘Section 504’ Rules Source of Confusion for Schools EdWeek
Students with health or cognitive problems who aren’t eligible for services under the IDEA have protection under another federal law: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Triage For Failing Schools -- The Coverage

Take your pick -- there are mostly minor differences among stories on the announcement from yesterday:

U.S. Eases ‘No Child’ Law as Applied to Some States NYT
“This is something good, something we’ve been advocating,” said Reg Weaver, president of the NEA, the teachers union.

US Eases 'No Child' Sanctions Washington Post
Jeff Simering, legislative director for the Washington-based Council of the Great City Schools, said he worries that urban schools will continue to face sanctions while suburban schools will get a break.

States to Get Leeway  on School Sanctions AP
The new initiative will allow states to distinguish between "on-fire schools and those with a smolder," Spellings said in an interview Monday.

Spellings Offers Latitude on Poor-Performing Schools EdWeek
The pilot project will be open to a state if the U.S. Department of Education has approved its assessment system and its plan to provide “highly qualified” teachers in every classroom.

First, Kill All The Education Researchers?

A New Zealand education researcher headed towards the big AERA ed research conference in New York next week is going to make quite a splash, based on this article (Researcher to bite hand that feeds him).  Like others before him, he's questioning the relevance of education research that's being done.  To wit:  "Very little of the investment into research actually reaches the people it most needs, the average person and their family."  What makes him unusual is that he comes from inside the ed research community, oversees grants and research for the government, and is talking publicly.

Perimeter Rap

A little reminder about area and circumference to help make it through a dreary Tuesday: Via Teacher Tube.

Around The Blogs

$220 Billion for Bail Out, Zilch for Schools Education Notes
It's a good point.

Barack Obama On Race and Education Big Swifty
You can always tell when someone's just watched or heard an Obama speech.

Kids Count is first sanctioned charter sponsor Get On The Bus
The wild west atmosphere in Ohio charters is slowly changing

Clarification AFT Blog
In (faint) defense of the Ed Sector.

Different! Or Not? Eduwonk
Spellings announcement as a purely political move.

It's 3 AM and the White House Wants to Change Your Math Curriculum The Pulse
Best headline of the day.

Avoiding Crab-Bucket Culture ASCD Blog
Crabs are so dumb you don't need to keep them in the bucket.

Anything you research, I can research better Get Schooled
"At least once a day I get an email or piece of actual mail touting some new study. "

Tomorrow's NCLB Announcement -- Today

My prediction for tomorrow's EdSec announcement in Minneapolis is that Spellings will -- finally -- unveil a more nuanced version of AYP ratings, so that it's clear which schools miss the mark by a mile and which miss it by an inch (not as many as you think, BTW).  She's already made SES changes.  There are only so many states that have the muscle to do growth models.  She's already talked about graduation rate uniformity and can't really do that on her own.  And everyone knows that the NCLB rating (and intervention) system need better differentiation.

UPDATE:  States to get leeway on school sanctions AP

PLUS:  USDE Press release and Spellings speech attached below.

ALSO:  My (bad) idea about a new school rating and evaluation system:    Divisional Matchups

FROM KENNEDY:  "Schools need more than new pilot programs to respond to No Child Left Behind’s challenges.  I commend Secretary Spellings for giving schools greater flexibility, but experience shows it won’t get us very far as long as the Bush Administration continues to shortchange its budget for school reform.”

Big Stories Of The Day

States to get leeway on school sanctions AP
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings plans to announce Tuesday that she wants states to submit proposals for assigning different consequences to schools based on the degree to which they miss annual progress goals.

Philadelphia School Commission Delays Decision on Outside Managers Philly Inquirer
A decision on whether to oust six outside managers running nearly 40 Philadelphia public schools will be postponed until at least April, according to a top district official.

Virginia Lawmakers Enact Measure Taking Aim at NCLB EdWeek
The Virginia legislature has approved a bill that would direct the state board of education to decide whether to withdraw from participation in the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

U.S. Border Schools Get Tough on Mexican Students NPR
The school district in Calexico, Calif., has hired a photographer to stand at the border crossing to take pictures of children as they enter the U.S. It is also requiring that parents provide proof of U.S. residency in order for their kids to attend its overcrowded schools.

March Madness: Divisional Matchups

Teachers often complain that it's not fair to compare their schools to other schools, based on differences in student demographics.  I'm not sure I agree with the notion -- and more than a few schools exceed or fail to meet demographic expectations. 

But what about creating NCAA-like divisions (I, II, III)  within public school systems based on student poverty, in order to help someone (educators) get past the poverty- achievement trap and help others (politicos) see that performance varies even with schools with similar demographics?

Under this format, schools in a district or state would match up against other similar schools, like in the NCAA tournament, where schools are organized by size.  Unlike in the NCAA tournament, however, divisions would have to be flexible so that schools would not be limited to certain achievement levels.   

Best Blog Posts Of The Day

AERA picks! ekette
"Weighing in at ~500 pages the AERA program is a good weapon, but a crappy guide to a professional meeting."

It's a Matter of Principal! eduflack
"Typically, though, we read, watch, or hear about problems in the schools -- budget shortfalls, disappointing test scores, and such. "

I Can't Learn from You If You Don't Respect Me ASCD Bloggers
""Aspiring to "color blindness"--that is, professing to not see or acknowledge the racial differences among your students--is doing no one any favors. "

Yes We Can! CKB
"Instructivism is en fuego!" 

States Now Shooting for 110% Highly Qualified AFT Blog
"Several states?  All core academic classes?  Yowza!  Universal proficiency should be right around the corner then. "

Controversial Obama Fundraiser Tied To Teacher Pension Fund

EdWeek's Mark Walsh has the education angle on the Rezko corruption trial in Illinois.  Rezko, an Obama supporter whose full role has only recently come to light, is on trial for, among other things, conspiring with someone on the Illinois teacher retirement pension board to direct contracts to friends.  Pictured is one of the pension board members who has already pleaded guilty.

"Big" Announcement From Spellings This Week

The EdSec is slated to make a "national policy announcement" tomorrow in Minnesota with the Gov. and the state chief. I wonder what it's going to be.

Boarding Schools, Extreme Violence, 'Taj Mahal' Construction

Reporters still find newsworthy things going on in Chicago, even though the city isn't considered as cutting-edge as it was a decade ago.  Some recent examples:

'A suicide bombing mentality' Sun Times
Blockaded streets, security guards, cops, cameras can't keep a lid on tensions fueled by decades of gang rivalry at Crane High School.

No small plan: Public boarding schools for Chicago Tribune
But residential schools are a bolder -- and far more expensive -- proposition. Long an option for the affluent, boarding schools are virtually unheard of for the disadvantaged.

City may try public boarding schools Sun Times
For her entire freshman year at North Lawndale College Prep, Tinesheia Howard commuted to school from a homeless shelter, where privacy was almost nonexistent, theft was a constant concern, and studying couldn't begin until 9 p.m., after the din around her settled down for the night.

Experts debate benefits of Taj Mahal' high schools Arizona Star
Throughout the country, including in Chicago, the modern high school is evolving into an expensive institution. In the past four years, at least 36 high schools in 10 states have been constructed or are being planned at the $100 million-plus price, according to federal and state officials.

Junior bulls and bears Baltimore Sun
Like their peers elsewhere, the students at a one-of-a-kind public elementary school on the South Side of Chicago are dazzled by pop-culture stars -- Beyonce and Common, Kanye West and Lil' Wayne, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Stuff White People Like (About Kids & School Reform)

From the blog, Stuff White People Like: 

Gifted Children:  "White people love “gifted” children, do you know why? Because an astounding 100% of their kids are gifted!  Isn’t that amazing?"

Foreign Languages: "Generally, white people prefer their children to speak French. Languages such as German, Spanish, Swedish, or Italian are also acceptable, but are considered to be poor substitutes (especially Spanish)."

Non-Profit Organizations: "They like working there for a number of reasons, the most important of which is that it gives them a sense of self importance."

Knowing What’s Best for Poor People: "It is a poorly guarded secret that, deep down, white people believe if given money and education that all poor people would be EXACTLY like them."

Previous politically incorrect posts: Only Gringos Call Gringos 'Gringos' -- Gabacho!, Pesky Civil Rights Laws Blocking My Plans For All-Black Boys Schools, [White] Kids Too Cool For Coats, ¡Ask a Mexican! and -- everyone's favorite --  "Nice White Lady".

Big Stories Of The Day

Law Opens Opportunities for Disabled Washington Post
As Montgomery County ninth-grader Stephen Sabia reads "Romeo and Juliet" and studies the Holocaust and World War II for honors history and English, his mother credits an important ally in her years-long drive to secure the best education possible for her son with Down syndrome: the federal No Child... PLUS:  In the Mainstream but Isolated.

In a Time of Distracted Ears, Teachers Ensure They’re Loud and Clear NYT
In an era of chronic ear infections, widespread iPod use and rampant attention-deficit disorders, school officials have embraced the microphones for mainstream classrooms.

Spellings, on Tour, Aims to Promote NCLB EdWeek
In the 15th stop on her intermittent national tour to promote the No Child Left Behind Act, Secretary Spellings found both defenders and critics of the law here in West Virginia this month. And they turned out to be the same people.

Teacher Ed. Community Striving to Interpret Candidate ‘Dispositions’ EdWeek
A position paper from the leading advocacy group for the nation’s teacher colleges is calling for an open and critical conversation on the meaning and uses of the controversial term.

Best Of The Week (March 10-14)

Best Of The Week
Spitzer Fave Was Homeschooled TFA Alum
Spitzer En Route To EDINO8 Event When Called For "Special" Company

Campaign 2008
Nobama Left Behind
Hillary: The "ChangeMaker"
Kindergarten Cop For EdSec?
Obama Envoy Visits Reformistan To Reassure On Change Agenda
State Standards Vague -- And Repetitive

Foundation Follies
Fordham Foundation Finally Does What I Tell Them To

Teachers and Teaching
Dukie And Prez: What To Do When A Student Asks For Help?
Read This Before You Move The Faculty Lounge

NCLB News
The Obama-Kennedy-Miller Club
Spellings Still Rejecting Rove 30 Years Later
State Standards Vague -- And Repetitive
My Flying Carpet To National Standards

Teachers & Teaching
Fractions, Algebra -- And Effort
Read It To Me Aloud -- I'm A Boy

Foundation Follies
New Leaders Pats Itself On The Back -- Again
How Many Billionaires Does It Take to Fix a School System?

Media Watch
Where's The Press On Obama's "These Kids" Anecdote

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