Video: Why No One Blogged About "The Principal Story"

It took me a while to get into last week's PBS NOW documentary The Principal Story about two Illinois principals, partly because I'm a hard-hearted jerk and partly because the early scenes are slow and feel a little propagandistic.  I knew that the project had involved AASA and other education groups like that, and for a while I felt like I was watching the principals' version of "Stand and Deliver" or "Freedom Writers." It didn't help that the show got so little by way of reaction or commentary from other education blogs that I read.  

Well I still have some questions but over all the intensity of the situations and the eloquence and heart of the school leaders are tremendously powerful and I am glad I finally turned it on.  What to do with the incompetent teacher in a real-life situation?  How to rally your staff without pissing them off or making them cave under the weight of expectations?  What to do about the tragedies that befall some of the students?  It's not so easy as it may seem from outside.

The documentary is beautifully filmed and scored -- even the visually mundane scenes of the principals going to or from work are poignant.  And it's not an obvious attack (or defense) of any particular policies or programs (though there is a great riff on "walkthroughs" near the end). That's why no one's blogging about it -- it doesn't support any simplistic agenda.  If you haven't watched it, you can do so online now.  If you have, I hope you liked it as much as I did and will share a favorite moment or two.  

Around DC: What Sayeth The FritzWire?

Looking for Washington events, report release dates, and jobs?  Check out Fritz Edelstein's FritzWire, a daily email that I post once a week. But you'll probably want to get it daily if you're a power user. 

Rolling Updates Via Twitter This Week (August 17-21)

I'm officially away from the blog for this week but as usual probably won't be able to stay away from it for very long. Your best bet is to find rolling updates here (hit "refresh" if you don't see anything new):

Twitter Updates

WEEKEND READING: July 11-12

Work hard. Be nice The Economist
Charter schools are a mixed bag, but the best of them are achieving results most board-run schools can only dream of and are heavily oversubscribed.

For their own good St. Petersberg Times
They were screwed-up kids, sent to the reform school in Marianna for smoking, fighting, stealing cars or worse. The Florida School for Boys -- that'd straighten them out.

The Female Discount for Sexual Predators Nashville Scene
The evidence seems mounted against Sandy Binkley as she heads for a trial on seven counts of statutory rape and two counts of sexual battery by an authority figure.

Wrong about the stimulus package. Slate
A mere five months later, it's being declared a failure across the political spectrum.

Trying to stop the spread of swine flu at summer camp. Slate
The counselors were taking children's temperatures before letting them onboard.

Staten Island Teen Ends Up In Manhole Gawker
She was walking on the sidewalk. She was texting.

Should New York Be Allowed To Close Public Schools On Muslim Holidays? TNR
Last week, the New York City Council passed a resolution to close public schools on two Muslim holidays.

WEEK AHEAD: Revamped FritzWire Tells All

Like a teenager dressed up for prom, the newly revamped FritzWire is so neat and clean it's barely recognizable.  But still the same excellent information about what's going on in DC this week (especially since the USDE has failed to put out its weekly Secretary's schedule so far).  I'll use a link once Fritz gets set up with a website, but until then click below for a few events and lots of job listings. 

WEEKEND: Things To Read June 20-21

The CEO of my favorite nonprofit earns more than $200,000. Slate
Is that outrageous?

Dirty Jokes Slate
What kidding about sexual predators and innocent teens says about us. And them.

Why Wal-Mart Workers Need the Employee Free Choice Act In These Times
Since liberal Democrats and their labor supporters introduced the Employee Free Choice Act into Congress earlier this year, opposition to the legislation has reached a fever pitch.

Rise of the ‘daddy blogger’ The Week
Stay-at-home dads have come a long way since “Mr. Mom,” but are they any match for the powerful “mommy bloggers”?

Strange Maps: New Ways to Know Your World Esquire
From hilarious takes on colonialism and Iran's Middle Eastern stature to genuinely mind-blowing pieces of modern cartography, a highly illustrative blog worth bookmarking.

10 Net Memes You Can Share with the Kids (And a Bunch You Can't) Wired
How to bring the boys up to speed on internet culture without spawning years of therapy.

What's with all the prayer breakfasts? Slate
Why so many prayer "breakfasts"—rather than prayer lunches or teatimes?

A teen book burns at the stake Salon
A Christian group hopes to set fire to library copies of Francesca Lia Block's novel about a gay boy coming of age.

The long debate over adding ununbium to the periodic table of the elements. Slate
The periodic table added its 112th official element Wednesday, when scientists in Darmstadt, Germany, announced they had received official approval for ununbium from an international body of chemists.

WEEKEND READING: June 6-7

Magazines and features that didn't get covered during the week:

Will Higher Education Be the Next Bubble to Burst? Chronicle
Is it possible that higher education might be the next bubble to burst? Some early warnings suggest that it could be.

Obama's trail of broken promises Salon
The prophet of hope now doesn't even bother with explanations when he reneges on his campaign pledges.

Shakira’s Children NYT Magazine
Can the Colombian pop sensation make early-childhood education the No. 1 priority in Latin America?

Microsoft's Bing and free porn THE WEEK
Bing may be ready to take on Google, but is it ready for children?

Michelle Obama's organic garden and its discontents. Slate
When Michelle Obama planted an organic garden on the White House lawn—which, she told NBC this week, has already yielded over 80 pounds of produce—the response was overwhelmingly positive. (The main criticism: She should cook, too.)

Why insane parents are the only way to end America's tennis drought. Slate
With Andy Roddick's loss at the French Open on Monday, American men have now failed to take the title in 22 straight Grand Slam tournaments, extending the longest dry spell in U.S. tennis history

The Five Most Pathetic Prom Nights on YouTube Esquire
It's that time of year again: when high school boys grow up to be embarrassed young men by singing songs to head cheerleaders on the Internet. And the like.

FRITZWIRE: This Week In Washington

It's Monday, time for the FritzWire -- Fritz Edelstein's daily roundup of legislation, jobs, events, and reports. 

Check it all out below, and sign up for Fritz to get the daily version. 

Fritz knows all, sees all, sez all.

FRITZ: The Week Ahead In Washington

Legislation, events, and jobs -- all courtsey of the Fritzwire. Get a weekly dose below, or sign up for the daily email.  

PALIN: "When I Say Obama, You Say Ayers."

The Obama-Ayers connection made it into this Saturday Night Live sketch, called "Palin Rap":

It was too hard to rhyme Annenberg, so they had to leave that part out.

Weekend Catch-Up

I try to keep away from the computer over the weekend, but I usually fail.  Here are some of the things I came across that might be of interest:

For Most Cities, Recession Has Arrived NYT
But measured at the local level, in places as diverse as Saginaw, Mich.; Sacramento, Calif.; Honolulu; and Atlanta, the slowdowns are well under way.

The sentences of Sarah Palin, diagrammed. Slate
There are plenty of people out there—not only English teachers but also amateur language buffs like me—who believe that diagramming a sentence provides insight into the mind of its perpetrator.

How often do children commit suicide? Slate
A 7-year-old Texas boy who was found earlier this year hanging from a hook in his school bathroom did not commit suicide, according to a police report released Thursday. Do kids that young ever kill themselves?

Old people Facebook disasters Salon
Professionals over 30 have joined the networking site in droves, but with great convenience can come great embarrassment.

Why do [my ]children lose everything? Slate
Where do all the soccer balls go? There must be a hidden graveyard for them or a coach who picks them up after practice and cuts them up to make leather jackets.

Democrats Find Their Footing on Fatherhood American Prospect
For years, conservatives shrugged off all potential public-policy solutions to black poverty, while liberals failed to face up to any policy failures. But Democrats are changing the political conversation about fatherhood.

Losing the Weight Stigma NYT
Fully half of overweight adults and one-third of the obese had normal blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar — indicating a normal risk for heart disease and diabetes, conditions supposedly caused by being fat.

Wal-Mart Watch Says  Wal-Mart's Poor Sportsmanship Cheats High Schools
"It is outrageous that any company would undercut local high school sports programs, especially Wal-Mart - a company that endlessly touts its small-time ...

Fighting Terrorism With Education American Prospect
TAP talks to Sam Carpenter, founder of Kashmir Family Aid, which fights poverty and extremism by building schools in Kashmir.

The Big Education Bailout [Updated]

It's hard not to watch this current round of convulsions surrounding the bailout of the financial sector without worrying -- and without wondering whether there are any useful equivalents in the education space. 

Obviously there's nothing that's quite as critical going on at this very moment.  But the issues being discussed  -- accountability, government regulation, individual vs. group benefit -- are many of the them the same.  And you could argue that, year after year, the government (in all its forms) "bails out" low- or non-performing educational institutions by continuing to fund them.  No, it's nothing like the $700B that's proposed for the current financial bailout.  But if education is a $500B a year industry as is said, then it's not nothing, either.

Let's bail out the kids and their parents, not the schools and institutions who are clamoring for more money.  Let's focus on making taxpayers whole and getting a decent return on the government investment. Let's not reward those who have mis-spent millions in public funds already, or credulously accept their assurances that they will change moving forward.

UPDATE:  I was writing somewhat metaphorically, but it turns out there IS new student lending bailout plan in the proposal before Congress, and Stephen Burd of New America says it's a terriblel idea.

Tuesday Extras

Girl Talk Has Its Limits NYT
Sharing is good, but researchers discuss if it can spin out of control for teenagers.

Club Penguin Anonymous Freakonomics
My son Nicholas, age 5, recently discovered the internet. Last week I got him an account at Club Penguin, a website for kids. Since then, he has spent hours at a time on Club Penguin. He refuses to come to meals. He throws tantrums if forced to stop. PLUS:  Note on Freakonomics Student and Teacher Guides.

Game Enables Users to Guide Evolution on Screen EdWeek
A much-anticipated commercial computer game about evolution is getting a favorable response from some scholars, even though a few of its features sacrifice strict scientific accuracy to fun. PLUS:  Is Spore about evolution or intelligent design? Slate.

In Tangle of Young Lips, a Sex Rebellion in Chile NYT
Chile’s youths are living in a period of sexual exploration that, academics and government officials say, is like nothing the country has witnessed before.

Why Policymakers (& Goalies) Always Take A Leap

Reponding to a Kevin Carey post about policymakers' decision-making process, the AFTies made a good point yesterday that sometimes policymakers leap into action without knowing where they're going (Action Bias and Education Policy).  Not surprisingly, the results aren't always pretty.  But researchers and practitioners shouldn't expect them to do any otherwise -- just like economists shouldn't expect goalkeepers to stand still and wait for the penalty kick to come their way (Economists 1, Goalies 0).  It's just not going to happen.  In penalty kicks as in policymaking, there is an expectation of action that overwhelms the evidence in favor of standing still.  This is true in many other parts of life, where research evidence and pure rationality hardly ever wins out.  There's not much point in trying to make the goalie seem smarter than he (or she) is, or mocking him (or her) for something that's unlikely to change.

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.

The Week Ahead: Spellings, Fritz, Russo

A slew of events (including the Clemens steroid testimony) this week from the Fritzwire (click below), as well as this and that from the Secretary:

Monday, February 11  NO PUBLIC EVENTS Tuesday, February 12 9:30 a.m. EST Secretary Spellings will deliver remarks at the ACCT/AACC Legislative Conference. Wednesday, February 13  NO PUBLIC EVENTS  Thursday, February 14 10 a.m. CST Secretary Spellings will participate in an education policy event with Governor Haley Barbour at Woolfolk State Office Building. A media avail will follow. Jackson, Miss.  Friday, February 15 12:40 p.m. EST Secretary Spellings will visit Alan Shawn Feinstein Elementary School and tour classrooms and participate in an education policy roundtable with Governor Donald Carcieri. A media avail will follow. Providence, R.I.

Also on Friday, I'll be back at theYale Education Leadership Conference for a second year, listening and talking and meeting people. Come up and say hi if you see me.   

Predictions For 2008

You wanted predictions?  You got 'em:

Rebounding from a 70 percent funding cut in FY2008, Reading First will rise again, becoming one of the largest and most widely-lauded federal education programs of all time.  The creators of DIBELS will receive a 2008 MacArthur "genius" grant for their work.

Plagued by scandal and questions about effectiveness and lawmakers' willingness to pay decent wages to caregivers, universal preschool (UPK) will fall by the wayside as a popular issue.  Little children will once again be left alone to watch TV in aunty's living room while their parents are at work all day. 

Elite private schools will begin to spin off new, free versions of themselves as public charter schools in order to serve students from all backgrounds. Charter school organizations such as KIPP and Green Dot protest loudly unfair competition.

Thanks to a new 12-step program created by the Poynter Institute (and a powerful new form of crystal meth), education reporters and newspapers free themselves from annoying human interest anecdotes tacked onto the start of their articles, "find-the-exception" stories, stories based almost entirely on classroom teachers' complaints, and -- through a special Knight-funded 28 day residential program -- the use of headlines that use the phrase "left behind."

NCLB will be reauthorized, largely intact, in June, following surprise endorsements by Jonathan Kozol and former NCLB supporter/opponent Mike Petrilli. The NEA and AFT will block a last-minute effort to tack on a class size reduction amendment.

Ohio lawmaker Dennis Kucinich will leap to the front of the Democratic field, largely based on his pledge to use Pentagon spending for education purposes.  His surprise choice for VP, longtime Bush ally Margaret Spellings, will propose a radical new plan to give every child in the nation access to the same education that Capitol Hill pages receive.

Inspired by a particularly moving episode of The Wire they saw on Netflix during Christmas, thousands of over-educated education researchers, reformers, advocates, analysts, journalists, bloggers and pundits will suddenly realize that what they're doing isn't really making a difference and apply to start schools and become classroom teachers. Much to the consternation of current teachers and administrators.

Bought by media giant Viacom for an undisclosed amount, This Week In Education will be lauded for its wise, thoughtful, and transformative observations and in November inch past the Huffington Post in daily readership.  A month later, its creator will be arrested on charges of tax evasion and impersonating someone who works for a living.

Questioning IQ In The New Yorker

I'll leave it to others to comment on this recent article on IQ and race, written by Malcolm Gladwell in the New Yorker (None of the Above). 

It's not that long, by New Yorker standards.  The focus seems to be on what's learned from mixed-race and adopted children.  Writes Gladwell:

"If I.Q. is innate, it shouldn’t make a difference whether it’s a mixed-race child’s mother or father who is black. But it does... The lesson to be drawn from black and white differences was the same as the lesson from the Netherlands years ago: I.Q. measures not just the quality of a person’s mind but the quality of the world that person lives in."

District Fights To Preserve Deseg & Achievement Closing Efforts

Hidden in among all the early childhood stories in this month's American Prospect is a K12 story by writing fellow Dana Goldstein (pictured) about a interesting but controversial effort to improve minority achievement in Ossining New York, the town where Goldstein grew up.   Currently under legal challenge, the Ossining effort includes  special programs for African American boys and -- most distinctive -- sending local kids to three different buildings during their elementary years to ensure integration.  In what could otherwise be a standard-issue "desegregation is dead" lament from the left, Goldstein carefully traces the concerns raised by these efforts, the district's notable and self-funded resistance to give them up, and their surprisingly mixed effects.  (Left Behind?) 

If You See Something, Say Something

As a few folks have already done this morning, please come up and say hi if you see me wandering around DC today or tomorrow.  I'm at the Learning Point teacher quality conference at the Fairmont here to talk about media coverage of teacher quality issues (Agenda).  Learning Point runs the NCCTQ.  My panel is tomorrow.  I'm wearing glasses, a maroon tie, and a blue shirt.  Come up and say hi, or text me at 3122869242@vtext.com text and tell me you can't find me. 

Best Of The Week

NCLB News
Stale NCLB Coverage In The NYT
Veto Threat Over NCLB Reauthorization
Dentists Good, Dentists Bad

On The Hill
Investing In High-Quality Teacher Retention
Taking On The Higher Ed Lobby

Campaign 2008
Two Million Minutes Of High School
UPK: Just Don't Call It Childcare

Urban Education
Former City Police Chief Takes Over NOLA School Security
No "Marshall Law" For DC Public Schools, Says Millot
A Gay Union Leader For New York City Teachers

Teachers & Teaching
"Grow Your Own" Teachers -- And Recruits?
Making Teaching A Career, Not A Drive-By Charity Stop
Video: "Nice White Lady"

Media Watch
Tracking Teachers' Disciplinary Records In Ohio
Hidden Teacher Violations...In Illinois & Nationwide
EdWeek Runs Scientologist Ad, Says NASBE

Blogs
"Super Sexy, Super Sassy, And Education Savvy" That's Me.
Pay For Performance... In The Blogosphere
Pay Bloggers, Or Send Us To Rehab?

School Life
Teaching Tolerance: "I Don't Want To Blow You Up!"
Dear School: Don't Be Lonely, We'll Be Back Tomorrow
Early Childhood Reading Gap Statistic Pretty Questionable, Says Freakonomics

The Best Of The Week

Read These First
Needed: Better NCLB Politics -- Not More Policy
Why Teach For America?
Think Tank Hires Republican Education Staffer With Cool Glasses

NCLB News
Who Knew NCLB Was So Well-Liked?
Better Politics -- Not More Policy
Renaming NCLB
Critic Explains Internal Union Dynamics

Teachers & Teaching
Why Teach For America?
A Teacher's Thoughts In The New York Times

Campaign 2008
What Happens On Education When Hillary Wins The Nomination?
Edwards Turns To Education To Try And Get Traction
Plural Speech Gaffes For Bush

Think Tanks and Foundations
Think Tank Hires Republican Education Staffer With Cool Glasses
Deborah Bial: An Education "Genius"

Urban Education
Dallas Officials Enjoy Junket While Others Get Fired
Bringing Back Dunce Caps In New Orleans
Is It Time For "Differentiated" Discipline Policies?

Media Watch
"Godsend" Journalism In The NYT
New Face (To Me) Covering Education At The Post
LA Times Revamps, Relaunches Education Blog
Media Ignoring Universal Preschool For NCLB?

School Life
The Cupcake Wars
Spider-Man Vs. Moses
Stephen Colbert Is The Perfect Teach For America Candidate

Is It Time For "Differentiated" Discipline Policies?

Lost in the hubbub surrounding the release and interpretation of this year's NAEP scores (yawn) is a fascinating and powerful story in the Chicago Tribune about what happens when researchers analyze another kind of performance -- suspension rates -- by race and poverty groups.

The fact that black kids --especially boys -- are disproportionately affected is vivid but not surprising. (Even though the suspension rates are double and even triple what they should be.) The fact that black middle class kids are suspended at higher rates, too, is a little more eye-opening. (Black students are no more likely to misbehave than other students from the same SES background.) And the reactions of schools with these different outcomes is perhaps the most interesting of all. (Many defend the differences because they are applying a uniform discipline standard.)

Are discipline codes being applied uniformly in schools? Does it make sense to use them if their real-world results are so skewed? What about some "differentiated" discipline to go along with all the adjustments and tailoring that is being done on the instructional side? We know that kids don't all benefit from uniform instruction. Check it out here.

The Week Ahead In DC

There's not much on the Secretary's public schedule, but tomorrow the NAEP reading and math scores come out -- so much fun -- and it's rumored that a Kennedy discussion draft might come out soon. Less likely for this week, but something to look for, is the next iteration of the Miller reauthorization proposal. I read that there were 3,000 comments submitted on the draft, most of them negative.

Big Labor Day Roundup

Away from it all for a few days or even more these past few weeks? Me, too. To get you caught up in no time, here's a brief and highly selective guide to what you missed (not that much, actually):

Back To School
It's that time of year.

NCLB Reauthorization
Wall to wall coverage of the Miller proposal.

Urban Education
Where the action's at -- or at least the kids.

Teachers & Teaching
Can't live with 'em, can't do much without 'em.

Books, Journalism, Blogs
Lots about Linda Perlstein's book, and good blogging tips.

School Life
Not just the news of the weird.

Labor Day Roundup: Back To School

Tips for starting the school year rightChristian Science Monitor
Veteran teacher and author Coleen Fitzpatrick has advice for teachers and parents.

Record Enrollment Is Projected, But Trend VariesEdWeek
Schools in the West and the South will receive more students, while schools in the Midwest and the Northeast will experience a decline. PIC

Trials and Tribulations of the New School YearCarnival Of Education
Mrs. Bluebird spent a chunk of her third full day of school outside the building. Fire drill? Nope, real emergency.

NCLB Implementation Roundup

Hawaii Gets No Break on School Test Scores HonoluluAdvertiser.com
Hawaii wanted to join seven states that are now evaluated under the so-called "growth model," which measures how much progress individual students make, rather than whether they hit arbitrary score levels in the federal No Child Left Behind program.

Schools hit penalty phase of NCLB Herald Tribune (Fla.)
While many educators are quick to point out the shortcomings of the law, Wakeland Elementary School Principal Chuck Fradley credits it for forcing his school to make necessary changes, even though his school also faces penalties.

Where's the support for NCLB? Tucson Citizen (opinion)
You might think that the Democrats running for president, who rarely miss an ethnic celebration and who claim to have the best interests of African-Americans and Latinos at heart, would rush to defend No Child Left Behind - especially since the candidates who were in Congress in 2001 voted for the legislation. You know better.

Cheating In The News

Fascinated or appalled at all the cheating that seems to be going on these days? Check out Caveon Security's email "Cheating In The News," which showed up in my inbox this morning, including all the latest cheating news:

Oakland charter school director resigns amid cheating scandal Inside Bay Area
Tougher catching cheating with online test takers, educators say Naples Daily News
Cheating on standardized tests isn't fleeting -- it's predictable SF Chronicle

The Week Ahead

Though it's starting off slowly, the week ahead could be busy:

EdWeek says that the Miller education bill could come out (see below).

AEI's got an event today: The Impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) . Participants: Derek Neal, University of Chicago; Katherine Haley, Office of Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI); Charles Murray, AEI; and Henry Olsen, AEI.. Time and Location: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI. Diana.steinmeyer@aei.org for more information.

New America has a thing tomorrow: "Child Well-Being in America and Abroad: How Do American Children Fare in Comparison to Children in Other Countries?" Time and Location: 10:30 a.m.; NAF, 1630 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 7th Floor, Washington. Liz Wu, 202.986.2700 ext. 315, wu@newamerica.net.

Michelle Rhee makes her Hill debut on Thursday: D.C. Public School System Reform (E&S). Subject: The Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia Subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on "Great Expectations: Assessments, Assurances, and Accountability in the Mayor's Proposal to Reform the District of Columbia's Public School System." Time and Location: 2:30 p.m.; 342 Dirksen SOB. Contact: 202.224.2627.

No word on what the EdSec is up to. She must be still recovering from all the Bastille Day celebrating over the weekend.

The Week Ahead

If it's not about Iraq, health care, the campaign, or the environment, it doesn't seem like there's that much going on in DC these next few days. Fresh off her weekend in Aspen, the EdSec is going to Crystal City this afternoon to to talk about investing in children at the White House Conference on the Americas. Mysteriously, it's not open to the press. The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to mark up the Labor-HHS-Education bill on Wednesday. That same day, Secty Spellings flies up to Albany to give a commencement speech for the A Brighter Choice charter schools (single sex, BTW). Next Monday, AEI has an event on NCLB.

Best Of The Week (June 25-July 2)

NCLB News
Over-Reaching On NCLB Predictions At The Washington Post
Reauthorization? We Don't Need No Stinking Reauthorization.

Urban Education
CCCR: Deseg Not Outlawed
Cristo Rey Schools Take Over The World

Teachers & Teaching
America's Most Wanted: Teachers
TAP For TIF: More On Merit Pay Models
"Help Wanted - Chinese Teachers Need to Meet New Craze"

Students
Students Explain Torture Letter Delivered To President Bush
High School Student Takes On Fiery Newscaster Over Sex Ed Talk

Media Watch
Two Good "Time-Lapse" Education Stories
Is Student Violence Necessarily School Violence?
Online Bullying Goes Big Time, Depending How You Define It

The Education Business
Here Come Consulting Firms (Again)
Gates Foundation Advocate Over-Involved In Texas Contracts, Report Says
Raking In The Online High School Sports Dollars

Foundation Follies
Fordham For, Then Against Muslim Charter Schools
Scandalous Mead Video Surfaces On The Internet

School Life
¡Ask a Mexican!
Roller Shoes: Lawn Darts Of The New Millennium
Worst Security Guard Ever

Site News
Blogging...On Facebook

Today & Later This Week

There's something on the EdSec's schedule today about "President Bush’s remarks on reauthorization of No Child Left Behind" at the White House. Then later this week on Wednesday there's the USDE's SES summit. And, on Thursday, NCTQ's Teacher Policy Handbook rollout.

The Best Of The Week (June 19-26)

Campaign 2008
Bloomberg Candidacy Would Bring Education Up

The Education Business
High-Tech Paycheck & Report Card Problems In LA and Chicago
NCLB Tutoring: Not Working, Or Just Not Working Miracles?
PLUS: Sylvan Sued

Policy Watch
What Do People Really Think About NCLB?
Internal Differences: Preschool, Choice, and More
Jay Mathews On Michelle Rhee: Didn't I Just Say That?
PLUS: "What’s this Korean lady doing here?"

Foundations & Think Tanks
"Designated Survivors" At School Reform Confabs
Sara Mead: Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire
Charter School Smarick Wins White House Fellows Spot
PEN NewsBlast Guru Rides Off Into The Sunset

Urban Education
Merit Pay Model Not Ready For Prime Time?
Franchising Magnets (Just Like Charters)
Boston Gets Memphis Chief; Balto Gets NYC #2
Severance Pay For Vallas Might Be $500K
PLUS: Vallas Ditches Own Going-Away Party

Media Watch
Colbert Loves NCLB -- Better Than Jon Stewart
"My Name's Emmet And I'm An Eduholic."
Mainstream Blogging's Perils & Pleasures
The Times Vs. The Post: Education's Weekly Showdown

School Life
High School Sophomore Marries Coach -- Parents Sign Off
When Celebrities Have Opinions (John Travolta Edition)
Top 10 Party High Schools In America
Parents, Kids, Librarians Get Ready (Potter Book Out 7/21)
The Worst Cheese Sandwich Ever

The Best Of The Week (June 4-11)

Campaign 2008
Santa Fe Reporter Challenges Richardson's Education Claims
Richardson "Wins" Nonexistent Education Portion Of Dem Debate

On The Hill
"Finding, Grinding, & Minding:" How Ocean Spray Gets In The Schoolhouse Door

Policy Watch
Extending The Day Without Breaking The Bank
Cheating, Charters, And More Cheating
Teachers Threatened With Job Loss For Supporting Charter
Everything I Needed To Know...I Learned From This Article

NCLB News
Achievement Up, Gaps Narrowed Since 2002
USA Today Overviews States' Testing Games
What To Make Of The IES Comparability Report
Lots Of New Details, Not So Many New Ideas

Foundation Follies
The Multiple Providers: The Sanjaya Of School Reform?
Somewhat Annoying Latecomers
John Bailey At SchoolNet Conference

Media Matters
Time To Update The Map Of Education Blogs
New Stats On Internet Dangers Dispell Many Myths
Chicago Paper Reinforces Depleted Education Team
Freedman Vs. Mathews, The College Admissions Showdown
15 Journos Get Hechinger Fellowships
Bad News, Good News

School Life
Kid Didn't Get Into Private School? We'll Help You
What's Wrong With This Picture?

The Best Of The Week (May 28-June4)

Best Of The Month
The Month In Review: Secrets, Missed Stories, & More
More "Rolling Water Jugs" In Education
Getting Ready For The Obama Switcheroo

USDE
EdSec Spellings Playing The "Girl" Card
See also: A Bush Brother Spreads His Vision NYT

NCLB News
Guest Commentary: Kevin Kosar On Muddled AYP Fixes
Kennedy Began Immigration Push At NCLB White House Meeting
Teacher Firings: Still A Myth

Urban Education
Breakaway LA Teachers Want To Go Charter
What People Mean When They Talk About Human Capital
See also: U.S. Data Show Rapid Minority Growth in School Rolls NYT
Charter Schools Look to Address Educational Woes NPR

Media Watch
When A "Congressional Report" Is Not A Congressional Report
Educating Journalists: The Best Of Both Worlds
Taking The Pulse Of The EduSphere

Foundation Follies
Who's Paid What In The Nonprofit World.

School Life
To Sir, With Sarcasm
Booze-Filled Flip-Flops

The Week In Review (May 21-28)

On The Hill/Campaign 2008
Early Childhood Proposals, Realistic and Otherwise
Why Are Miller & Kennedy Not Calling Beth Ann Bryan?

USDE
Spellings Is To Gonzales As "I Don't Recall" Is To Lunchables
Five Questions For Jon Stewart To Ask Spellings Tonight
The Secretary's Necklace: Too Bad It Wasn't Larimar
Spellings Suck-Up, Part 234

NCLB News
Growth Models For Everybody!
How NCLB Is Like A Russian Novel
Does More Reading Make For Better Social Studies?
The "Lost Teacher Jobs" Myth

Policy Trends
Check Registers: Do They Help?
I Find It, You Read It: The Failed Takeover Story In LA
Utah Puts Seven K12 Admins On HIgher Ed Boards

School Life
Now They're Outsourcing Your Kids' Fast Food Jobs, Too
Finding The Hidden Gems In The System

Media Watch
Snap Judgements In Education Reporting
Watch Out, Cambridge
Now I Know Your Home Phone Number

Site News
More Misogyny And Anger (And Irony, Too) At The HuffPo
Mother Jones Mention
The Worst Blog On EdWeek

Utah Puts Seven K12 Admins On HIgher Ed Boards

Here's an interesting and apparently newfangled way to get your PK-16 system integrated: put lots of K-12 folks including your state supe on the state board of regents and the college board of trustees. That's what Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has done with seven state higher ed spots, according to this Deseret News article (School Chiefs To Join Regents, College Boards). "The idea is to make for a seamless education system for kindergartners through college graduation."

Best Of The Week (May7-14)

Campaign '08
Dem. Candidates Pilgrimage To NOLA (Again)
EdCheck.Org -- Fact-Checking All The Spin

Site News
We're On NPR!
Russo Bullies Vallas
Latest Huffington Post: "Spellings Pulls A Gonzalez"

Foundation Follies
The Sundance Of School Reform
Can Education Entrepreneurs Crack Public Education?

Greeding First (& Student Lending, Too)
Miller Gets Worked Up At Spellings Explanations
Special Treatment For Spellings
Behind The Scenes: Spellings, Miller, & Kennedy
What About Beth Ann Bryan?

NCLB News
States Complain About NCLB

Urban Education
The Two Pauls In New Orleans
Kool-Aid Pickles, And Cute Drug Names Too

School Life
The Sound Of Cell Phones
One Killed Over A PlayStation At Fresno State
Carseats And School Buses -- A Parent's Confusion

Media Watch
EdWeek Reporter To New Leaders
Vivid Doesn't Mean Accurate
Colorado (Education Blog) Is In The House

The Best Of The Week (April 23-29)

Site News
Now Appearing On The Huffington Post, Too

Campaign 2008
Bill Clinton Reverses Himself On Annual Testing
Jerald Joins $60M "Stronger American Schools" Initiative
Saving American Schools, One Pint Of Ice Cream At A Time

NCLB News
The Fairfax Fandango: This Test Is Too Hard
Is "Proficient" Too Much To Ask For?
Looking Into VA Test Participation Rules

On The Hill
Exclusive: Spellings Called To Testify
Has Chairman Miller Been Protecting Secretary Spellings?
Reading First Quotes: Criminal Or Civil Investigation?

School Reform
Growing Pains For KIPP Schools
Teachers In NYC "Rubber Rooms"
The KIPP Breakups

Business Of Education
Gates Announces New Education Honcho
How To Read An Edu-Company Press Release
Who The Hell Is Whitney Tilson?

Treating Academics Like Interns

Continuing its excellent AERA coverage, the EducationPR blog chronicles my absurd and irresponsible comments to education researchers on Thursday morning about what it's like to be an academic in the legislative arena (not much fun) and how to get research in front of legislators or their staff in ways that might have some positive impact (Come out of your academic cave �).

What I learned at the session was that the disturbing experience of learning the policy process is not that uncommon -- everyone had a vivid story to tell -- and that some academics think it's easier to influence practice than policy. I also heard that research has improved over the past few years, even if its reputation and ability to influence policy hasn't -- yet?

March 2007: The Month In Review (Updated)

NOW WITH NOISE REDUCTION

Blogs are usually all about the moment, and not so much about the long view.

To help address that, and to try something new, here's a roundtable that includes me and three All-Star journalists (Schemo, Banchero, and Toppo) talking about the biggest stories of the month, winners and losers, and other things. Download and listen here. Or, if you're feeling fancy and want to try an embedded audio player, here:

Get past the amateurish hosting and so-so sound quality and you'll hear about Bong Hits For Jesus, whether states can hold out if NCLB doesn't reauthorize until 2009, if and how Reading First is a big story, the big Gates gifts to KIPP and DC students, and even a little bit about the Nelnet giveaway. Who was the month's loser -- Gene Hickock, Reading First, or the Fordham folks?Listen and find out.

The Week In Review (March 19-25)

SCHOOL LIFE
Who's On Your Hitlist?
Peppermint & Stinky Shoes
The Wisdom Of Children (In Three Parts)

TEACHERS & TEACHING
"Bloody Claws" -- Impressions Of NCLB's Logo
What Educators Can Learn From "American Idol"

WASHINGTON UPDATE
School Reform May Go Better Out Of The Limelight
Former USDE Deputy Sec. Turns Self In, Pays Up
Where's Maggie?
Think Tanks Battle For Candidates' Ears

NCLB NEWS
State Supe Says Testing Co. Threatened State
More Hearings Than You Can Shake A Stick At
GOP Hopefuls ore Supportive Of NCLB Than Others

MEDIA WATCH
Sex Predator Scare Tactics Not Just For Journalists Anymore
NCLB Is Falling Apart, Again. Not.
The Return Of The Hype Warning System
In Praise Of Education Journalism
Exit Exam Database, 1977-2007

Best Of The Week (March 12-16)

Policy Watch
DonorsChoose: Micro-Donations Go Macro
The Coming Pre-K Quality Crunch

Teachers & Teaching
Reading First Defenders, Unite
Denigrating Teachers...Or Just Disagreeing?

NCLB News
Dissecting The NCLB Hearing
Views Of NCLB, Pro And (Mostly) Con
A Long, Boring Hearing?
The Perils Of Being Against NCLB

Business Of Education
Schmoozing The New Guy
What Can You Learn From SEC Filings For Education Companies?

Media Watch
What Makes A "Real" Education Story?
Sen. Alexander Reaches Out To Education Bloggers
The Weekly Magazines Take On Education Issues
American Educator Spring 2007

School Life
High School Student Council Passes Nonbinding Resolution
Black-Hispanic Tensions On Display In Chicago Local Control Crisis

Hearings & Meetings Schedule -- Tomorrow & Beyond

Don't forget -- there are two reasonably big events tomorrow in DC.

The NCLB event, sponsored by the big four (Miller, Kennedy, McKeon, and Enzi) includes as witnesses mostly the usual suspects. The hearing, titled “Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization: Improving NCLB to Close the Achievement Gap,” will be held in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday, March 13, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. Click at bottom to read the members' pull quotes.

It's interesting to note that while there is no one from the USDE that is on the scheduled witness list, Spellings herself is scheduled to show up at an event later the same day called "Higher Education after the Spellings Commission: An Assessment." At the Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI, 1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036.

And yes, there's a decent list of upcoming events at the AACTE events page (AACTE), which I'm glad to know about. Now if it only had an RSS feed (hint, hint).

How To Tell All The Reports Apart

It's a new national report a week, it seems, but this handy-dandy explainer from the Center on Public Education (part of NSBA) helps begin to sort things out a little: Round-up of National Education Report Cards.

"The Center for Public Education has identified more than a dozen national "report cards" on various aspects of education from pre-kindergarten through college. While there is some overlap among many of them, they have different emphases and use different criteria for rating performance."

Week In Review Feb 26 - March 4

Best Of The Week
A Third Way On National Standards
Education Lobbyist Ellin Nolan On The HotSeat

Foundation Follies
Think Tank "Truthiness"
How The Fordham Foundation Is Like Hillary Clinton
New America Takes Old View Of For-Profit Universities

NCLB Reauthorization
Vouchers & Characterization Proposals Not Necessarily "DOA"
Comparing Everyone's NCLB Reauthorization Proposals, Version 2.0
How Are These Reports Like All The Other Reports? Lotsa Ways

Education Policy
Which Is Worse - Test Scores, Or Class Grades?
School Restructuring How-To Manual From Chicago

Media Watch
Education Writers Association Award Winners Announced
Homework Game Show
Reporter Refutes Claims Of Junk Journalism
Meier & Ravitch Join The Online Fray
"PBS Teachers" Expanded Site Launches

School Life
"Tray Gazing" In The Cafeteria
Ali G (aka Borat) Panel On Sex Ed and Teen Drug Use
Girls Like Them

PBS & NPR Roundup: Education News For Your Ears (& Eyes)

By this point of the week, maybe listening to an education story in the background would be easier than reading one. Here are a few interesting audio and video segments from the past week:

New Orleans Struggles to Revamp Public Education PBS
From last night's NewsHour.

Accused Teacher Denies Surfing for Porn at School NPR
The saga continues.

When a Story Tells Truths, Sources May Suffer NPR
Finding the news in a Baltimore school -- without costing anyone their job.

Opting Out of College for a Blue-Collar Life NPR
Are too many kids being pushed into college?

Writing Seminar Spawns Book Deals NPR
NYT columnist Sam Freedman shows the young'uns (and the rest of us) how to do it.

The Insider's Insider: Education Lobbyist Ellin Nolan On The HotSeat

Education lobbyist Ellin Nolan is one of those folks who never gets much publicity in DC -- she doesn't want it. But that doesn't mean she's not well know or influential in her own right. President of Washington Partners LLC, Nolan has helped turn the firm into a powerhouse full-service education lobbying firm.

Staffers and members of Congress may come and go, but lobbyists like Nolan are always there. On the HotSeat, Nolan dispells everyone's notions about how lobbyists work (ie, in the dark of night), describes her favorite lobbying reform (attach lobbyists' names to projects), explains how education earmarks are different from other kinds (earmarks are harder to get), and dishes on which is more fun -- authorizing or appropriating (you can anticipate this one).

She won't tell what the most infamous education "bridge to nowhere" earmark is (there's gotta be one-tell me if you know) or how much she lost in the FY07 budget process, but it's still a fascinating peek into the world of folks who hang out outside committee rooms and seem to know everyone.

A Third Way On National Standards & Assessments

There's lots of good stuff in Elizabeth Weiss Green's US News story on national standards -- including about the grassroots version of national tests that might be bubbling up from the states via Achieve. Check it out towards the end of the article here.

What's a national policymaker to do, then? Well, to get us out of the this stalled go/no debate on national standards that we've been in for a few months now, some enterprising member of Congress might propose new funds to help states implement these state-developed "national" standards, and encouraging more states to follow.

At the end of day, no one really cares how we get to comparable and rigorous) state-to-state comparisons.

A Short, Slow Week

Even with the NAEP scores out, it doesn't seem like it's been much of a week. Maybe it was the holiday-shortened week, or the fact that many folks seem to be heading off on vacation (or wishing it were so). Still, there's always the PEN NewsBlast, including topics like high stakes testing, the relevance of progressive education, new ideas for education reform, and more. And the Fordham Gadfly, which includes bits on whole language, the podcast, private schools for the poor, and something from Checker I couldn't quite follow.