Charters: The Art Of Manipulating Oversight Boards

"Without you saying anything to them, they will believe that they are responsible for making big decisions about budget matters, school policies, hiring of the principal and dozens of other matters."

Imagine charter schools CEO Dennis Bakke in a recently revealed email about how to pick and manipulate charter boards. (Pick your board members carefully)

ONS: The Most Dangerous District Job In Education?

Heading a big-city school district's new schools office may be the most dangerous job in education, melding as it does the new and the old. But new schools (and new schools offices) are all the rage, so officeholders seem to be able to find work again pretty quickly.  Josh Edelman, recently let go as head of new schools for Chicago, is apparently already back in Washington working for Michelle Rhee. Meanwhile, hard-charging Leigh McGuinan is headed to Chicago from her post in Cleveland, where she lasted less than a year.  Before that, McGuinan worked for a time as Director of Strategic Planning for Human Resources (whatever that is). 

Update: Desks And Chairs For Martin Middle School (SC)

I don't usually run feel-good stories pitched by PR folks but this one seems pretty harmless (A Lesson in Giving).  In it, TIME Magazine tells the story about how Chicago-based Sagus International came to donate a truckload of school furniture to that school in South Carolina that everyone remembers from President Obama's speech last winter (Martin Middle School in Dillon). Apparently all the media attention and political concern hadn't resulted in school-level action.  The company has also helped remake science labs and social studies rooms in Chicago.

Books: A Scathing, Humorous Look Inside The Testing Industry

There are lots of reasons to enjoy Making the Grades, Todd Farley's insider expose of the standardized testing industry.  The book is an amusing and disturbing inside look at an absurd, "Office" -like world of misfit employees and mind-numbing corporate directives.  It's both a mea culpa (Farley worked in the industry for 15 years) and a warning (there's nothing reliable or even standardized about tests).

Open-ended and short-response items -- testing's attempt to be more wholistic -- have distorted accountability rather than improving it. Everyone's gaming the accountability monster, including the folks who are paid to implement it. 

There were some things I wanted to know more about, including the author.  Fifteen years is a long time to hate a job you hated pretty much day one -- what does that do to a person?  Farley doesn't go much past the abundant and colorful anecdotes and give us more depth and development of his own and other characters.  And, on a policy level, there's no real alternative being proposed here.  We're warned, sure, but we're still stuck.  Testing is deeply flawed -- maybe more so than many of us realize.  But few trust educators (or doctors or airline pilots, for that matter) to do their jobs without supervision any more.  So what are we to do?  Go back to multiple choice items?  Or go the other direction?

Still:  more than worth a look.  Check it out.  For a taste, read Farley's New York Times oped from last month.

Books: Linda Darling-Hammond's Classroom Is Flat

The most interesting thing about this year's McGraw Prize winners (Linda Darling-Hammond, Joseph S. Renzulli and Sarita E. Brown) is the news that LDH has a new book coming out that uses the "flat world" meme popularized by Thomas Friedman as a way to engage readers.

It's a great idea.  Maybe I'll tie my next education book to a Dan Brown bestsellers and title it The DaVinci Teacher, or The Lost Classroom.  Maybe LDH and Bob Compton can go on some "odd couple" tour.  Here's the cover of the book, scheduled to be out in January.  

Quoted: Will Common Standards Be Any Better Than Common Textbooks?

Those particularly enthused about common standards might do well to consider the outcome of common textbooks, according to this commentary in The Week Magazine:

"Enormous captive populations of students are made to learn the same exact thing from the same boring book."

The Real School Indoctrination Scandal

People: Lemons In, Huberman Edelman Out

Will Lemons' arrival spice things up at the Trust?  Will Edelmen's departure mean a return for him to Washington DC? 

Richard Lemons is in at the Education Trust (via Knowledge Alliance):  "Before joining The Education Trust as Vice President for Program and Policy, Richard was Director of the Institute for Urban School Improvement, a research and outreach center located at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education dedicated to understanding and building capacity for urban school improvement. "

Josh Edelman is out at the Chicago Public Schools (via Chicago Tribune):  "His removal from the high-profile role came as a surprise to many in and outside the district, given Edelman's relative newness in the job. Edelman, an outsider to Chicago, was hired by former district chief Arne Duncan now the U.S. Secretary of Education. He's the son of Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund."

Cartoon: "How Schools Will Make Up The Cuts in Education Funding."

Maybe bake sales can help?

Rotherham: Why He Left And Where He'll Go Next

 In retrospect, Rotherham's departure from Education Sector makes a certain amount of sense. 

He wasn't at AASA very long.  He left the Clinton administration after a little less than a year.  He left the Progressive Policy Institute to help start the Education Sector. He's not one of those stay forever types.

And, most recently, the Ed Sector board declined to make him president or executive director of the organization after co-founder and co-director Tom Toch left.  No one really noted it at the time, but they named him "publisher" instead, and made Bill Tucker managing director. It's possible that decision was part of the reason as well.

Looking ahead, if he doesn't teach, or join another organization, or go into politics, Rotherham might follow people like Nina Rees and go into the private sector.  There are lots of consulting firms and companies that would love to have him, I'm sure. 

Or - this seems particularly likely to me for some reason -- he might try and follow Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias, niche bloggers who joined a mainstream news outlet.  Eduwonk still has tremendous name recognition even as Rotherham's blogging has become less candid, prolific, and humorous. I'd hate to see that happen but that doesn't mean it isn't a real possibility.

People On The Move: Rothman, Packer

Annenberg's Robert Rothman and former NEA lobbyist Joel Packer are both on the move:

From Rothman:  After more than seven years, I am leaving the Annenberg institute and Rhode Island to return to Washington, DC, where I’ll be a senior fellow at the Alliance for Excellent Education. As of September 28, you can reach me at BRothman@all4ed.org. The phone number is (202) 828-0828. Keep in touch.

From Packer:  As many of you know I have joined The Raben Group (www.rabengroup.com) as a Principal. My new office number is 202-587-2867 and my new email is JPacker@rabengroup.com. Please keep in touch and add my new email to any appropriate email lists you maintain.

Anyone else?  Let us know in the comments below or by emailing me at thisweekineducation at gmail dot com. 

MEdia: FritzWire Gets A Second Sponsor

Check out the Friday edition of the FritzWire -- full of jobs, links, events, reports.  It'll be noon before you know it.

Plus, there's a new sponsor to go along with Widmeyer.  

VIDEO: Paid Promotion In Valedictorian's Speech

Wow.  A high school valedictorian got paid to insert a line promoting a movie in her graduation speech.  Gross.  Can they take away her diploma or something.  Working on it.

'Viral' Ad in High School Graduation Speech Fails in Every Possibly Way Gawker

CARTOON: Grant Money Changes Everything

From the New Yorker.

DC: Behold The Shiny New (Sponsored) FritzWire

It's a slow week in DC but the FritzWire is on fire.  The new version is formatted and (generally) nice-looking.  Plus it still has all the reports, events, jobs it always had. (Not that there's much going on this week.)  And Fritz is getting paid.  Check out today's version below -- sponsored by Widmeyer! -- and sign up at the bottom if you want to get it daily. 

CHARTERS: Indirect Relationships Between Authorizers and Operators

The notion that some charter operators would claim not to be public employers struck some folks (including me) as pretty strange, given all the charter school rhetoric about how publicly accountable and transparent they are.  Especially when the claim comes in the context of trying to divert or avoid teachers' efforts to unionize their workplaces. 

Even more thought-provoking (to me, at least) was the realization that some unknown number of charter school operators don't actually hold the charters that allow them to run a school.  For better or worse, in these situations the relationship between the authorizing body and the operator is less direct. 

In these situations, the operators are are subcontracted by the outfit that receives the charter.  Usually it's a nonprofit receiving the charter and a for-profit EMO who's the subcontractor.  Though sometimes a nonprofit CMO like KIPP will consider operating a school for another nonprofit. How widespread is this subcontracting practice?  No one knows exactly.  The folks at the Alliance tell me that roughly 11 percent of charters are managed by EMOs -- a small percentage in all but four states. 

SCHOLASTIC: Shameless Sponsor Plug

Lots of good stuff in the latest Scholastic Administrator, including these items and more:

Privacy vs. Security
What you need to know BEFORE installing the cameras.

Man of the Hour
What Ed Sec Duncan's Chicago past can tell us about the future of US education.

Superintendent Profile: Stu Silberman
Superintendent of Fayette County (KY) schools.

Check it all out here:  Scholastic Administrator Magazine | June 2009.

TEACHING: A Facebook For Lesson-Sharing

It was fun to meet some new faces at the NSVF event, including some folks who’d just gotten funded.  CEO Alex Grodd’s BetterLesson, a Boston-based startup, beat out a slew of other, brand-name folks (like TFA) who have been working on lesson sharing for years.  BetterLesson bills itself as providing “collaborative curriculum development.”  It sort of sounds like Yelp (or Metacritic) for lesson plans. Or, sure, Facebook.  Sorta. It's in private beta now -- check it out and maybe you can get in on the ground floor. Just make sure that they're not going to use all your best stuff without giving you recognition (and maybe even a slice of the N$VF pie).

Related:
A Reverse DonorsChoose
Facebook "Share" Makes Everyone An Education Blogger

TEST PREP: There's No Profit Like Nonprofit

Slate's financial spinoff, The Big Money, has a fun piece about the "gobstopping" amounts of money being made by nonprofit testing companies like the College Board:Taking the $AT.

Via Eduwonk and Joanne Jacobs. 

If you like the story, be sure to check out the College Board's response (here).

GROSS: Legacy Admissions Come To K12 Public Education

As if the nation's inequitable system of district-based K12 education wasn't problematic enough, two affluent California districts are now offering legacy admissions priorities to the children of alumni who live outside the district:

Legacy enrollments offered in two top L.A.-area school districts
LA Times

Legacy admissions have long been common at some private schools and universities and colleges.  But, like affirmative action, they are extremely controversial. 

This seems pretty gross to me. 

KINDLE: Will Electronic Readers Make It Big In K12?

The latest version of the Kindle seems to be aimed in part at the education textbook market, which may be quaking in its boots like everyone else in publishing about what happens if and when e-books take over:

Fully Equipped CNET News‎
and Even before the Kindle 2 launched, there was talk of an even newer, larger Amazon digital reader that would be geared more toward reading textbooks...

Amazon to Launch Kindle for Textbooks Wall Street Journal (May 4)‎

Five other universities are involved in the Kindle project, according to people briefed on the matter. 

Amazon To Target $5.5B Textbook Market Tech Crunch
Most publishers now offer electronic versions of their textbooks...But there is no compelling device to read them on.

Sure, there's been a lot of hardware hype in education before -- from desktops to laptops to iPods and iPhones.  Is the Kindle and its kind any different? 

ASSOCIATIONS: ASCD Stands For Nothing

One of my favorite bits of news from last week's EWA conference was meeting the folks from ASCD, who do lots of good work in the real world and online, and finding out that the group, which once was called the Association for School Curriculum and Development, is now just ASCD. Yep, just the letters.  This form of de-acronymization is not unique to ASCD, however.  The College Board did much the same with the SAT exam a few years ago.  But they're still putting out the SmartBrief, which I love despite its coming out so late in the day, and they have a blog, too, which you can find here.

CAREERS: "Call Of The Classroom"

In-depth, multimedia stories are great -- if you can get enough people to read them and make the effort worth it. 

Here's a recent example from AP's Libby Quaid (and others). 

Sometimes these stories are a big hit.

(Remember that AP story about states "gaming" their AYP calculations based on sample sizes and such?)

Other times, they don't really generate that much interest or spinoff pieces.

FADS: The Return Of Cup-Stacking

Remember that demonstration of cup-stacking at the McKeon hearing a few years back? Well, the game (sport?) is still around, now touted as a dexterity thing instead of a math thing:

Let's Paint, Excercise, And Master Cup Stacking Videogum

MEDIA: Layoffs At EdWeek

Speaking of layoffs:  It's not just the mainstream press that's hurting -- and it's not just voluntary buyouts anymore.  Ginny Edwards recently described the difficulties that EdWeek was going through, including "staff reductions."  I've got reliable but unconfirmed word that EdWeek has had to lay off about 10 employees, including a handful of reporters:  Mark Walsh (legal affairs), Andrew Trotter (ed tech), Linda Jacobson (early childhood), and Vaishali Honawar (teachers). Condolences to those who were laid off. Congrats to those who are still on board. Please let me know if any of this is wrong. I tried to confirm this story with EdWeek but did not get a response.

ASSOCIATION WARS: ASCD Steals NASBE Guru

More moves: ASCD has snaked David Griffith away from NASBE, where Griffith worked for 10 years. He started this week. The gleeful folks at ASCD claim that "No association execs were injured in the process." Griffith will be Director of Policy for ASCD. No word on who will replace Griffith at NASBE. Congrats, condolences.

YEAR IN REVIEW: Big Education Ideas Of 2008

The NY Times Magazine listed a few education-related ideas in its annual Year In Ideas issue last week, but none of them (Kindergarten Redshirting Is Bad, Two-tier Teacher Contract, The One-room School Bus) seems particularly transformative to me with the possible exception of the one that doesn't really exist (the two-tiered contract). 

So what are the really big ideas of 2008? A couple that come to mind include unionized charters (like Green Dot) that could finally unlock the innovation-security puzzle, open-source software and textbooks that could free districts from costly budget items, "artsy" charter schools that emphasize enrichment as well as remediation, turnaround efforts (they're back!), and -- perhaps the biggest idea of all -- the idea that real-world experience still counts. 

I'm no big cheerleader for Arne Duncan (and I know he lacks classroom or building-level experience that some insist is necessary), but I still think that the education idea of the year may be that president-elect Barack Obama ultimately chose someone who worked inside the public system rather than many others who study or support or chatter about schools from the outside.   The big real takeway for 2008 may be the enduring value of real-world experience at the district, state, or federal levels.  Whether or not the experience is particularly successful or not is, alas, less important than that you've had it.  But at least you'll know how these worlds really work.

What are your nominations for big education ideas of 2008?

RESEARCH SAYS: Summer School, The Song

Here are the words to my latest single, Summer Learning:

Summer learning - had me a blast. 
Summer learning - happened so fast.
Met a school - open for me. 
Met a school - good as can be.
Summer days - used to be free.
But uh, oh, that summer school.

Summer school's getting lots of love from Malcolm Gladwell, among others.  Though the economy's not going to help most districts do the right thing.  Here's some of the research behind Gladwell's enthusiasm (PDF).  And yes, there is a National Center for Summer Learning (here).  I know this because they emailed and told me so.   

JOBS: Assistant Deputy Secretary Moves To Scholastic

Doug Mesecar has moved from the USDE's Office of Innovation to become a VP at Scholastic.  Before that, he was with Edison, I think. 

Here's some biographical information about his time at the USDE (Biography). 

Here are some previous post about or including Mesecar: How Spellings Strategy Could Screw Up Future NCLB Changes, Mesecar (& Others) On The Move.

Congrats, condolences. I can't wait to hear some of Doug's war stories from his time inside the machine. 

TECH: Free Lectures & Books At iTunes U

There are tons of free audio and video files at iTunes U, which I'd never heard of until last week.  Check it all out and tell me if it's any good. Via Kottke.

TECH: Google Publishes Millions Of LIFE Pics

Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google.  LIFE photo archive hosted by Google. Via Kottke.

MONEY: Disparate Effects On Education

Schools feel pinch from economic woes CSM
Officials look for the least painful trims, but many worry about their ability to close achievement gaps.

High School Dances Shine Just a Little Less Brightly NYT
From affluent neighborhoods to blue-collar ones, the homecoming dance is a more modest affair this year.

Show Winner, Now Bankrupt, Will Keep Vow NYT
Kathy Cox, the Georgia state schools superintendent who won $1 million on a game show, filed for bankruptcy, but plans to fulfill her pledge to donate her winnings to local schools.

Funds sliced, teacher sells ads on tests San Diego Union-Tribune
Kevin Change said it was strange the first time he saw an advertisement across the bottom of his calculus test. But now he and his classmates look for them.

MEDIA: ASCD SmartBrief Claims 200K Readers Per Day

I got an interesting email from SmartBrief the other day claiming that the ASCD daily email goes out to 200K folks every day. 

That's a lot.  It's an old-school email -- nothing web 2.0 about it (though it does now include blog posts once in a while).  But if it gets ASCD's name out there and if ASCD doesn't cost much, it's probably worthwhile. 

Otherwise, they'd have to do it themselves (like PEN and many other orgz), or do nothing. 

JOBS: Job Losses Affecting Teachers Too

The new job loss numbers are out, and they're not pretty.  Job losses and other forms of budget-saving measures like furloughs are sweeping the nation, including some that affect teachers:

State workers rip Schwarzenegger's  job plan Sacramento Bee
How City’s Budget Cuts Will Affect Bklyn Daily Eagle
HI budget cuts could include fewer teacher days Honolulu Advertiser
Granholm to slash budget Detroit News
Tough times ahead for Hesperia schools Hesperia Star
Voters force the ax Schools face deep cuts Casa Grande Valley

Teachers' jobs are usually among those last to go, whenever possible (School district faces budget cuts, won't cut any teachers Madison County Journal), and indeed there will be some job growth in some high-need teaching areas (Jobs that survive a recession Southtown Star).  But at a certain point, everything goes. 

VIDEO: Cool Nonviolent Paint Ball Maze Game

Find your way through an invisible maze by shooting water balloons (paint balls?) to see what is out there.  Very soothing and curious.  You might want to turn the volume down before clicking play: 

Via Video Bubble Gum: But What If You Want To Shoot A Prostitute In The Face With A Bazooka?

FRITZ: The Usual Events, Exhortations, & Opportunities

Check out today's FritzWire for the usual events, exhortations, and opportunities.

Three new hearings, 2 new tidbits.

Plus the usual hearings, events, reports, and jobs,

You can't afford to miss it.

Exclusively on This Week In Education.

MILLS: What Next For NY State Education Chief?

Longtime NY State Education Commissioner Richard Mills is stepping down after 14 years at the helm (Education Commissioner to Leave Post in Albany) but doesn't seem done yet.  What next for Mills?  Old-timers will remember that one of Mills' predecessors, Gordon Ambach, came down to DC in 1987 after a long stint in Albany and headed the Council of Chief State School Officers. Let's hope that Mills does something interesting rather than taking a cushy job working for Voyager or something.

LOBBYING: Riley & Others Form New(ish) Education Group

There's a new(ish) name in the education consulting game that you'll be hearing more about soon (if you haven't already): Education Counsel LLC. This outfit includes well-known folks like former Secretary Dick Riley and relative up- and- comers like former Illinois education advisor Elliot Regenstein. 

Based on the website, Riley will remain at Nelson Mullins Riley (the law firm he's operated out of for several years now), and Regenstein will remain in Chicago, where he was most recently running education clients including Gates out of Holland and Knight. 

I'm not really sure how they're going to differentiate themselves in terms of clients or capacity from other existing lobbying and strategy shops in DC -- fill me in if you know -- but it's interesting that they've come together like this.  Or maybe it's just a repackaging of what they were already doing.

The Milk Carton Debate: Which Side Are You On?

Are you a pragmatist or an idealist? It's an important question in school reform, influencing how you think about past initiatives (NCLB) aned what you think should be done next (cell phones for good grades, anyone?). 

The latest example of the divide has to do with advertising on milk cartons sold and given out in schools.  Advertisers have started to use milk cartons ads to promote healthy foods, according to this article from the upcoming New York Times Magazine (Milk Cartoon).  Not everyone is enthused about having Spongebob shill for fruits and vegetables, however. 

Lo-Jack For Laptops

Check out this very cool little application that will help locate (and even take a picture of) the person who walked off with your or your student's computer -- as soon as they log onto the internets (Free Adeona service tracks stolen laptops).  Via Freakonomics.

Hedge Fund Guy Explains Bailouts, Blame, & Obama

There aren't many education folks who are also hedge fund managers.  In fact, Whitney Tilson is the only one I know.  Here, Tilson answers a few questions you might have about bailouts, blame, and Obama:

This is all your fault, right?

WT:  My partner and I have been shouting from the rooftops -- at conferences, on TV, in newspapers and on our web site -- to anyone who would listen about the oncoming mortgage train wreck. In mid-March, we posted our presentation laying it all out.

Why, exactly, should teachers and district administrators be FOR the bailout?

WT:  Financial meltdowns aren't pretty -- think mass layoffs, your credit and ATM cards not working, not being able to borrow any money, etc.

You're for Obama.  You're for the bailout.  Therefore, educators should be against Obama.  Right?

WT:  Educators (and everyone else) should be for Obama AND for the bailout!

New Teacher Project Calls Out NYC, UFT -- Again

You don't have to care a whit about New York City or union contracts to take note that the New Teacher Project has, twice now, stepped up and called out the city's powerful education leadership about the wasteful situation that is taking place around excessed teachers. 

Most groups that work with districts don't utter a peep in public no matter what they see, for fear of repercussions.  But not TNTP.  No matter that their efforts haven't shamed those in charge to take action -- yet.  It's an impressive example that I wish other groups -- TFA, NLNS, KIPP, etc. -- would take when necessary rather than just burrowing into districts or staying out of what's going on in the larger education landscape. 

City Teacher Pay Practice Comes in for Fresh Criticism NYT
Report: Absent Teacher Reserve Draining City of $74M in 2008 NY Sun

Insert Blog Post Title [Here]

In the education news of today, there are goodly numbers of items forthcoming. Neither alarming nor disturbing. 

Local and national import, plus attempts at humour.  Dismissive of other blogs item now -- hah! 

Please to read more here.

Thanking you. 

Buses Run On French Fry Grease

Fuel Prices Squeeze School Districts NYT
As the cost of diesel fuel has soared well past what many districts budgeted for last spring, school officials are rethinking their transportation needs.

Fearing Failure, University Gives Charter School To District

Interesting little story in Inside Higher Ed about how university-run schools don't always turn out so well (When Universities Run Schools ... Into the Ground).  The focus here is on USF, whose on-campus School of Education-run charter school was apparently abandoned when a new administration came into power at the university.  After a decade as a charter, it's now being transferred to the district, of all things.  Awk-ward. 

There are some successes, of course -- relatively speaking.  The University of Chicago has a little empire of charter schools it is growing -- without and outside of an ed school, it should be noted.  UCSD's Press School is also considered a success.  No indication of how many university-run schools there are nationally, or whether they are trending up or down.  Maybe they were just an unfortunate fad, like the Dave Mathews Band.  Personally, I blame Sherman Dorn and that big scary beard of his. 

The "Privatization" Misnomer

While some other bloggers are debating the use of the phrase "new paternalism" to describe the detailed and intensive approach that some schools are taking, my current obsession is with the word "privatization," which is used broadly (and I would argue inaccurately) to describe things that aren't being privatized in the traditional sense. Use of the term should be limited to situations where a service or function is taken over by a private (ie, for profit) company, not to any and every situation that occurs outside of the traditional school district service delivery model. Edison? Privatization. Aramark? Privatization. Nonprofit charter management organization? Not privatization.

Part of this has to do with accuracy. How can something be privatized if the organization that takes over is not privately held? Part of this has to do with functionality. I have to believe that private sector enterprises behave differently and have different incentives than nonprofit organizations, even if they're doing the same job. But of course, there's also the fact that privatization has negative connotations for many people, and slants their perceptions against what may (or may not) be a useful strategy for improving public education.

Interest Groups Are Good.

I've always struggled to explain my experience and views about the political process in ways that make sense and don't seem excruciatingly and unnecessarily cynical.  So you can imagine my surprise and pleasure to discover something approximating my own thoughts in Nick Lemann's recent New Yorker article (Conflict of Interests).

"All politics and all government are the result of the activities of groups. Any other attempt to explain politics and government is doomed to failure...[Politics is] a never-ending, small-bore struggle for advantage among constantly shifting coalitions of interest groups." 

According to this view -- my view -- which is apparently called "pluralism" (or in foreign relations "realism") there is no such thing as a collective or unmitigated good, whether the case is health care coverage or free speech.  There is no such thing as good government.  Ideas and morality aren't really a part of it.  And that's OK -- even good.  It strips the smeary veneer of morality from politics and let us see it as it really is.

Positive Experiences Between Researchers & Journalists

Paul Baker at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research sends along this article about a recent international survey that debunks -- or at least updates -- some of the conventional wisdom surrounding journalism and academic research:

"For the most part, scientists felt their work was portrayed accurately, explained well, and that news reports were generally complete and unbiased. Journalists...were perceived as responsible and informed in their reporting."

Possible reasons for changing attitudes towards journalism include awareness of the importance of public understanding of research, and access to funding that can come from public attention. 

"The Day My Butt Went Psycho!"

Thanks to the folks at On Our Minds for catching a Wall Street Journal piece on  efforts revamp books so that more boys will read (Boys and Reading).  On Our Minds is put out by the communications geniuses at Scholastic, whose Administrator magazine sponsors this blog.  Scholastic puts out lots of books that boys like to read, including "The Day My Butt Went Psycho!"

Downloading Textbooks Instead Of Songs & Movies

Started in higher ed, the textbook download business will almost inevitably trickle down to the giant K12 market, I'm guessing: 

First It Was Song Downloads. Now It’s Organic Chemistry (NYT).   

Don't Ever Let Them Make Your Read This Book Again

"Overall, a portfolio of the “good to great” companies [including big losers Fannie Mae and Circuit City] looks like it would have underperformed the S&P 500," writes the New York Times' Freakonomics blog (From Good to Great to Below Average).  "To the extent that [ongoing success] doesn’t actually turn out to be true, it calls into question the basic premise of these books, doesn’t it?