November 30, 2007
Traditional Math Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry (Barry Garelick)
Last year at a meeting of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (a Presidential appointed panel charged with drafting recommendations on how best to prepare students for algebra), a woman named Sherry Fraser read a statement into the public record which began as follows:
"How many of you remember your high school algebra? Close your eyes and imagine your algebra class. Do you see students sitting in rows, listening to a teacher at the front of the room, writing on the chalkboard and demonstrating how to solve problems? Do you remember how boring and mindless it was? Research has shown this type of instruction to be largely ineffective." (Fraser, 2006).
Such statement falls in the category of "Traditional math doesn't work" or "The old way of teaching math was a mass failure," heard early and often at school board meetings or other forums. I am always puzzled by these statements but Sherry's was particularly vexing given that 1) I was not bored in my algebra classes, and 2) Sherry, like me, ended up majoring in math. So I contacted Sherry and asked what the research was that showed such methods to be "largely ineffective". Sherry is co-director of a high school math text/curricula called IMP, developed in the early 90's through grants from the NSF, totaling $11.6 million, to San Francisco State University. She replied to me in an email that she is a "firm believer in people doing their own research" and added that I wouldn't have any trouble finding sources to confirm her statements. I have assumed she is just trying to be helpful by having me discover the answer myself, rather than just tell me the answer to my question. I have been a good student; here's what my research shows:
From the 1940's to the mid 1960's, at a time when math and other subjects were taught in the traditional manner, scores in all subjects on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills increased steadily. From 1965 to the mid-70's there was a dramatic decline, and then scores increased again until 1990 when they reached an all-time high. Scores stayed relatively stable in the 90's.
Conclusion No. 1: During the 40's through the mid 60's, something was working. And whatever was working, certainly wasn't failing.
Those who decry traditional math generally advocate its reform, and promote the concept of discovery learning. Students supposedly discover what they need to know by being given "real life" problems, frequently without being given the procedures or the mastery of skills necessary to solve them. The reform approach is at the heart of a series of math texts funded through grants from the Education and Human Resources Division of National Science Foundation and based on standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
Long before NCTM's release of its standards in 1989, math reformers of the 1920's through the 1950's had their say in how math should be taught. William A. Brownell, spoken well of by NCTM and various luminaries in today's reform movement, was one of the key reformers of the early twentieth century and promoted what he called meaningful learning; i.e., teaching mathematics as a process, rather than a series of end products of isolated facts and procedures to be committed to memory.
If the above sounds like what the reformers are talking about today, it is because - like the complaints about education in general through the years - the complaints levied against how mathematics is taught have been perennial. What is often not mentioned when these complaints are replayed is 1) that there have also been perennial solutions and 2) some of these solutions have actually been effective.
The traditional math from the 40's to mid-60's was certainly not perfect. Also, it cannot be denied that in spite of the effort made in the texts to provide meaning to the student, some teachers did not follow the texts and insisted on a Thorndike-like approach that relied on rote memorization and math problems isolated from word problems. But neither the reformers nor the mathematicians of those times asked the teachers to teach math that way. Bad teaching was incidental to and independent of the textbooks used and the philosophy put forth by that era's reformers.
Conclusion Number 2: Yesterday’s reformers sought the same goals as today’s reformers, except their textbooks actually contained explanations.
During the era of test score decline, many social issues emerged which may account for the downslide, such as increased drug use in the mid-60's, permissiveness, increase in divorces and single family homes, and changes in the demographics of schools. Also, starting in the mid-60's, many of the teachers of the older generation retired, making way for the newer cadre of reinvented John Deweys from the education schools.
The difference between traditional and present-day teaching is striking. The emphasis is now on big concepts. These come at the expense of learning and mastering the basics. Getting the right answer no longer matters. In theory, it is student-centered inquiry-based learning. In practice it has become teacher-centered omission of instruction. With the educational zeitgeist having been planted and taken root, the development of the NCTM standards in 1989 were an extension of a long progression. To top it all off, the reform approach to teaching math is being taught in education schools, thus providing future teachers with "work-arounds" to those few math textbooks that actually have merit.
Conclusion No. 3: While bad teaching was incidental to the traditional method in earlier days, it has now become an inherent part of how most math is taught today.
I hope my efforts provide something that Sherry Fraser can cite.
The above is taken from a 3-part article entitled "It Works for Me: An Exploration of Traditional Math," published here at EdNews.org.
Barry Garelick is an analyst for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. He is a national advisor to NYC HOLD, an education advocacy organization that addresses mathematics education in schools throughout the United States.
Posted by edspresso at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)November 30, 2007
Lawsuits May Decide Future Of Florida Charter Schools
Sun-Sentinel, Florida, November 30, 2007
Money to pay facility costs "rarely follows kids," said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, a national charter school advocacy group.
America's Best High Schools
US News & World Report Magazine, November 29, 2007
There are more than 18,000 public high schools in the United States. What if you could take a snapshot of each one and capture, at a particular moment, what kinds of students were enrolled there and the caliber of the education provided them?
Lawyers’ Squad To Weed Out Bad Teachers In N.Y.C
Education Week, Maryland, November 29, 2007
An aggressive drive meant to weed out incompetent tenured teachers in New York City is under attack from the local teachers’ union and some teacher-quality advocates, who describe it as a “witch hunt.”
Longer, Better School Days
Boston Globe, Massachusetts, November 30, 2007
FOR 9,000 students in 18 Massachusetts public schools, the secret to success is basic: more time.
'Charter' A New Course: All Eyes On Louisiana
Shreveport Times, Louisiana, November 30, 2007
Louisiana is a lovely place to be a tourist, but a lousy place to be a student.
The Friday Night Charter School Massacre
Nevada Appeal, Nevada, November 30, 2007
Reid will be presenting a proposal for "a moratorium on approving all future state-sponsored charter school applications" at the board meeting in Las Vegas tonight
School Choice Is The Cure For Over-Priced, Underperforming Public Schools
Human Events, DC, November 30, 2007
For too long, families in California and across the country have assumed that poor-quality schools are an inner-city problem plaguing low-income parents who cannot afford to move near supposedly superior suburban schools.
November 29, 2007
November 29, 2007
Fourth-Graders Fall Behind In Literacy
Test
Wall Street Journal, November 29, 2007
U.S. fourth-graders have lost ground in reading ability
compared with children around the world, according to results of a global reading test.
Dann Has Plans To Sue A Few More Charter Schools
Columbus Dispatch, Ohio, November
29, 2007
After taking on three charter schools he deems academic and financial failures, Attorney General Marc
Dann has trained his sights on two or three more schools he plans to sue in an attempt to shut them down.
D.C.
School Closings
Washington Post, D.C., November 29, 2007
What's being overlooked is that the
closings are a necessary part of a bold plan by the mayor and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee to overhaul the city's
scandalously poor public education system.
Beware Of
Teaching Methods That Focus On Test-Taking
Washington Post, D.C., November 29, 2007
I am left
wondering how many teachers are single-handedly (and with all good intent) refocusing their courses so that greater
emphasis is placed on test-taking techniques, rather than emphasizing the core course content.
L.A. Unified Warned That It Falls Short Of State Standards
Los Angeles Times, California,
November 29, 2007
The California Department of Education has alerted 99 school districts, including Los Angeles
Unified, that they are in danger of being abolished, taken over or stripped of administrators and schools under their
jurisdiction.
Treating Teachers Like Professionals
Key To Stopping State Dropout Crisis
The Chattanoogan, Tennessee, November 29, 2007
Good teachers,
not greater per-pupil spending or palatial hi-tech school buildings, make the biggest difference in educating children.
State Schools Head Visits Alameda's
Charter School
Inside Bay Area, California, November 29, 2007
State schools Superintendent Jack
O'Connell came to town Wednesday to salute the first charter school in Alameda County to be named a "California
Distinguished School."
Why School Choice Is Good For
Milwaukee
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, November 29, 2007
The Milwaukee Parental Choice
Program has been a lightning rod for all kinds of "fanatics" since its inception in 1990, and some of them say the program
does not serve the community well.
Schools
Relying More On Private Groups
The Times-Picayune, Louisiana, November 29, 2007
Throughout the city,
various organizations have stepped in to perform the functions no longer handled by a traditional central office.
November 28, 2007
November 28, 2007
Leave Education To Principals, Teachers, Parents
Miami Herald, Florida, November 28, 2007
I find myself increasingly convinced that much of what ails American schools can be traced to a bureaucracy that: a) doesn't pay enough; b) does too little to encourage and reward creativity; c) doesn't give principals authority over who works in their schools; d) makes it nearly impossible to fire bad teachers.
Rescue Kids Stuck In K-12
D.C. Examiner, November 28, 2007
Touted as a solution to poor school performance, the push for universal preschool nationwide is based on the questionable assumption that children will do better academically by spending even more time in an institutionalized school setting.
House Members Endorse NEA's Favorite Bills
Education Week, Maryland, November 27, 2007
At the beginning of November, the National Education Association sent a letter to members of Congress, telling them they would earn favorable grades for co-sponsoring bills the union supports.
Fenty, Rhee May Close 24 Schools, Reduce Staff
Washington Post, D.C., November 28, 2007
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee are considering closing 19 schools next summer and five others by summer 2010, according to a confidential document prepared by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education.
UFT's Drive For Charters Nears A Success
New York Sun, November 28, 2007
A campaign to bring charter schools into the union fold is poised to register its first victory: Teachers at a charter school in Queens have voted to make the United Federation of Teachers their exclusive bargaining agent.
Spitzer Orders Charters To Pay Union Wages
New York Sun, November 28, 2007
Without seeking legislative approval, the Spitzer administration has quietly ordered charter schools to start paying union wages on all construction, repair, and maintenance projects.
November 27, 2007
November 27, 2007
Parents Of Disabled Students Push For Separate Classes
Wall Street Journal, November 27, 2007
As policy makers push to include more special-education students into general classrooms, factions are increasingly divided.
Running From 'No Child'
Washington Post, D.C., November 27, 2007
Congressional inertia in reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act could well mean that the shape of federal education policy is left to the next president.
Education Not Significant '08 Issue, Analysts Say
Crosswalk.com, Virginia, November 27, 2007
Nonetheless, education has thus far not emerged as a major issue in the 2008 presidential campaign, and analysts are divided over whether it will.
Charter School Teachers Get Bonuses Not Allowed For Lake District Teachers
Orlando Sentinel, Florida, November 27, 2007
Charter-school teachers have been banking bonuses while also collecting other bonus checks under the criticized Merit Award Program, School Board members learned Monday.
New York Defends Much-Criticized School Grades
New York Times, November 27, 2007
Not long after Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced plans last year to give grades of A through F to schools, principals at some of New York City’s coveted specialized high schools grew concerned.
California’s Achievement Gap: Is Racism Really the Problem?
One Republic, California, November 26, 2007
Last week State Superintendent of Education Jack O’Connell hosted a weekend summit on the disparity in performance between minority and white/Asian students.
November 26, 2007
What Works - When the System Doesn't
Miami Herald columnist Leaonard Pitts, in his latest "What Works" essay, part of a series about programs that are tackling the challenges faced by black kids, profiles two KIPP schools that are making progress in North Carolina. It's the KIPP success story most of us know pretty well by now. So it was the reader comment, by a self-described cynical Dade County public school teacher, that particularly grabbed my attention:
Posted by edspresso at 04:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)The differences between this school and other schools aren't particularly profound- longer school day and year, reintroduction of electives, higher teacher pay, and the ability to fire bad teachers. I noticed that nothing about KIPP seems to address the particular needs of black students, but I expected that, and I think Mr. Pitts will always have a tough time finding a program that does so.
When I first started working for Dade County Public Schools, I went into it very cynical, and that attitude has worked for me quite well. Although I'm proudly a member of the union, it's unfortunate that our contract seems to ensure that teachers can be fired for everything except incompetence. Instead, we end up playing a game called "pass the trash". The fact that KIPP can easily fire teachers is good, although I would be a tad nervous working in that environment- at least at first.
I would also like to point out that although KIPP doesn't try to grab "the cream of the crop", each student at least has the advantage of having a parent who cares enough of his/her education to enroll them in KIPP. That will result in a better, more motivated student body.
- Adam W.
November 26, 2007
Reading For Test Scores, And For Life
New York Times, November 26, 2007
Re “Study Links Drop in Test Scores to a Decline in Time Spent Reading” (Arts pages, Nov. 19): The decline in reading test scores after elementary school is no surprise. In elementary school there are fewer demands on students and more parent involvement.
Head Start Renewal
Washington Post, D.C., November 26, 2007
AThere's not much that Congress and President Bush agree on these days. So the unanimity surrounding the reauthorization of Head Start says much about the worth of the preschool program.
Hold Charters Accountable
The Advocate, Lousiana, November 26, 2007
In the business world, it’s a given that many businesses will fail. For start-ups, it’s a given that most will fail.
'No Child' Law May Slight The Gifted, Experts Say
Washington Post, D.C., November 25, 2007
Some scholars are joining parent advocates in questioning whether the education law No Child Left Behind, with its goal of universal academic proficiency, has had the unintended consequence of diverting resources and attention from the gifted.
Virtua l School, Literal Learning
Casper Star Tribune, Wyoming, November 26, 2007
Jaden is a student of the Wyoming Virtual School, a home-school program based in Gillette.
School Funding Formula Threatens Abbott Aid
Jersey Journal, New Jersey, November 26, 2007
Quigley, D-Jersey City, made these and other observations at a forum about charter school funding Nov. 20 at a church in Downtown Jersey City.
SLPS Seeks More Parental Involvement
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, November 25, 2007
In what was billed as the first face-to-face opportunity for parents to pose hard questions to the chief executive officer of the state's largest school district, Rick Sullivan took his place before the men and women representing upwards of 30,000 children.
House Calls Part Of Schools' Prescription For Improvement
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio, November 25, 2007
Before school started this year, teachers at Citizens' Academy, a charter school near University Circle, rang doorbells at the homes of all their nearly 400 students.
WY Needs More School Choices
Planet Jackson Hole, Wyoming, November 24, 2007
Most Wyoming communities don’t offer much in the way of school choice. There are, however, some notable exceptions
Minori ty Teachers Underrepresented In Ohio Schools, Study Finds
D.C. Examiner, November 24, 2007
Minority teachers continue to be underrepresented in Ohio classrooms while the state's minority student population grows, a new study found.
Rejection Energizes Advocates
Business Gazette, Maryland, November 21, 2007
The Frederick County Board of Education’s rejection of an all-girls charter school has fired up advocates who said they would now double their efforts to increase the number of charter schools in the county.
What Works -- Schools Where Students Learn
Miami Herald, Florida, November 25, 2007
According to the state (NC), 83.9 percent of GCP students are performing at or above grade level in math, versus a state average of 66.4. In English, the numbers are 87 percent to 72. KIPP Pride posts similarly impressive stats.
Districts Join Charter School Bandwagon
San Jose Mercury News, California, November 25, 2007
The number of charter schools in Santa Clara County continues to soar: Twenty-seven charters, including seven that opened this fall, are up and running. And at least four other proposed charter schools are in the works.
Encourage Charter Schools
Post and Courier, South Carolina, November 25, 2007
Innovation and parental involvement are essential weapons in the long-term battle to improve public schools. Charter schools encourage both.
District Charts A New Course
San Diego Union-Tribune, California, November 24, 2007
Chula Vista has become a nationally ranked hub for one of the most radical public education reforms of the past 15 years: the charter school.
More Public Schools Offering Elective Religion Class
D.C. Examiner, November 24, 007
Questions about religion and faith are not unusual among young people. But this conversation was different because it was part of a religion class taught in a public school.
School Plan Comes Amid Fiscal Crisis
Los Angeles Times, California, November 23, 2007
A blue-ribbon panel is poised to propose a multibillion-dollar plan for overhauling education in California just as the state has become immersed in a fiscal crisis that could make its recommendations dead on arrival.
The Charter Schools Respond
Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, November 23, 2007
I was deeply troubled by the Nov. 16 Daily News editorial on the charter school community's response to proposed policy changes by the School District.
November 21, 2007
November 21, 2007
Obama Unveils $18 Billion Education Plan
Washington Post, D.C., November 20, 2007
Presidential contender Barack Obama on Tuesday called for a $18 billion education plan that he said would fix mistakes his chief Democratic rivals made when they approved President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" effort.
Base grading of teachers on teaching, not luck
Palm Beach Post, Florida, November 21, 2007
But as Palm Beach County Superintendent Art Johnson pointed out last week during a school board workshop, those assessments are based on what students know, not on what they've learned.
K12 Sets IPO Terms, to Raise $67 Million
Houston Chronicle, Texas, November 20, 2007
Technology-based education company K12 Inc. said Tuesday it plans an initial public offering of 6 million shares of common stock, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Charter schools impact funding
Daily Press, Virginia, November 21, 2007
Depending upon the demographics of the area, charter schools would selectively remove more academically oriented students and students with actively involved parents.
'Green' Charters Forge a Network
Education Week, November 20, 2007
A new organization launched last month, the Green Charter Schools Network, aims to help link up such environmentally focused schools and expand their numbers.
City School Overhaul Advances
Hartford Courant, Connecticut, November 21, 2007
Hartford's school board took a giant leap Tuesday into what will be the redesigning of most of the school system when it approved initial plans to ….
Martin County joins lawsuit against state over right to approve charter schools
TC Palm, Florida, November 21, 2007
As of Monday, 13 school districts have joined the Florida School Boards Association lawsuit, said Wayne Blanton, the association's executive director.
DPS approves business charter school
MNS Money, November 20, 2007
The Denver Public Schools board has given the go-ahead to the city's first charter high school with a business theme.
Charters get new ratings in review
The Times-Picayune , Louisiana, November 21, 2007
The Orleans Parish School Board voted to list four schools as "high priority" and two others as "priority" schools, wrapping up a contentious annual review of some of the charters the board oversees.
Happy Thanksgiving
 We celebrate with gratitude the freedoms that make this country great, and pray for a future in which all America families enjoy the freedom to choose the education that is best for their child. We'll be rejoining the Daily Grind next Monday. In the meantime, don't let the turkeys get you down! |
November 20, 2007
November 20, 2007
Clinton Raps Teacher Merit Pay
Associated Press, November 19, 2007
Performance-based merit pay for teachers is a bad idea, Hillary Rodham Clinton told Iowa teachers on Monday. School uniforms for kids, however, is worth looking at.
Charter-schools dispute looks destined for court
Orlando Sentinel, Florida, November 20, 2007
The Lake County School Board decided Monday to fight the State Board of Education in court about its decision to deny Lake's application to have the final say over charter schools.
City Bows to State on a School Improvement Plan
New York Times, November 20, 2007
After months of negotiation, the City Department of Education capitulated to state education officials on how to spend millions of dollars in new state aid by agreeing to shift more money to reduce class sizes and to spend more on low-performing schools.
California schools are failing all our kids
Los Angeles Times, California, November 20, 2007
Strikingly, the state's other "achievement gap" was barely mentioned at the summit; this is the gap between California and the rest of the nation.
Choice can reduce dropouts
Charlotte Observer, North Carolina, November 20, 2007
Moreover, is there any reason to believe that our current public education system is the only system equipped to adequately address the crisis?
To EACH! her own
Frederick News-Post, Maryland, November 20, 2007
By their very nature, charter schools are created to encourage diversity and choice within a school district. EACH! would fulfill that role in spades.
November 19, 2007
Fasten your seatbelt, Chancellor Rhee, it's going to be a bumpy night
As covered in today's Washington Post, Rhee's latest proposed shakeup of the District's woebegone school system (where unfortunately all the children are NOT above average, when it comes to academic achievement) has brought the back-seat drivers out in droves. Her proposal: turn over 27 of the district's poorest performing schools to non-profit charter school operators. Despite the Chicken Little protests, it's an idea that has merit and precedent. After all, for the 30 percent of the District's public school children already in charters, the benefits have already become evident: in recent test results, D.C. charter school students outperformed their conventional public school peers in both reading and math, with 48 percent of charter high school students rated at or above proficient in math compared to 27 percent of their conventional public school peers. And Rhee may want to expand her pool of management applicants to the for-profit realm as well, if a look north to Philadelphia is any indication.
Posted by edspresso at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)November 19, 2007
Seeking a 'Gold Standard' in D.C. Charter Education
Washington Post, D.C., November 19, 2007
They say they want to create a "gold standard designation," to publicly identify for the first time which charters are doing the most to raise teaching quality and academic achievement for low-income students.
Study Links Drop in Test Scores to a Decline in Time Spent Reading
New York Times, November 19, 2007
Among the findings is that although reading scores among elementary school students have been improving, scores are flat among middle school students and slightly declining among high school seniors.
Fight Over Charters Looms
St. Petersburg Times, Florida, November 19, 2007
For years, the School Board was the only game in town when it came to running public schools in Hernando County.
As Rhee Weighs Privatization, Doubts Abound
Washington Post, D.C., November 18, 2007
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, in considering turning over the management of 27 failing public schools to nonprofit charter education firms, is sending a clear signal that she intends to shake up the moribund bureaucracy that has failed generations of students.
Califor nia Schools' Hard Conversation
Los Angeles Times, California, November 19, 2007
Four thousand educators convened last week on a mission to bridge the achievement gap between African American and Latino students and their white peers.
Progress Dictates Renewing Sac High's Charter
Sacramento Bee, California, November 19, 2007
The Sacramento City Unified School Board faces an important decision: Whether to renew the charter school established at Sacramento High School.
A Building Boom At L.A.'S Private Schools
Los Angeles Times, California, November 19, 2007
Independent campuses are spending millions on upgrades, to keep up with changing educational needs and to help lure students and staff.
A Mother Fights for Autism Services
New York Times, November 18, 2007
Facing television cameras at a rally, they said local schools have not been providing the necessary intensive therapies and services to autistic students, and they threatened to sue the state.
School Raises The Bar -- And Enthusiasm -- For Learning
Charlotte Observer, North Carolina, November 18, 2007
The classrooms reinforce the lessons encouraging self-esteem and responsibility to community
Par ental Involvement Starts With Real School Choice
Providence Journal, Rhode Island, November 18, 2007
In the land of the free, brimming with choices among everything from toothpastes to doctors, it’s upsetting not to have a choice among schools for your children.
Cyber Charter Schools Vie With Districts For Funding
The Tribune-Democrat, Pennsylvania, November 18, 2007
With 11 charter cyber schools operating in the state and an enrollment estimated at close to 20,000, it’s evident this learning approach has become a viable alternative to brick-and-mortar schools.
November 16, 2007
School Choice Speaks My Language
This week the National Center for Policy Analysis took a look at the role school choice can play keeping Hispanic students in school through high school graduation, locking in a better outlook for adult productivity, including higher life-time wages and lower incarceration rates. They delineate and analyze various reasons for the current disproportionate rate of Hispanic dropouts, and look at the equally varied school choice solutions, from which have emerged schools that specifically target and / or excel at educating Hispanic students. Expanding school choice, through charter schools, through open enrollment, through private opportunity scholarships and publicly funded full school choice, will allow students to attend the school that best serves their needs, and will allow schools that serve students with particular needs to open and to flourish.
Posted by edspresso at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)November 16, 2007
Scores on Urban NAEP Inch Up
Education Week, November 16, 2007
Students in large urban districts made progress in reading and mathematics on a nationwide test, with their strongest gains coming in math and from low-performing youths, in keeping with recent trends.
- L.A. students improving in math, but not in reading (Los Angeles Times)
- Little Progress for City Schools on National Test (New York Times)
- Scores Improve, But City Still Lags (Washington Post)
- Public school scores stagnant on national test (Chicago Tribune)
Parents, Students and Teachers Offer a Wish List at Hearing
Washington Post, D.C., November 16, 2007
More than 75 students, teachers, parents, school employees and others shared these stories about the school system's physical and academic shortcomings last night as part of a hearing on the fiscal 2009 school budget.
It's an expensive mistake to create a parallel charter school approval process
Sun Sentinel Editorial, Florida, November 16, 2007
At a time when state education budgets are strapped for dollars, and school districts are facing further budget cuts from Tallahassee and increasing angst from local taxpayers, does it make sense to duplicate services?
3 unions organize into giant of labor
Denver Post, Colorado, November 16, 2007
Calling itself Colorado WINS, the group, announced Thursday, is made up of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the Colorado Association of Public Employees/Service Employees International Union; and the American Federation of Teachers.
Manhattan: Teachers Criticize Review Unit
New York Times, November 16, 2007
Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers, called for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and his schools chancellor to apologize to the city’s 80,000 teachers yesterday…
Grading the Schools
New York Times, November 16, 2007
For Progress Reports to have that impact and motivate change, the message must be clear.
Charter school moratorium urged
Worcester Telegram, Massachusetts, November 16, 2007
At a time when the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association is targeting Worcester and 29 other communities for more charter schools, the city’s School Committee voted last night to ask its state legislative delegation to put a moratorium on new charters and reduce the amount public school districts pay toward them.
300 teachers protest their workload at board meeting
D.C. Examiner, Washington D.C., November 16, 2007
These were some of the messages on signs held by about 300 teachers who protested heavy workloads and resulting stress at an Anne Arundel School Board (MD) meeting.
November 15, 2007
November 15, 2007
Ohio’s Charter Schools
New York Times, November 15, 2007
WWhile your Nov. 8 news article “Ohio Goes After Charter Schools That Are Failing” offers a balanced presentation of the issues and opinions driving the charter school controversy in that state, it unfortunately leaves a stigma attached to charters by saying the state is cracking down on the schools (as if they’re somehow a scourge) and overlooks the continuing and far more widespread failures of traditional public school systems across the state.by saying the state is cracking down on the schools (as if they’re somehow a scourge) and overlooks the continuing and far more widespread failures of traditional public school systems across the state.
No Parent Left Behind
The American Spectator, November 15, 20077
As the battle over reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act rages on, school reformers are spending as much time arguing against one another as they have combating the teachers' unions and suburban school districts vehemently opposing it.
D.C. Has Say in School Plan
Washington Post, D.C., November 15, 2007
State Superintendent of Education Deborah A. Gist told members of the D.C. State Board of Education yesterday that she has authority over Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's plans to turn around low-performing schools, which Rhee said could include a proposal to bring in charter operators to manage the schools.
Broward County To Sue State To Regain Charter Control
Sun-Sentinel, Florida, November 15, 2007
In a challenge to state education authorities, the Broward County School Board began an effort Wednesday to regain exclusive control over which charter schools can open in the district
A New Effort to Remove Bad Teachers
New York Times, November 15, 2007
The Bloomberg administration is beginning a drive to remove unsatisfactory teachers, hiring new teams of lawyers and consultants who will help principals build cases against tenured teachers who they believe are not up to the job.
Charter School Loophole Urged
News Observer, North Carolina, November 15, 2007
Rather than raise the cap and risk the ire of legislators and public school supporters, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Charter Schools proposed loopholes that could add more charter schools to the state without actually raising the limit.
Speaker Says Charter Schools Are Effective In Education Reform
Daily Northwestern, llinois, November 15, 2007
Ayers discussed the constant struggle by urban students to find schools that provide a meaningful education that is both affordable and accessible.
BoE Rejects Charter School
Fredrick News-Post, Maryland, November 15, 2007
Proponents of an all-girls public charter school plan to appeal a Frederick County Board of Education decision rejecting their efforts.
Amid Visits From Politicians, School Keeps Eye on Academics
Education Week, Maryland, November 14, 2007
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology was the first public school to open in the Lower Ninth Ward turned the school into a must-stop on the visiting dignitary circuit...
November 14, 2007
Carnival of Education #145
Welcome to Edspresso's first foray onto the Education Carnival Midway. With apologies to Alex Trebek (my mom's favorite TV celebrity, but that's a story for another time), and a nod to the good efforts of dedicated educators and reformers to keep kids out of academic jeopardy, The Answer Is:
Learning at Home calls for a moratorium on lectures On Academics and the S Word.
Question: Why does successful homeschooling strike fear into the hearts of the eduBLOB (when they're not trying to denigrate it)?
Friends of Dave asks, hopefully, Are We Finally Getting a Sense of Urgency?
Question: How many failed children does it take to change an education system?
EduWonk looks at Peer Reviewed, Or If Rick Kahlenberg Had A Nuclear Bomb...
Question: How many good teachers does it take to get rid of a bad teacher?
So You Want To Teach? offers 65 Things You Should Do Right Now To Avoid Burnout.
Question: How many 'mental health' days does it take to clear out a teachers' lounge?
Schools for Tomorrow blogs on the wisdom and banality of Jonathan Kozol.
Question: What's more important, rhetoric or results?
When up against Virtual Reality the system thinks Parents are the Problem.
Question: Why does successful virtual schooling strike fear into the hearts of the eduBLOB (when they're not trying to shift the blame)?
Instructify lays out Three Rules for Advocating School Technology.
Question: What are the system’s real goals?
In Practice it must be asked, Does Using Technology Add Value To The Classroom?
Question: What's the difference between teacher, technology, and tool?
Under Assault: Teaching in NYC takes aim at WMDs at the Board of Education.
Question: Why does successful charter schooling strike fear into the hearts of the eduBLOB (when they're not trying to co-opt it)?
EdNews.org declares It Works for Me: An Exploration of "Traditional Math" Part 1.
Question: When did the education of children become subordinate to the entertainment of children?
Consent Of The Governed takes on the notion of Universal Preschool - Institutionalizing 3,4 and 5 Year Olds.
Question: Will more money and more time in mean more educated students out?
Joanne Jacobs notes that fast Handwriting matters.
Question: Why doesn't legibility?
Eduwonkette takes issue with methodology in Is this a wake-up call for the people who work there? You betcha.
Question: Should teachers at 'F' schools just go back to sleep?
Principled Discovery looks at the motivation for and effect of Banning Huckleberry Finn.
Question: Just how expensive is ignorance?
NYC Educator cries from the balcony Tony-O, Tony-O, Wherefore Art Thou, Tony-O?
Question: Would a rogue by any other name smell as sweet?
Meanwhile, Intercepts wonders: Tony Soprano, Pat Tornillo or Napoleon Bonaparte?
Question: What do you call it when you pay an individual additional money to get the result you want?
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this week's Carnival of Education. If you are interested in raising the big tent in your backyard, please contact the Education Wonks at owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net. Next week's Carnival will be hosted by NYC Educator. Submit your favorite education blog entries via the submission form. Send in your submissions by 11:59PM EST on Tuesday, November 20th.
Posted by Edspresso at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)November 14, 2007
Charter Schools Thrive With Multiple Authorizers
Palm Beach Post, Florida, November 10, 2007
While reforms such as the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission take time to get off the ground, they have proven effective in the dozen states that have similar bodies Report outlines improvement plan for failing schools.
SReport Outlines Improvement Plan For Failing Schools
D.C. Examiner, November 14, 2007
The Turnaround Challenge,” part of a two-year reform project by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, comes down hard on nearly every prior attempt to fix under-performing schools, calling them “light-touch reform” rather than real turnaround.
Study Compares States’ Math And Science Scores With Other Countries’
New York Times, November 14, 2007
The bad news is that students in Singapore and several other Asian countries significantly outperform American students, even those in high-achieving states like Massachusetts, the study found.
Nonprofit Groups May Run Failing D.C. Schools
Washington Post, D.C., November 14, 2007
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is considering bringing in national nonprofit charter school operators to manage at least two dozen of the city's lowest-performing schools, one of the first indications of how she might proceed in reforming the 49,600-student school system.
Look What State's High School System Is Failing Now
TCPalm, Florida, November 14, 2007
Alas, the Sunshine State owns the dubious distinction of having the nation’s second highest percentage of “dropout factories” — right behind South Carolina.
Charter School Applicants Bypass Broward School Board For Approval
Sun-Sentinel, Florida, November 13, 2007
More than 20 charter schools wanted to open in Broward County next year, but about half of them have opted instead to try their luck with a new state agency.
School Plans Irk Charters
Philadelphia Daily News, Pennsylvania, November 14, 2007
Some of the folks who run Philadelphia's 61 charter schools are hopping mad. They're upset that pending policy changes could give the school district the power to increase scrutiny of charters.
Parents Hope South Dakota Will Allow Charter Schools
Rapid City Journal, South Dakota, November 13, 2007
Charter schools are a familiar approach to education in many parts of the country, but they are relatively unknown for South Dakotans. That could change when the 2008 Legislature convenes.
November 13, 2007
November 13, 2007
School Choice and Hispanic Dropouts
National Center for Policy, November 12, 2007
In 2005, more than one-fifth (22.4 percent) of Hispanics 16 through 24 years of age were dropouts, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Studies on Pupils Call Bad Behavior Not Dooming
New York Times, November 13, 2007
Educators and psychologists have long feared that children entering school with behavior problems were doomed to fall behind in the upper grades. But two new studies suggest that those fears are exaggerated.
‘Turnaround’ Work Needs Rethinking, New Report Says
Education Week, Maryland, November 12, 2007
State, district, and school leaders must link arms to create a different model for turning around the worst-performing schools, including a “protected space” free from many traditional rules, a new report contends.
A School System That Steals From Kids
Washington Post, D.C., November 13, 2007
The District's public school system is many things -- too many things. It is educator, babysitter, social worker, police officer, nurse, meals provider, jobs program and political plaything.
Teachers' Union, Green Dot To Form Charter High School
New York Daily News, November 13, 2007
The United Federation of Teachers and Green Dot, a noted charter-school operator in southern California, have teamed up to start the Green Dot New York Charter School.
Charter School Push
Berkshire Eagle, Massachusetts, November 13, 2007
The Massachusetts Charter Public School Association is beginning a campaign to encourage the setting up of more charter schools in the state, an effort that would be less threatening if the state Department of Education wasn't determined to stack the deck against traditional public schools.
Grade 'Em All
New York Post, November 13, 2007
To validate the importance and integrity of charters, the chancellor must move immediately to include these schools in his school-report-card initiative, which assigns A-to-F grades to all public schools.
Charter Schools A Key Part Of Urban Education
Albany Times-Union, New York, November 13, 2007
Public charter schools must, by law, target their services to the very children who are most poorly served by the traditional system.
State's Public Schools Don't Need More Money
Detroit News, Michigan, November 13, 2007
A recent McKinsey study of global education found that performance is not related to per pupil funding or class size, the two hot buttons of our education lobby. Rather, McKinsey found teacher quality and parental involvement to be key attributes of success.
Teacher Certification Is No Guarantee
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Wisconsin, November 12, 2007
So while the Milwaukee School Board considers whether teachers in charter schools should be certified in each academic subject they teach, an inconvenient truth remains: A teaching certificate is not a guarantee of teaching competence.
November 09, 2007
November 9, 2007
No Quick Fixes to 'Poverty Gap' Under NCLB
Education Week, November 8, 2007
To sort out the potential effects of the NCLB law's various provisions on this vulnerable population of students, a group of researchers last month unveiled a volume of studies on the topic.
Mayor Slay pushes system of charter schools
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, November 9, 2007
Mayor Francis Slay has laid the groundwork for a new system of hand-picked public charter schools, meant to rival the city's sinking school district and draw families back to the city.
Indianapolis Mayor's Surprise Loss Will Have Charter Implications
Education Week, November 8, 2007
Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson - a major supporter of charter schools and the only city chief in the country who can authorize them - will be handing over the reins of the city and its 16 charter schools to a Republican political neophyte after suffering a stunning election-night defeat this week.
California Dropouts Spike in First Year of Exit Exam
Education Week, November 8, 2007
The number of California high school dropouts spiked in 2006, the first year seniors were required to pass an exit exam to graduate, according to a report presented Wednesday to the state Board of Education.
Charter schools
Daily Press, Virginia, November 9, 2007
Virginia and many of its local school districts boast that they are, or aim to be, school systems of choice. If they're serious about that, then they need to get serious about offering choices - among them, charter schools.
November 08, 2007
November 8, 2007
A Voucher Defeat in Utah
Wall Street Journal, November 8, 2007
The voucher program is dead, but school choice doesn't have to be. Tax credits for donations to scholarship organizations can help support school choice for lower-income families, and personal-use credits can help middle-class families.
Political portents
USA Today, November 8, 2007
But they (vouchers) have never flourished as a national school reform because their logic contains a flaw. Vouchers don't create new, high quality schools.
Romney Wants Tax Help for Home Schooling
New York Times, November 8, 2007
Parents who home school their children should get a tax credit to help offset the expense of teaching, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday.
No easy fix to graduation rates
Mankato Free Press, Minnesota, November 8, 2007
There is nothing subtle about the two words used by Johns Hopkins University researchers to describe 12 percent of U.S. high schools as "dropout factories."
Ohio Goes After Charter Schools That Are Failing
New York Times, November 8, 2007
Ohio became a test tube for the nation's charter school movement during a decade of Republican rule here, when a wide-open authorization system and plenty of government seed money led to the schools' explosive proliferation.
Board votes to appeal state decision on charter schools
Sun-Sentinel, Florida, November 8, 2007
The Palm Beach County School Board will fight to regain its exclusive control over approving local charter schools.
Peterson projects in jeopardy?
Indianapolis Star, Indiana, November 8, 2007
Ballard has spoken little of what he would do with such schools, but those involved in running them are optimistic that the new mayor will adopt their cause.
With Gifted Education, Access Is Everything
Washington Post, D.C., November 8, 2007
I take exception to your claim that you haven't found much correlation between success in life and gifted education during childhood.
Governor can fix problem by ending teacher tenure
The Tennessean, Tennessee, November 8, 2007
The easiest way to improve teacher quality is to scrap the teacher tenure system and install performance-based pay so great teachers can earn more.
SRC set to vote on charter policy
Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, November 8, 2007
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission moved a step closer yesterday to adopting a policy that will allow the district to monitor the city's 61 charter schools more closely.
November 07, 2007
Edspresso Takes A Spin on the Carnival of Education
Edspresso will host the Carnival of Education on Wednesday, November 14th.
Send in your submissions by 3:00PM EST on Tuesday, November 13th.
Submit your favorite education blog entries to us at edspresso(at)dreform.com or fill out the quick form.
This week's carnival is over at Right Wing Nation.
Utah School Choice Referendum has Unions Dancing in their Pants
While this is certainly a blow for families in Utah for whom the status quo is not good enough, the cold hard truth is that this initiative’s fate had nothing to do with school choice and whether or not it is right, good or popular.
A good friend of ours deeply involved with the politics of education reform says, “If you have 30 minutes to sit down with each voter – like you would with a legislator – you can make a strong case for why these reforms are important. But with voters, it’s all about five-second sound bites. The ‘this destroys public schools’ argument, no matter how bogus, rings clearer in voters minds than anything reformers can come up with.”
Every year, parents all over the country have a choice of where to send their kids to school. Every year, millions of parents (and that number is growing) choose something other than the traditional public school to school to which their family is assigned.
The proof that Americans -- and parents specifically -- want choice is incontrovertible.
But Americans are skittish about making policy at the ballot box. While they support the right to make choices for themselves, they are reluctant to do that for others. They entrust that job to their elected representatives – the very legislators who established the Utah voucher program in the first place.
Unfortunately, the parents and families working together at a grassroots level to support this program were no match for the tens of millions of dollars that poured into Utah from teachers’ unions across the country. Voucher opponents took this fight to a national level, spending $144 for every teacher in Utah to stop the program. And because PAC contributions in the Utah teachers’ union is significantly down, much funding came from the National Education Association, headquarters in Washington, D.C.
In contrast, Parents for Choice in Education raised 84 percent of their campaign funding locally in Utah. Working hard at the grassroots level, this powerful group of parents held their own against an indestructible union with deep pockets.
This defeat is a lesson in American government and the power of campaign funding, not a statement on school choice. And the victims of this defeat are the children and families who saw this program as a way to escape the educational straightjacket of failing public schools.
November 7, 2007
BLOB destroys educational freedom for UT’s families, NJ newspaper tries to set the record straight on charter schools and more…
Educational Rewards
Wall Street Journal, November 7, 2007
For-profit management of public schools is still in its infancy, and many wonder whether it can have a positive effect on student learning.
Charter schools best for low-income students
D.C. Examiner, D.C., November 7, 2007
FOCUS, a group that oversees and supports D.C. charter schools, has a new analysis out asserting that charter schools outperform standard public schools, particularly when income levels of students’ households are considered.
School hostility needn't be
Star-Ledger, NJ, November 6, 2007
The suspicion is that charter schools lure away public school kids who are the better students and whose parents are the most involved.
Nancy S. Grasmick: Strengthening standards for all students
D.C. Examiner, D.C., November 7, 2007
Raising educational standards is never easy. On one side are those who believe no additional standards are necessary….
Education at forefront in N.C. debates (Governor)
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, November 7, 2007
On specific policy questions, a few differences emerged. The two Democrats said they do not support adding more charter schools in North Carolina, while the Republicans expressed varying degrees of support for the idea.
Vouchers go down in crushing defeat
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, November 7, 2007
Voters decisively rejected the will of the Utah Legislature and governor Tuesday, defeating what would have been the nation's most comprehensive education voucher program in a referendum blowout.
Green Dot, N.Y.C. Teachers’ Union Clear Hurdle for Starting Charter
Education Week, MD, November 6, 2007
A panel of New York education officials has approved a new charter high school for the South Bronx to be jointly operated by the Los Angeles-based Green Dot Public Schools and the United Federation of Teachers, which represents New York City’s 110,000 teachers and school staff members.
November 06, 2007
November 6, 2007
Election Day. Will special interest spending trump parents in Utah? School boards poised to attack Florida charter authorizer and more…
Spending Trumps Social Issues at Ballot Box This Time
New York Times, November 6, 2007
When it comes to the state and local ballot measures before voters across the country on Tuesday, it is mostly about the money.
Current State Policies that Reform Teacher Pay
americanprogress.org, D.C., November 5, 2007
School districts spend more on teachers’ salaries and benefits than any other expenditure, yet they frequently don’t spend these funds in a way that would improve the performance, quality, or distribution of the teacher workforce.
Church Decides To Convert 7 Schools
Washington Post, D.C., November 6, 2007
The Archdiocese of Washington announced yesterday that it planned to convert seven D.C. Catholic schools to charter schools, a decision that angers some parents, students and teachers who worried over the fate of their parochial schools.
In Praise Of Schools That Work
Hartford Courant, Connecticut, November 6, 2007
If you were looking for the best elementary school in West Hartford, you might start in the classrooms with the highest Connecticut Mastery Test scores.
Marietta schools seek charter status
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia, November 6, 2007
Marietta City Schools could become one of the first districts in Georgia to become a charter school system.
Boards may sue over charter school agency
Miami Herald, Florida, November 6, 2007
The Florida School Boards Association met in Tallahassee Monday and called upon several of its member school boards to sue the state. At issue is whether a new state agency should be able to open, close and oversee publicly funded charter schools.
Charter school advocates not allowed to talk to school board
Wyoming Tribune, November 6, 2007
People who want to start a charter school here were not allowed to talk to the school board about it Monday.
50 New York Schools Fail Under Rating System
New York Times, November 6, 2007
Under a blunt new A through F rating system that judges schools not just on performance but also on progress, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg designated 50 New York City public schools as failures yesterday, saying they were so dismal that their 29,000 students would be allowed to transfer elsewhere.
November 05, 2007
November 5, 2007
The Union Libel
Wall Street Journal, November 5, 2007
Utah's children may not excel in math or English, but their teachers are very good at instructing them in how to run a political campaign.
An Unlikely Partnership Left Behind
Washington Post, D.C., November 5, 2007
It felt familiar, as if the past five years had not happened -- the Republican president and the Democratic senator together again, plotting ways to reshape the nation's education system.
Rethinking How to Teach the New Teachers
New York Times, November 4, 2007
School enrollments are increasing year by year, but qualified teachers are leaving the classroom in droves. More than a million veteran teachers are nearing retirement, and more will follow.
Plenty of obstacles for teachers to merit pay
Bloomington Pantagraph, Illinois, November 4, 2007
Some educators bristle when they hear the term “performance pay.” The idea of linking teacher’s pay to student performance based on No Child Left Behind Act test scores troubles them:
No Exit
New York Times, November 4, 2007
The Connecticut State Board of Education is considering some form of exit exams as a graduation requirement from high school. The board is likely to make its recommendations to the Legislature by the end of the year.
Students Tell Officials How to Improve Education
Washington Post, D.C., November 4, 2007
Nearly 200 D.C. public school students sounded off yesterday to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee about such issues as school violence, crumbling facilities and unqualified teachers and brainstormed ideas for addressing those problems.
Unions Speak Against D.C. Schools Bill
Washington Post, D.C., November 3, 2007
Union leaders representing teachers, bus drivers, custodians, boiler plant workers, teachers' aides and other workers of the 14,000-employee D.C. public schools symbolically locked arms yesterday in a fight against legislation that would give Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee power to fire 545 central office employees.
Dropout factories
Toledo Blade, Ohio, November 3, 2007
There are about 1,700 high schools nationwide, including nearly 70 in Ohio and six of seven in Toledo, where no more than 60 percent of students who enter ninth grade make it through their senior year to graduate.
Jindal may push charter schools
The Advocate, Louisiana, November 5, 2007
Educators and others say they expect Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal to push for more charter schools and other measures that challenge the public-school establishment.
New York Schools Brace to Be Scored, A to F
New York Times, November 4, 2007
Throughout the city, principals are bracing for the release this week of report cards from the Education Department that will, for the first time, grade schools on a scale of A through F.
Education reforms needed now
Myrtle Beach Sun News, South Carolina, November 4, 2007
We have seen significant educational progress the past decade, though not nearly enough, which is why we need to have a greater sense of urgency.
Parents prove charter schools work
Wisconsin State Journal, November 4, 2007
So here we have Nuestro Mundo, a Spanish-immersion school in its fourth year. It 's so popular that parents who helped start the school are having trouble getting their children in.
November 02, 2007
November 2, 2007
Is NCLB really losing steam? MD Parents remain persistent in fight for single-sex charter, good teachers matter most, and more…
Kids Joining Parent-Teacher Conferences
Associated Press, November 2, 2007
Marguerite Izzo, who teaches fifth grade in Malverne, N.Y., said including students makes kids more accountable for their work and behavior, and ensures that things do not get lost in translation.
Prospects Fade for NCLB Bill in 2007
Education Week, November 1, 2007
But efforts to revise the law are mired in backroom negotiations in both the House and the Senate and show no signs of gaining the momentum necessary to ensure completion of the reauthorization in 2008
Teachers Matter Most in Top-Performing Systems
Education Week, November 1, 2007
The world's top-performing school systems and those coming up fast have a lesson to teach the others: Put high-quality teaching for every child at the heart of school improvement.
Public schools and the 'right of exit'
Carpetbagger Report, November 1, 2007
If people don't believe the public-bus system "works for them," should they get car vouchers?....
Ohio puts teacher misconduct data online
D.C. Examiner, November 2, 2007
A new state Web site listing 1,700 educators who were reprimanded for misconduct, including cases where teachers physically or sexually abused students, is intended to make classrooms safer, education officials said.
Vouchers and charters: Opportunities to escape failure
D.C. Examiner, November 2, 2007
The D.C. government was right to include large amounts of money for school vouchers and charter schools in its budget request to the federal government. ("Report: District to seek more than $100M in federal funds," Oct. 24) These are the education options of the future.
LAUSD stalls its 'transformation'
Los Angeles Times, California, November 2, 2007
That was last month. Now the superintendent acknowledges that he's hit obstacles -- notably, the teachers union -- and needs to rethink elements of the proposal. And so early optimism gives way to disappointment.
Charter school advocates continue, undeterred
The Gazette, Maryland, November 1, 2007
Angela Philips has a lot of homework to do before Nov. 7 - collecting letters of support, overseeing a building inspection and providing curriculum examples to the Frederick County Board of Education.
Study: Students at for-profit Philly schools show math gains
D.C. Examiner, November 1, 2007
Students at 30 city schools run by for-profit companies learned more math than would have been expected had the low-performing schools remained under district management, according to a study released Thursday.
November 01, 2007
November 1, 2007
School Choice Showdown continues in UT,