Press
March 21, 2010
Charter pros, foes sharpen knives
(From Crain's NY, March 21, 2010)
By DANIEL MASSEY
Amid a sea of moms and dads wearing T-shirts declaring themselves "Proud charter parents" and kids waving handmade signs that read, "I am College Bound," Daniel Clark grabbed a microphone at P.S. 92 in Harlem earlier this month and told the more than 150 people gathered for a Department of Education hearing that his son Daniel Jr. and four friends now proudly call themselves the "Geek Five."
Mr. Clark says his son was a "super slacker" before he arrived at the Democracy Prep charter school two and half years ago. But the eighth grader "now goes around telling everyone he's going to be mayor--and he believes it."
The Harlem father wants every neighborhood student to have a chance to attend a rigorous school like Democracy Prep. Seats are limited, however, and charters have become a source of political controversy--especially in central Harlem, where they now account for nearly 20% of all public schools.
Continue reading "Charter pros, foes sharpen knives"....
March 17, 2010
Education Reform: Obama's Bipartisan Issue?
(From Time Magazine, March 17, 2010)
By ALEX ALTMAN
When the bare-knuckled brawl over health care reform finally wraps up and the Obama Administration pivots to less divisive topics, education reform may be one of the few issues capable of drawing bipartisan support. The Administration's proposed overhaul of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act could resonate with Republicans, many of whom have been disappointed with the results of George W. Bush's signature education initiative. President Obama's blueprint, which was sent to Congress on Monday, sets forth an ambitious national standard -- to have all students graduate high school ready for college or a career by 2020 -- but leaves the specifics on how to achieve this goal up to state and local authorities. "Yes, we set a high bar," Obama said in his weekly radio address. "But we also provide educators the flexibility to reach it."
With more than 1 million high school students dropping out every year and the U.S. lagging behind many of its competitors on achievement benchmarks, no one can argue with the need to better prepare students for college and beyond. NCLB, which earned broad bipartisan majorities when the legislation passed in 2002, has drawn praise for shining a light on achievement gaps by forcing the nation's 99,000 public schools to disaggregate student data. But the legislation's emphasis on accountability and standardized testing has had some unintended results. By requiring schools to demonstrate adequate yearly progress -- toward a goal of 100% proficiency in reading and math by 2014 -- Bush's landmark bill has led many districts to narrow their curricula and some states to lower their standards in order to meet annual targets.
Continue reading "Education Reform: Obama's Bipartisan Issue?"....
March 6, 2010
No State Left Behind?
(From The Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2010)
We weren't the only ones scratching our heads Thursday after the Obama Administration released a list of state "finalists" for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top education grants. Some of the Administration's biggest boosters also seemed perplexed.
Joe Williams of Democrats for Education Reform said that New York's appearance on the list of 16 finalists was "baffling." Andrew Rotherham, who writes the left-leaning Eduwonk blog, noted that Ohio's presence on the list "is not a great sign." New York has a law in place that prevents student test scores from influencing teacher tenure decisions. Ohio allows teachers unions to decide when student data can be used to evaluate instructors. Both states cap the number of charter schools that are allowed to operate.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan has repeatedly indicated that such policies would hurt a state's chances of receiving a grant, not make it a finalist. And he's gone out of his way to praise states that have removed barriers to school choice and using student records to identify good teachers. There were 41 applicants in total, and no one was surprised that reformist states like Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Louisiana made the cut. But so did Kentucky, which doesn't even have a charter law.
The Education Department says that state applications were graded using a complex point system and without direct input from the Secretary, though Mr. Duncan ultimately will decide next month which states receive a grant. No doubt it's just coincidence that 10 of the 16 finalists, including politically important Ohio, have a Democratic governor. The eleventh, Washington, D.C., is also run by a Democrat.
Continue reading "No State Left Behind?"....
March 5, 2010
Race to the Top: The states react
(From Stateline.org, March 5, 2010)
Cheers, jeers and finger-pointing followed the federal government's announcement Thursday (March 4) of the 15 states named as finalists in a $4.35 billion grant competition to revamp the nation's schools. But what can't be debated is that the Race to the Top program has attracted most states' interest.
"The fact that you had thousands of education advocates and officials all over the country at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time this morning (March 4) looking on the Internet to see which states were finalists shows they've created a sense of enthusiasm for reform with this," Joe Williams, head of Democrats for Education Reform, told The Washington Post. "It's hard to remember a time when states were comparing themselves to each other."
The District of Columbia and 15 states made the cut: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Forty states applied.
The finalists each are eligible for a slice of the $4.35 billion, which was authorized as part of the federal stimulus package and will go to states that enact reforms that the Obama administration supports, including expanding charter schools, holding teachers more accountable and making greater use of data to chart progress. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has broad leverage to choose the states that he deems best. The winners will be announced in April, and Duncan said Thursday that fewer than 10 are likely to win, with funding of up to $700 million per state, depending on its size.
Continue reading "Race to the Top: The states react"....
Education Finalists Picked
D.C. and 15 States Vie for U.S. Funds to Shake Up Ailing Schools; a Few Raise Eyebrows
(From The Wall Street Journal, March 5, 2010)
By NEIL KING JR. and BARBARA MARTINEZ
The Obama administration picked 15 states and the District of Columbia as finalists in a heated competition for extra federal education funds to shake up underperforming schools.
The states that made the cut in the $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition were Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Under the program, states stand to garner hundreds of millions of dollars each, depending on their size, at a time when many local education budgets face deep funding shortfalls.
The sheer number of finalists surprised outside observers, who had predicted the administration would impose more stringent standards. The list included a number of states whose applications were considered weak.
A total of 40 states and the District of Columbia submitted applications in January for the first round of funding, with a second round set for summer.
The administration defended the selection of the 16 finalists, saying that all states whose applications cleared a pre-set score automatically advanced to the next round.
Continue reading "Education Finalists Picked"....
March 4, 2010
At The Top?
(From The Gotham Gazette, March 4, 2010)
By GAIL ROBINSON
To the surprise of many, New York State is one of 15 states (and the District of Columbia) that made the cut in the competition for federal Race to the Top education funds. New York now gets to compete for a share of $4 billion pie -- and could get as much as $700 million by some estimates.
The state, though, shouldn't start spending the money yet. Education secretary Arne Duncan still must select the winners.
Charter school proponents had despaired of their chances after the state legislature refused to raise the cap on the number of privately run, publicly financed charter schools in the state, given the Obama administration's enthusiasm for charters. At the time, Mayor Michael Bloomberg likened the legislature's action (or more properly, inaction) to "playing " Russian roulette with our children's futures." And Joe Williams of the pro-charter Democrats for Education Reform called it "the governing equivalent of puking up a bunch of Jagermeister on the sidewalks of Albany."
Continue reading "At The Top?"....
Race to the Top: Which states made the list of finalists?
(From The Christian Science Monitor, March 4, 2010)
By STACY TEICHER KHADAROO
States competing for billions of dollars in education stimulus funding found out today whether they're still in the running for the "Race to the Top."
Out of 41 applications, 15 states and the District of Columbia have made the cut so far. They've been invited to Washington to make the case that they will be the best trailblazers for innovation and reform in K-12 public schools.
The competition has been a catalyst "to dramatically reshape America's educational system ... prompting states to think deeply about how to improve the way we prepare our students for success in a competitive 21st century economy," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in announcing the first round of finalists.
The finalists are: Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
