Joe Williams' Blog
Rhee On A Roll
Washington D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee is off and running, trying to achieve what she is calling a "wholesale culture shift" for the entire system. It seems she has found some employees within the bowels of the bureaucracy who aren't exactly sure what they are supposed to be doing all day.
"We have to have every single person who's working in the District understand exactly what they're going to be held accountable for -- and not only what they're going to be held accountable for, but also how that links to student achievement."
Oh boy. School district employees with a connection to student achievement? In most districts (at most times) that kind of talk would be considered a non-starter.
But something strange (and special) is happening in the district. Washington City Paper notes what the local teachers union thinks of all of this here. And yes, it is counter-intuitive enough to be newsworthy.
Posted by Joe Williams on July 26, 2007 10:50 AM
July 25, 2007
The Status Quo Aint Working: Why Can't We Talk More Like Mike?
Before you jump all over me for widely quoting a Republican an Independent who may be running for president, remember that NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg is really a Democrat and everyone reading this post knows it!
After the jump, I'll paste the written version of Bloomberg's bigtime education speech at the Urban League Annual Conference today in St. Louis. (Sounds to me like a guy running for president... look out Democrats, we could end up losing on education again.) If you compare what Bloomberg has to say about the urgency for real reform of America's schools to what we saw a few weeks ago during Pander-Palooza, it sort of makes you feel depressed. Why aren't we allowed to talk about these issues as Democrats?
Shouldn't it be possible for people like Obama and Hillary, et al, to be able to talk about the severity of our education problem while offering some hard-hitting, common sense solutions - without having to switch to being an Independent?
Here it is:
Continue reading "The Status Quo Aint Working: Why Can't We Talk More Like Mike?"....
Posted by Joe Williams on July 25, 2007 4:25 PM
July 24, 2007
Welcome, Antonucci Fans!
Yesterday on his Intercepts blog, Mike Antonucci asked: "Who's Battling the Educational Establishment?"
His conclusion: "More and more, it looks like Democrats."
Posted by Joe Williams on July 24, 2007 11:05 AM
NY Times Looks At Green Dot 'Maverick' Steve Barr
The Newspaper of Record's Sam Dillon spent some time with Steve Barr, who happens to be a member of the National Advisory Board for Democrats for Education Reform. In keeping with the newspaper's high standards, the phrase "pig fucker" does not appear anywhere in the piece. The set-up graphs:
In just seven years, Mr. Barr’s Green Dot Public Schools organization has founded 10 charter high schools and has won approval to open 10 more. Now, in his most aggressive challenge to the public school system, he is fighting to seize control of Locke Senior High, a gang-ridden school in Watts known as one of the city’s worst. A 15-year-old girl was killed by gunfire there in 2005.
Continue reading "NY Times Looks At Green Dot 'Maverick' Steve Barr"....
Posted by Joe Williams on July 24, 2007 10:05 AM
Public, Then Private
A friendly blog competitor emailed to let me know that there was more to the story than I included in this post about where the presidential candidates decided to send their own kids to school.
While Hillary Clinton did indeed send her daughter Chelsea to the elite Sidwell Friends private school in Washington, Hillary went the public school route when she was back causing (good) trouble in Arkansas, according to Wikipedia:
In Arkansas, Chelsea attended Forest Park Elementary School, Booker Arts Magnet Elementary School and Horace Mann Junior High School. While at Booker, she skipped the third grade due to her reportedly high reading level. Later, she attended the Sidwell Friends School. She has made few public comments on her upbringing but has said that her parents were "firm but fair".
I'll update that post. Thanks for sending along. Also, another blogger who provided wall-to-wall coverage of the recent NEA Representative Assembly noted that in his speech, Mike Huckabee claimed to be the only candidate to send his kids to public schools all the way through.
NOTE: For the record, I can't seem to find any school - public or private - which will claim to having educated Courtney Love.
UPDATE: Ben Smith looks at the reason(s) Hillary has given for their school choice.
Posted by Joe Williams on July 24, 2007 9:36 AM
Obesity and College Entry Rates For Girls
It turns out that obese adolescent girls are half as likely to go to college as non-obese girls, according to a new study out of the University of Texas at Austin. (Via the Chronicle of Higher Education.)
The study, which tracked 11,000 teenagers, is another reminder at how complicated the intersection of poverty, hopelessness, and education can become. But no one should be fooled into thinking that getting these girls to simply shed a few pounds is going to suddenly make them Harvard-bound. This problem is so much deeper than that.
Posted by Joe Williams on July 24, 2007 9:15 AM
July 23, 2007
What Does Governor (Emeritus) Jim Hunt Want From The Dem Prez Candidates?
He doesn't seem to be asking a lot, to be honest.
Continue reading "What Does Governor (Emeritus) Jim Hunt Want From The Dem Prez Candidates?"....
Posted by Joe Williams on July 23, 2007 10:12 AM
