From Friday’s inbox…
Worth A Read
- Do you REALLY think online charter schools are the answer?
- No Excuses — Holding Mich. Accountable
- Public Strong on Local Control of Schools, Study Finds
- Examining Principal Turnover
- Can Effective Teaching Transfer Across Schools?
- John Thompson: Bill Gates Speech Merits a Serious Response
- Education’s pendulum: Thinkers or test takers?
- Star Watch: Cyberschools multiply but scores fall short
- Researcher: Urban students are performing better than people are told, must focus on what is working (commentary)
Do you REALLY think online charter schools are the answer?Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT Teacher Ken Bernstein (@Teacherken) takes a closer look at a recently released policy brief by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC). Understanding and Improving Full-Time Virtual Schools: A Study of Student Characteristics, School Finance, and School Performance in Schools Operated by K12 Inc, was written by Gary Miron - Evaluation, Planning & Policy Analysis; and Jessica L. Urschel - a doctoral student at Western Michigan University. BONUS: Read Diane Ravitch’s blog on the policy brief here.
No Excuses — Holding Mich. AccountablePosted: 16 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT Kevin Welner responds to a question posed by Fawn Johnson on the National Journal Education Experts Blog. Is Reading a Civil Right? The ACLU filed suit last week against Michigan’s Highland Park School District and the state for failing to teach kids in the Detroit-area district to read.
Public Strong on Local Control of Schools, Study FindsPosted: 16 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT Michele Molnar writes about a recent study from Michigan State University which found that Americans support local control of their schools.
Examining Principal TurnoverPosted: 15 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT Guest author Ed Fuller, an Associate Professor in the Education Leadership Department at Penn State University, discusses principal turnover. “In recent years, those seeking to improve schooling through efforts to increase teacher effectiveness and build teacher capacity have quickly realized that such efforts rely heavily on principal capacity and stability.”
Can Effective Teaching Transfer Across Schools?Posted: 15 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT Stephen Sawchuk investigates a working paper by Zeyu Xu, Umut Ozek, and Matthew Corritore on the Portability of Teacher Effectiveness Across Schools, Working Paper 77.
John Thompson: Bill Gates Speech Merits a Serious ResponsePosted: 15 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT John Thompson writes about Bill Gates’ recent address to the Education Commission of the States in Atlanta. You can read more and watch the speech here.
Education’s pendulum: Thinkers or test takers?Posted: 14 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT This Los Angeles Times editorial discusses training our students to become better test takers at the cost of skills American students have long excelled, creativity and critical thinking. China is seeking to emulate America’s schools - as Japan did during the 1990s.
Star Watch: Cyberschools multiply but scores fall shortPosted: 14 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT Kate Jacobson investigates the explosion of online education. Is it a good thing? There’s little accountability in state’s (Indiana, and others) fast-growing system. Indiana has no accountability rules specific to online schools.
Researcher: Urban students are performing better than people are told, must focus on what is working (commentary)Posted: 14 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT Dave Murray writes about Richard Rothstein’s May commencement speech to the School of Education of Loyola University-Chicago, where he “urged students to have the confidence to resist the now-conventional attack on public education and their teachers.” His speech was shared on our Facebook Page in May.
