In a recent article for The Atlantic, Marc Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy, reflects on wages and education. Using examples like Japan, Finland, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Tucker claims that until the U.S. finds a way “to educate our future work force to the same standards…wages in the United Read more about Why Innovation Can’t Fix America’s Classrooms[…]
The final budget for the Department of Education was finalized late last month, which will take the agency through September 30, 2012. Overall, the Department’s funding was cut by about $153 million over last fiscal year (total funding $71.3 billion), but President Obama was able to fend off the complete annihilation of programs such as Read more about Education and the FY 2012 Budget[…]
The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) has taken action to “help restore the professional autonomy of teachers,” in exchange for agreeing to accountability measures. Earlier this month, MFT became the first teachers union in the country to open a charter school authorizer. “Conventional wisdom suggests that the interests of teachers unions and charter schools are Read more about Teacher Union Launches Charter School Authorizer in Minnesota[…]
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has proposed a new rule with regard to admission to teacher preparation programs: a minimum GPA. There are 32 teacher preparation programs in the state, and students would now need to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (a B average) to be eligible for admittance. According to estimates, this would make Read more about Iowa Governor Proposes Minimum GPA for Teacher Candidates[…]
The Center for American Progress has released two new reports that attempt to predict the outcomes of traditional defined-benefit pensions for teachers vs. cash-balance plans. Redefining Teacher Pensions: Strategically Defined Benefits for New Teachers and Fiscal Sustainability for All, by Raegan Miller, argues that since teachers are the single most important school-based resource affecting student Read more about Pension Reform May Attract Better Teachers[…]
In this week’s School of Thought blog, Andrew Rotherham discusses the disparities in public education across the country. If the goal of the Occupy movement is to improve social mobility, then there is “no better example of how the system is rigged against millions of Americans than the education our children receive…today zip codes remain Read more about Occupy…your school district?[…]
With the presidential election cycle entering its final year, many observers have been speculating on the role education will play in the outcome. As state budgets begin to contract further due to the drying up of federal stimulus funds, the way these cuts affect education spending could potentially swing voters in ways they would not Read more about Education and the 2012 Election[…]
The American Enterprise Institute released a paper earlier this week that seeks to prove public school teachers are overcompensated by “52% more than their skills would garner in the private sector.” Traditional estimates of teacher compensation generally compare teacher salaries to the salaries of workers with similar education and experience in the private sector, then Read more about Study: Public School Teachers are Overcompensated[…]
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released its report State of the States: Trends and Early Lessons on Teacher Evaluation and Effectiveness Policies late last month that offers a closer look at what is being done across the nation with regard to teacher assessments. While admitting that it is too early to assess which Read more about State of the States: Teacher Evaluation & Effectiveness Policies[…]
A recent report released by Public Impact proposes a strategy for getting an excellent teacher into every classroom, which would “close most of our stubborn achievement gaps in just five years.” An “excellent teacher” is described as one who produces well over today’s typical year of learning growth, and the authors emphasize that it is Read more about Seizing Opportunity at the Top[…]
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released his draft proposal for the reauthorization of ESEA on October 11. To date, the proposal has been met with mixed reactions across the country. Civil rights groups assert that the proposal to scrap Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a giant step backwards when it comes to accountability for poor and Read more about Harkin Releases Proposal for ESEA Reauthorization[…]
The Center for Education Reform (CER) recently launched their new, interactive website, which they hope will become the central hub for all things related to education reform. The CER, founded in 1993 to help bridge the gap between education policy and practice, says that it re-designed their site in order to “serve [the public’s] daily Read more about The Center for Education Reform Launches New Hub[…]
Last month, the Obama Administration released its plan for “recruiting, preparing, and retaining great teaching talent.” In his forward to the plan by Secretary Duncan writes: “Some of our existing teacher preparation programs are not up to the job. They operate partially blindfolded, without access to data that tells them how effective their graduates are Read more about Obama Administration Releases Plan for Teacher Education Reform and Improvement[…]
The Center on Education Policy (CEP) has launched a new website called NCLB Waiver Watch. This website tracks current developments related to the new waivers that would relieve states from some of the provisions of NCLB. Given the very public and fast-paced nature of the issue, CEP has created an interactive map that illustrates which Read more about NCLB Waiver Watch[…]
Last year the Newark, NJ school system accepted a $5 million grant from the federal government to turn around the failing Malcom X. Shabazz High School. As part of the deal, the district agreed to replace at least half of the school’s teachers, believing that principals could then hire better ones. What happened instead was Read more about Teacher Swap Quashed in New Jersey[…]
Reporter-turned-charter school teacher Marilyn Rhames blogged last week on an experience that changed her perception of education and the core values that should guide education reform. She began her student teaching in an elementary school on the West Side of Chicago, where conditions were such that “after six months, I fled.” From the administration’s selfish, Read more about It Happened to Them[…]