Obama Administration Releases Plan for Teacher Education Reform and Improvement

Posted on October 3, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

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[…]

Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Proposed FY 2012 Education Budget

Posted on September 30, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Last Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved by a 16-14 vote a bill that keeps education stagnant in the next fiscal year. Unsurprisingly, the 16-14 vote fell along party lines, with Democrats being in favor and Republicans opposed. The bill aims to reverse some of the cuts made to K-12 education in the current fiscal Read more about Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Proposed FY 2012 Education Budget[…]

The Privatization of Teaching?

Posted on September 22, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Recently, Michigan State Senator Phil Pavlov, chair of the state Senate’s education committee, announced that he was preparing legislation that would allow school districts to effectively outsource the teacher hiring process. Under the proposed law, districts could enter into contracts with private, for-profit “instructional services” companies to fill classrooms. Teachers would still need to meet Read more about The Privatization of Teaching?[…]

Bring Teachers’ Pay into this Century

Posted on September 12, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

On August 31, Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado wrote an op-ed piece for the Boston Globe, demanding a re-evaluation of teacher compensation in this country. Senator Bennet served as superintendent of Denver Public Schools from 2005 to 2009, and was named by Time as one of the leading educational activists for 2011. A portion of Read more about Bring Teachers’ Pay into this Century[…]

“Insurgents” Take on Teachers’ Union

Posted on August 16, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Last week, Time’s Andrew Rotherham addressed a growing movement led by young teachers: taking action against traditional teachers’ unions. “These renegade groups…are trying to accomplish what a generation of education reformers, activists and think tanks have not: forcing the unions to genuinely mend their ways.” Rotherham nicknames the three most-talked about “insurgent groups” as “The Read more about “Insurgents” Take on Teachers’ Union[…]

Take-aways from the Save Our Schools March

Posted on August 4, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

The Save our Schools March and National Call to Action wrapped up in Washington, DC this weekend. The event consisted of a two-day conference and followed by a march and rally in the nation’s capital. The event, hosted by a grassroots teacher advocacy group called Save Our Schools, was staged in protest to many of Read more about Take-aways from the Save Our Schools March[…]

A Better Prescription for Fixing Federal Higher Education Research

Posted on August 1, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

In a Higher Ed Watch article last week, Jon Oberg discussed the recent recommendations from the American Educational Research Association on how to fix the problems with the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA). ESRA, originally signed into law in 2002, is three years overdue for reauthorization, and much of this has to do with infighting Read more about A Better Prescription for Fixing Federal Higher Education Research[…]

NEA Shifts Position on Teacher Evaluations

Posted on July 20, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Recently the nation’s largest teachers’ union, the National Education Association, changed their position on including student performance in teacher evaluations. In passing the new policy, the union hopes to take a leadership role in the national movement towards revamped teacher evaluation methods. However, the union also made it clear that it continues to oppose the Read more about NEA Shifts Position on Teacher Evaluations[…]

Education Wars: Who is the Most Influential Educator?

Posted on July 18, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Several weeks ago renowned education journalist John Merrow began speculating on who might be the most influential educator in America. Of his four “nominees,” (Wendy Kopp, Big Bird, Arne Duncan and Joel Klein), Merrow settled on Joel Klein, former New York City School chancellor, for his “remarkable network of eleven protégés now influencing what happens Read more about Education Wars: Who is the Most Influential Educator?[…]

Arne Duncan speaks on DREAM Act, Atlanta scandal on Tell Me More

Posted on July 8, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan sat down with Michel Martin, host of NPR’s Tell Me More on July 7 to talk about current issues in education. Duncan addressed several issues, how the current economic conditions are unduly affecting education, the cheating scandal in Atlanta Public Schools, No Child Left Behind, the DREAM Act, and the Read more about Arne Duncan speaks on DREAM Act, Atlanta scandal on Tell Me More[…]

2011 Education Appropriations Guide

Posted on June 28, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

he New America Foundation’s Federal Education Budget Project (FEBP) released an issue brief on recently finalized fiscal year 2011 federal education appropriations. The paper, 2011 Education Appropriations Guide, by FEBP Director Jason Delisle and Senior Policy Analyst Jennifer Cohen, provides a summary and analysis of the $68.3 billion education budget for fiscal year 2011, using Read more about 2011 Education Appropriations Guide[…]

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels on recently passed reform legislation

Posted on June 27, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Last month at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Governor Mitch Daniels touted his successes in Indiana education reform, stressing that bills passed in the just-concluded legislative session “end discrimination against charters” and put the state’s education system on the road to recovery after “a regime that attempted to choke the charter school.” Still, Read more about Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels on recently passed reform legislation[…]

Joel Klein on the Political Forces Preventing Reform

Posted on June 23, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

In a lengthy article in The Atlantic Monthly, former NYC Chancellor Joel Klein writes that New York’s system has seen dramatic reforms over the past nine years, but “is still not remotely where it needs to be.” Klein points to several inhibitors — unions, politicians, bureaucrats, and vendors — and characterizes them as well-organized and Read more about Joel Klein on the Political Forces Preventing Reform[…]

Carrots, Sticks, and the Bully Pulpit: Sobering Lessons from a Half Century of Federal Efforts to Improve America’s Schools

Posted on June 22, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

Last month, the American Enterprise Institute held a day-long conference on the Federal Role in education. Video highlights, panel discussions and links to white papers are available at http://www.aei.org/event/100357#doc. My favorite video clip is of Michael Petrelli discussing how the federal government can “do what it’s good at.” Instead of asking, What can the federal Read more about Carrots, Sticks, and the Bully Pulpit: Sobering Lessons from a Half Century of Federal Efforts to Improve America’s Schools[…]

Regulatory Flexibility on NCLB

Posted on June 14, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

The Obama Administration plans to provide regulatory flexibility around No Child Left Behind (NCLB) if Congress does not complete work on a reauthorization bill prior to the August recess, in order to help support reform efforts underway at the state and local level. Education Secretary Arne Duncan praised Congress for working on both sides of Read more about Regulatory Flexibility on NCLB[…]

Growth Models and Accountability: A Recipe for Remaking ESEA?

Posted on June 9, 2011April 26, 2012 by coreeducation

As the reauthorization of ESEA draws nearer, Education Sector’s Policy Director Kevin Carey and Robert Manwaring, a fiscal and policy consultant, argue in a newly released report, Growth Models and Accountability: A Recipe for Remaking ESEA, that Congress should combine a measure of student growth with achievement into a single accountability measure in the design Read more about Growth Models and Accountability: A Recipe for Remaking ESEA?[…]