Seriously? Baltimore is putting aside nearly a $million to pay students to pass the Maryland state high school exit exams. This has got to be the worst example of how to engage students in their education, if that’s in fact the point, although it was easy enough to find students who support this idea. Of course they do- it’s $110 in their pocket if they pass- but I’ll bet if you probed further you’d get a good number who’d tell you that it’s not actually a smart use of funds. Better ways to engage students: make instruction more interesting and challenging, link the materials to their lives and experiences, help them understand why it matters. Not for $100 to pass a test, but the nearly 100 percent increase in earnings that college degrees will get them. Harder to do, yes, but that’s what it takes if you want kids to care about school. As for the exit exams? They’re gaining momentum in the states (about 1/2 have them now, or will by 2009) but it’s not funding gimmicks that will make them work for students.
Kevin Carey appeared on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" to talk about the education proposals put forth during Wednesday’s State of the Union speech, including endowments, student loans, college prices and No Child Left Behind. He also responded to telephone calls and electronic communications.
Andrew Rotherham is featured in CBS's "Where America Stands," a news special on the current state of the nation's schools.
College and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success
Teachers at Work: Improving Teacher Quality Through School Design 
01/28/10 | Education Sector is referenced and linked to in an article on AnnArbor.com.
01/28/10 | Andrew Rotherham is mentioned in a National Review Online column.
01/26/10 | Andrew Rotherham is quoted in an Education Week news article on President Obama's proposed education spending.
01/25/10 | Chad Aldeman's "College- and Career-Ready" is summarized in the Alliance for Excellence in Education's Straight A's newsletter.
01/21/10 | Chad Aldeman's "College- and Career-Ready" is reviewed by College Summit's blog.
01/22/10 | Ben Miller's Q&E post on student debt is linked to on the California Watch blog.