The fallout from last week’s news that Washington and Wisconsin can join 24 other states with flexibility from NCLB has centered on the New York Times’ front-page coverage and whether ESEA waivers represent A) sensible relief to states from an impossible task or B) an all-out retreat from school accountability, particularly for disadvantaged and underserved students.

State education offiContinue Reading »

UPDATED JULY 6

Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced five more waiver winning states – Arkansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Utah, and Virginia - bringing the total number of states operating their own school accountability systems in lieu of NCLB to twenty four.

With nearly half of states on the waiver train, it’s a good time to pause and take stock ofContinue Reading »

“Hurry, please. We have so much time and so little to see. Wait a minute! Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.”

No doubt, many state and local educators know exactly how Mr. Wonka felt. Motivated by NCLB’s impending 100% proficiency deadline, adoption of the Common Core, and federal initiatives like Race to the Top and ESEA waivers, states and school districts are embarking on a multi-proContinue Reading »

We’re not all winners anymore. Last week, Iowa became the first state to be turned down by the U.S. Department of Education for an ESEA waiver. While the news is a blow for Iowans – and policymakers like Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, who supported the request – it really isn’t a surprise or a bold political statement from the Obama administration (Iowa is a swing stateContinue Reading »

“Nearly a third of local schools rank high statewide: Scores based on standardized testing.”

The headlines say it all. Last week, California’s Department of Education released its annual public school rankings based on the 2011 Base Academic Performance Index (API) scores. For over a decade, California’s schools have been evaluated on the API’s 200-1,000 point scale, each strivinContinue Reading »

Full disclosure: I was one of the analysts who was not reading this week, but rather watching the Mad Men finale. In fact, I’ve been doing a lot more watching than reading lately, and Matthew Weiner is to blame. There have been so many high points this season: Weiner brought back Creepy Glen, Don Draper gave my hometown a shout-out (you’re right, Don, Richmond is nice!) and Pete Campbell got puContinue Reading »

Dear Kevin, Mike, Checker, and all you other edu-writers:

Voucherize is not a word.

A voucher, at least when one is referring to the use of public money to subsidize parental school choice, is a noun. While it may be popular with McKinsey, et al. to transform everyday, snooze-inducing nouns (like incentive) into a slick, shiny action verb… I expect more from you.

InsContinue Reading »

As Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney’s record on education mirrored that of President Bush, including rigorous standards, assessments, and charter schooling. He even supported No Child Left Behind. But as Andy Rotherham noted in TIME nearly a month ago, “As the presumptive nominee of a party that is increasingly allergic to a robust federal role in most areas of domestic policy, Romney talContinue Reading »

Confession: I’m a sucker for a good infographic. And today, the Strategic Data Project at Harvard (part of the Center for Education Policy Research) released three(!). As Caralee Adams reported in College Bound, the project has developed a set of performance indicators for school districts and high schools – indicators that provide insight into how well they do in preparing and sending their grContinue Reading »

In the Huffington Post yesterday, Fordham’s Mike Petrilli throws his support behind adding a UK-esque school inspectorate system into school accountability – a topic Craig Jerald explored in Education Sector’s On Her Majesty’s School Inspection Service and in subsequent chatter on this blog. Petrilli writes:

To the extent that school grades (and consequences linked to them) drive policy Continue Reading »