Ed asks, “Which will have the bigger impact in education reform: RTT or i3?” (Ed is Watching)
Do charter schools purge undesirable students, as some teachers unions and traditional public school advocates claim? (The DC Education Blog)
I Before E: Can undergraduate, first-year writing courses be taught effectively online? (Inside Higher Ed)
Will the Florida Legislature be able [...]
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QUICK Hits
On Being Wrong
In response to my critique of Diane Ravitch, Andrew Sullivan says:
The last thing we need in this culture, I believe, is a resistance to saying ‘I was wrong.” Or a denigration of those who do so.
That’s in response to this remark:
The problem with “I was wrong about everything” as the prelude to an argument is [...]
Opportunity Squandered
Yesterday morning, AEI released a new report on Hispanic college graduation rates co-authored by Andrew Kelly, Mark Schneider, and myself. It shows how many colleges are falling short in helping Hispanic students earn degrees. And not just because of poor high school preparation and economic factors–our analysis found that colleges with similar levels of admissions [...]
QUICK Hits
Only 1 out of every 2 Hispanic students graduates in six years. How can that ratio be upped? (Rick Hess Straight Up)
Has reading been “bastardized?” (Core Knowledge)
What has four decades of the federal government’s involvement in education accomplished? George Will stubbornly, predictably asks the hard questions. (The Washington Post)
The brouhaha over Diane Ravitch’s one-eighty [...]
Good Education Ideas in the New National Broadband Plan
It’s tragic that our country — home of Silicon Valley and countless technology innovations — lags in broadband penetration and speed. The new National Broadband Plan, released today, tries to offer solutions. Importantly, the plan focuses not just on technology, but the actual uses of that technology. It includes an entire section for education-related recommendations, [...]
QUICK Hits
With Selection Sunday coming up, what’s the over-under on the RTT Sweet Sixteen? (Education Week)
How many schools in your state didn’t make AYP? (Center on Education Policy)
And what does “making AYP” mean anyway? (Education Sector)
Wanna save $50K? Just graduate a year early. (Bridge-Span)
Is the voluntary common standards movement doomed to fail again? Or [...]
Celebrating America’s Confederate Heroes
The New York Times reports that the Texas school board’s proposed changes to the state’s social studies textbook standards include the following:
References to Ralph Nader and Ross Perot are proposed to be removed, while Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate general, is to be listed as a role model for effective leadership, and the ideas in Jefferson Davis’s inaugural [...]
Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed 
College and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success
03/19/10 | Ben Miller is quoted on college graduation rates and the NCAA Tournament in the Detroit Free Press.
03/19/10 | Linda Perlstein links to Education Sector's "College- and Career-Ready" event.
03/17/10 | Ben Miller's column on graduation rates and NCAA Tournament eligibility is mentioned on The Wall Street Journal's The Daily Fix.
03/17/10 | Kevin Carey's critique of Diane Ravitch's latest book is quoted in Doublethink's Conventional Folly blog.
03/15/10 | Ben Miller pens an op-ed for US News & World Report on using graduation rates to determine NCAA Tournament eligibility.