with a little reality check.
Since the 16 finalists for Race to the Top funding were announced last Thursday, there has been a general gnashing of teeth and rending of garments.
“A sad day for reformville,” Petrelli writes. Today’s WaPo says the list isn’t “exclusive” enough.
I think that Secretary Duncan did just what you’d expect a college [...]
All Posts Tagged: 'Arne Duncan'
We interrupt this gnashing of teeth . . .
QUICK Hits
Can everyone celebrate National Grammar Day in their own way? (Grammar Girl)
Challenge: Find the grammatical error in the sentence above.
What happens to the school picture guy in the age of cameras in cell phones? (New York Times)
Should the feds conduct or fund education research, or stay out of it? (Jay P. Greene)
Miss [...]
QUICK Hits
Ever heard of “State Patty’s Day?” It’s causing quite a stir—and concern—on (the #1) party school’s campus. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Is college worth it? Is college for everyone? Some are doubtful. (TIME)
What’s your pencil grip like? Occupational therapy is all the rage for helping students learn the ancient art of —gasp— handwriting! (New York Times)
What does [...]
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
EdWeek has a good long profile ($) up of Secretary Arne Duncan’s first year in office. For anyone interested in reading the tea leaves on how the Department’s inner sanctum is viewing the $4 billion Race to the Top competition, General Counsel Charles Rose had this to say:
“Just watch. People will be stunned by what [...]
A Question for Secretary Duncan
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Chicago State University is in danger of losing accreditation, “because of ‘remarkably poor’ graduation and retention rates, as well as tumultuous leadership and finances.”
The article goes on to note that “the Higher Learning Commission cites several ‘grave’ concerns regarding the future of the South Side school that serves roughly [...]
Turnaround Jumper
Michael Jordan was a great, great basketball player, both for his God-given abilities and his drive to succeed. He could float above the rim in awe-inspiring ways, and it was his determination that led him from being cut as a high schooler to the world’s best all-time player. These things are well known. What’s less [...]
Some things you can’t explain, like why we’re all embracing conventional wisdom in a world that’s so unconvential
The longer I work in public policy, the more I think about conventional wisdom.
These little nuggets of thought–some essentially correct, others partially so, others not at all–are the building blocks of a shared narrative that profoundly shapes how we see the world, and thus how we act within it. While some methods of changing public [...]
Duncan’s Data
On Monday Alexander Russo asked for more information on how Chicago Public Schools have fared under Superintendent Arne Duncan, a likely Secretary of Education candidate. Eduwonkette gave a harsh review of the data, but the truth is a little more mixed.
Since Duncan took over in 2001, Chicago has made statistically significant progress in fourth and [...]
Ayers Ad Infinitum
At the Wall Street Journal, Sol Stern contends that the real Bill Ayers scandal lies not with his unrepentant domestic terrorism but rather his Marxist school reform ideas. And on some level, that’s logical: the Annenberg challenge was an education effort, after all, not a commission to overthrow the United States government. But on pretty [...]
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.