Congratulations to education reformers from my home state, Washington, for helping to pass a package education reform bills that take a significant step forward for a state that did not even bother to apply for the first round of Race to the Top. Basically the state knew that it did not have a chance of [...]
All Posts Tagged: 'Race to the Top'
Smarter Data Systems: Urban Districts Lead the Way
Part VII of the Five Principles for Smarter Data Systems series–a guest post from Lori Fey, Director Policy Initiatives, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation:
Bill Tucker and the Education Sector make important and relevant points about next-generation data systems in Five Design Principles for Smarter Data Systems to Support Student Learning. We should [...]
Cliffs Notes to Race to the Top Applications
Trying to figure out what the 16 Race to the Top Finalists are doing that your state is not? Too lazy to read the thousands of pages of applications to figure it out. You are in luck. The Partnership for Learning in Washington state has summarized it for you. If there are other summaries out [...]
Smarter Data Systems: The Data-Assessment Partnership
Part V of this week’s Five Principles for Smarter Data Systems series–a guest post from Ben Boer, Senior Policy Associate at Advance Illinois:
Education Sector’s five principles for use of data re-imagine the relationship between data and education. Today, too much good data lives in silos — in state agencies, in districts, in schools, even at [...]
We interrupt this gnashing of teeth . . .
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 [...]
RTT4HE
Getting ESEA reauthorized is going to be a tough slog in the best of times, and these times are definitely not those. So it seems increasingly likely that Race to the Top will remain the center of the Obama administration’s education agenda. And not just the RTT program but the larger theory behind it: instead [...]
Race to the Top Bracketology
Fifteen states and Washington DC made it to the finals of the first round of the Race to the Top (RttT) – Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Secretary of Education has stated “we expect no [...]
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 [...]
Un-businesslike
In his Post profile of school reform apostate Diane Ravitch, Nick Anderson makes the same mistake I complained about a couple of weeks ago (here and here): using “market-oriented” as a shorthand description of the principles animating reform. For example:
Duncan’s biggest idea is market-oriented: He seeks to provide incentives for reform, offering billions of dollars [...]
Some Additional Thoughts on the Budget
Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Education hosted its annual public briefing on the budget, where high-level officials provide an overview of this year’s proposals and take questions from lobbyists interested parties. The forum raised a couple of interesting points and ideas that are worth considering.
Not surprisingly, the issue that sparked the most interest from [...]
QUICK Hits
When the state retirement system is deeply in the hole, could double-dipping be coming to an end? (Salt Lake Tribune)
Just because today’s data-crazed parents can now track the number of diapers they have changed for their babies, does that mean it’s a good idea? (Wired)
Is it a gubernatorial change of heart? Or is [...]
QUICK Hits
Since community colleges educate so many students, why do they remain virtually invisible in the mainstream media? (Brainstorm)
Is it possible to serve a healthy school lunch (that means no Mystery Meat) for less than $3 a pop? (USA Today)
Are we seeing a Race to the Top Flip Flop? (Flypaper)
Will a new Arizona law end the [...]
Random Thoughts on the Race to the Top
First of all kudos to the Dept. of Education staff for putting out these regulation and largely sticking to a reform agenda while making reasonable adjustments. While some technical details caught my attention like the myopic calculation of ensuring that education is a funding priority, I found myself agreeing with most of the priorities the [...]
QUICK Hits: RTT Regs Edition
Today, the biggest education news – some might say the only education news – is the announcement of the new regulations for Race to the Top. Where should you get your info? Depends on what you want to know:
Where can I find a detailed summary of the RTT regs? (Eduflack)
Which states bear watching now that the [...]
QUICK Hits
Habla usted Espanol? In middle and elementary schools, the answer is “less and less” according to a new study. (Center for Applied Lunguistics)
Who is Gotham calling on to save the city’s kids? Batman?(Gotham Schools)
Can an out-of-control food fight really land students in jail? (Slashfood)
How does a state compete in [...]
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.