Opting out is all the rage, except in Burbank, where rage is all the rage. Meanwhile, are we using the right drivers for education? All this and more, last week in Curmudgucation.
Let’s not get co caught in the details lest we forget that the foundation of modern ed reform is a quality we can neither identify nor measure.
Senate ESEA Rewrite: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Now that we’ve had a chance to reflect, what is looking good (or not so good) about the Alexander-Murray rewrite of ESEA?
Maryland’s governor wanted to make his state more charter friendly, but his efforts have been denied by the legislature, much to the dismay of some charter boosters.
There will be no opting out in Kentucky, whose fiercely independent citiznes will do as they’re told, dammit.
This Is How Congress Annoys the Rest of Us
In which I get bent out of shape about a small quote because it’s so emblematic of how Congress lives on its own little far-away planet.
As the opt out numbers grew this week, the state of New York searched desperately for a way to make those damn parents shut up.
Charles Sahm wrote a reply to the NYT profile of Success Academies in which he tried to explain their success. Good, honest attempt, but I think he missed a few points.
Opt Outers Face Confusing Summer
What if parents really did need their children to take the test in order to have information about how the student is doing?
A DFER spokesperson offers a bold new idea about why the tests are important. Spoiler alert: it has nothing to do with benefits to children or education.
Living in Dialogue, Teacher Voices, and The NEA 360 Report
Anthony Cody hosts an important discussion of what happened to the NEA360 report, and how teachers voices get lost in committee work.
Yes, the end of the school year is approaching. Do not ask me if I’m counting the days.
Looking at the work of Michael Fullan and the question of using the wrong drivers for education.
Arne Bumbles Dyslexia Grilling
During budget hearings, Arne Duncan took some pointed questions about dyslexia and education. It’s not pretty.
The Burbank Schoool Board decided to hire a new superintendent with a checkered past, no education experience, and ties to the charter industry. Now they’re surprised that some people are upset.