Hidy all!

It’s been a lively January at RHSU. I unveiled the 2014 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings (appreciate the enthusiastic interest in this little pet project) and have gotten into a heated discussion with some good friends about how to respond to Secretary Duncan’s continuing, cavalier urge to treat the Common Core push as just one more element of his copious agenda. Meanwhile, I’m deep into writing my new book, The Cage-Busting Teacher, and am taking the next few weeks to work on it. The upshot: you get a break from me, and we’ve got a terrific lineup of guest bloggers.

The first two weeks will feature a lineup of current and former state teachers of the year, courtesy of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY). If you’re not familiar with NNSTOY, get with the program. They’re doing a terrific job of getting accomplished teachers heard on big questions. We’ve got 14 folks lined up, so there’ll be a fresh post every day, Sunday through Saturday, during those two weeks. Some of the teachers in question have guested before at RHSU, and others will be making their debut.

The third week will feature hot-shot USC assistant professor Morgan Polikoff. Morgan has done timely and intriguing work on ESEA waivers, has made a splash by calling for the death of cursive in the New York Times’ “Room for Debate,” and finished third among junior faculty in the RHSU Public Presence Rankings. He’s a sharp, funny, and charming guy. You can check out Morgan’s full bio here.

For the final week, my crack research associate, Taryn Hochleitner, will be stepping in. Taryn’s been with me at AEI for more than two years, and has carried my slovenly self on any number of major projects. She’s top-shelf on the policy questions in ed tech, having been the go-to for Bror Saxberg and me when we were writing Breakthrough Leadership in the Digital Age, has coauthored a terrific case study of DC’s use of blended learning, and has penned some real sharp pieces on E-rate and related questions (see here or here).

I trust you’ll enjoy--see you all in a few weeks!