Policy & Politics Blog

K-12 Schools: Beyond the Rhetoric

In this blog, Jack Schneider, assistant professor at the College of the Holy Cross, hosted productive dialogues about contentious K-12 policy issues. This blog is no longer being updated.

Education Opinion School Closure and Other Turnaround Strategies
So often the messaging is that troubled schools should be closed down, or that they should be turned over to charter operators, or that they will benefit from major turnover in staff.
Michelle Rhee, May 22, 2014
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6 min read
Education Opinion On School Turnarounds
We both agree that the change won't come overnight. Beyond that, however, we see things a bit differently.
Jack Schneider, May 20, 2014
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6 min read
Education Opinion Teacher Preparation: Neither Frivolous Nor Unnecessary
We agree, first and foremost, that preparing effective teachers is hard and complicated work.
Michelle Rhee, May 15, 2014
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5 min read
Education Opinion Alternate Routes Into Teaching: Promises and Pitfalls
Although we hold different positions, we do agree that training matters and that current policy rhetoric is sometimes irresponsible.
Jack Schneider, May 13, 2014
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6 min read
Education Opinion Talking About Teachers Unions
Whatever their flaws, unions play a critical role in public education. So how can we move past the for/against dichotomy?
Michelle Rhee, May 7, 2014
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6 min read
Education Opinion A Road Map for Future Conversations
Knowing that we tend to take different sides on a range of policy issues, we wanted to figure out if there were things we could actually agree on.
Jack Schneider, May 5, 2014
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4 min read
Education Opinion What Would Better Professional Development Look Like?
Professional development needs improvement. But what would better PD look like?
Michelle Rhee, May 2, 2014
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4 min read
Education Opinion What's Driving Teachers Out?
What's driving teachers out of classrooms? Are current policy efforts hurting or helping?
Jack Schneider, April 30, 2014
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5 min read
Education Opinion What Defines Teacher Competency?
Are current policy efforts strengthening the teacher corps or driving good teachers out?
Michelle Rhee, April 28, 2014
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4 min read
Education Opinion Do Standardized Tests Measure What We Value?
Are standardized test scores too narrow? Are they objective? Do they measure what we value?
Jack Schneider, April 25, 2014
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5 min read
Education Opinion Disagreeing About the Use of Value-Added Measures
Continuing our discussion about standardized tests, we sort through the uses and abuses of the "value-added" model in teacher evaluation.
Michelle Rhee, April 23, 2014
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4 min read
Education Opinion Debating the Merits of Standardized Testing
We agree that assessment is most useful when it can inform instructional practice. Beyond that, however, we have lots of disagreements.
Jack Schneider, April 21, 2014
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5 min read
Education Opinion Michelle Rhee and Jack Schneider: Sitting Down to Talk
Our aim in this dialogue is to move beyond the rhetoric (and counter- rhetoric) in an effort to restore some common ground for improving our schools.
Jack Schneider, April 21, 2014
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3 min read
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