This Week In Education
Written by former Senate education staffer and journalist Alexander Russo, This Week in Education was an opinion blog that covered education news, policymakers, and trends with a distinctly political edge. (For archives prior to January 2007, please click here. For posts after November 2007, please click here.) This blog is no longer being updated.
Education
Opinion
Overplaying The Student Loan Scandal?
While the Times, Post, and everyone else continues to play the student loan thing for all its worth (House Panel Passes Bill to Cut Subsidies to Student Lenders), along comes the ominously-named Business Media Institute to ask whether there's as much real damage going on as there is simple media and political opportunism (Media Exaggerate Student Loan 'Crisis'). "Evidence of wrongdoing has been limited to only two lenders and a handful of college administrators who have resigned, fired or been put on leave," according to BMI. "No criminal charges have been filed. Still, the media act like all lenders and colleges have done irreparable harm to all their students."
Education
Opinion
Big Stories Of The Day (Friday June 15)
Not really any single big story today, but..
Explosives Are Found in Lockers in New Jersey School NYT
Explosives Are Found in Lockers in New Jersey School NYT
School & District Management
Opinion
Getting Rid Of District Barriers in Omaha (And Elsewhere?)
Thanks to an eagle-eyed reader for sending me this story about how Omaha is potentially going from being the most racially divided school district in the nation to one of the most integrated -- largely by breaking down the barriers between city and suburban district boundaries (here). What if NCLB did the same, requiring the choice program include neighboring districts as well as schools within the district? Better yet, get rid of city-only urban district boundaries entirely and turn everyone into Charlotte-Mecklenberg, or Miami-Dade, etc.
Education
Opinion
Pros and Cons Of Collaborative News-Gathering
I just finished doing a short end-of-school segment on Vocalo, Chicago's new collaborative radio station, with my friend Dan Weissmann, and at roughly the same time came across this post from Mediashift (a PBS blog) about "Collaborative" Radio, which sounds like an audio version of what we're doing here to some extent and most directly over on District 299.
Education
Opinion
Not Much To Learn About NCLB At Reality Check '08
In Hillary: Leaving Children Behind? Probably Not, Reality Check '08 does a frighteningly amateurish job of explaining HRC's votes, positions, and all the rest --mostly taken from the Clinton website, it seems. I hope the site -- another of these FactCheck-style blogs -- does a better job on other issues than it seems to be doing on education.
Education
Opinion
NAACP Legal Defense Fund Starts School Integration Blog
There's always room for another education blog, especially one with a clear and focused agenda that's not already being met by someone else. And so it's nice to hear that the NAACP LDF has started its new Integration Blog, which features "in-depth analysis and background of the voluntary school integration cases now before the Supreme Court, and will serve as a clearinghouse for responses to and commentary on the Court's upcoming decision, which could arrive as soon as tomorrow." Of course, school integration efforts aren't doing that well right now, and no blog is going to turn that around anytime soon. But there are a lot of folks -- on the Hill, in the districts, and in newsrooms -- who could benefit from a more regular dose of school-related SCOTUS coverage. Some tasty-seeming posts from the past few days include: Desegregation Dollars, "Leaving Integration Behind", Can Integrated Schools Fight Crime?, and Briefing Paper on Seattle and Louisville Cases. Check it out.
Education
Opinion
Best Of The Blogs
I read them -- so you don't have to...
EdWeek Debunks Teacher Attrition Myth EIA
EdWeek Debunks Teacher Attrition Myth EIA
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
Cheating Shoes
Those Chinese kids do everything better, it seems. "Police had found some 42 pairs of so-called "cheating shoes" with transmitting and reception ability, selling for about 2,000 yuan each, in a flat in Shenyang, the provincial capital, state media said Thursday, adding that they--along with "cheating wallets" and hats--had proved popular this year." (Three detained in high-tech China exam cheats). Maybe this is what we'd have to look forward to with that new national test we're on the verge of having:
School & District Management
Opinion
Hyping Michelle Rhee
Back in the 1990's, the big new thing was to have "nontraditional" folks -- generals, US attorneys, former governors -- come in and run big school systems. But they were most of them older, and male, and many of them white. Young, female, and a minority, Rhee is the next iteration of the same appealing if not always effective idea. She's also the first of her school reform cohort to take step into a big, real-world education job, and as such is the focus of the expectations and hopes of whole slew of TFA-type educationistas who hope to follow Rhee into superintendencies and more, and are counting on her success to help pave the way. Like others who are the subject of inordinate hype -- think Barack Obama -- she's unlikely to be able to be as transformative as some hope. But she still represents a shift.
Education
Opinion
"Secretary Spellings Walks Into A Bar..."
Susan Ohanian is working up an old-school Spellings joke and needs your help (NCLB Outrages). I know there are some good jokesters out there.
School & District Management
Opinion
Breaking News: Well-Dressed Reformers Hired To Run School Districts Across The Nation
Inspired by DC Mayor Fenty's surprise appointment of school reformer Michelle Rhee to head the District school system on Tuesday, elected officials across the nation have scrambled to announce their own hires from outside of traditional education circles: In New York City, Mayor Bloomberg on Tuesday evening fired Joel Klein and hired Teach For America Founder Wendy Kopp, despite the absence of any previous district experience. "She's been running the system for the past 10 years anyway," said Bloomberg in announcing the change. "We might as well make it official." New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin announced his plan to fire incoming chief Paul Vallas before he even starts, to be replaced by New Leaders For New Schools co-founder Jonathon Schnur. "I met him at a party and he seemed really smart," said Nagin. "Vallas is a nice guy, too, but I figure we should give this new generation of reformers a chance to show their stuff at running something."
Education
Opinion
Casey Journalism Awards Feature Strong Education Writing
The 2007 Casey Journalism awards are out, including a ton of great work around children, youth, and family issues. As you'll see, the awardees make for some tough reading. This is no Paris Hilton goes to jail type of journalism. But it's worth it. Some of my favorites include Jean Rimbach and Kathleen Carroll, The (Bergen) Record, “Lessons in Waste.” A four-month investigation into fraud and waste in New Jersey’s preschool program – the most ambitious and expensive in the nation – demonstrates masterful dissection of records, crowned with skilled storytelling. Jennifer Torres, The (Stockton) Record, "A Future in the Fields." The series explores the benefits and barriers in schooling nearly 11,000 children of migrant farm laborers in San Joaquin County. And two hometown stars -- Stephanie Banchero, Chicago Tribune, “Doing the Home Work.” Too few stories focus on the plight of single fathers; this one is beautifully written, meticulously researched, unflinching and fair. And Julia McEvoy and Chicago Public Radio staff, "Chicago Matters: Valuing Education" This yearlong project provides a powerful public service, accomplished with depth, breadth and creativity. In addition to the radio presentations, the production team convened community outreach meetings, developed a mentorship program for rookie reporters and launched an interactive Web site – complete with blogs, essays and student artwork.