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 This blog is no longer being updated.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
Reader Contest: A Day In The Life Of Your School
Inspired by a vivid reader comment on my Chicago blog from last week (A Day At Crane High School), I'm having a contest of sorts for the next few days in which readers are invited to describe the school (or administrative office, or reform office) where they work, or where their children attend, or where they pass by every day, or where they tutor. So brush off your writing skills and tell us what it's like where you are -- what it looks like, what it sounds like, what things you notice from being there all the time, or how it's changed lately. [Or, if you have a great blog entry that does the same thing, tell us where to find it.]
Education Funding
Opinion
The Genius Behind Teach For America
Today's big awards news is Al Gore getting the Nobel Prize for his efforts on global warming, but last month it was the announcement of this year's MacArthur Foundation's "genius" grants. As you may recall, one of the genius grants went to an educator. Just not the one you would have thought would get it. Click below to get a sneak peek at what should soon be up on the Huffington Post. The Genius Behind Teach For America
Federal
Opinion
A Teacher In The Cabinet: Another Richardson Gimmick
USA Today's political blog notes via Greg Toppo that, in another shameless ploy to appeal to as many folks as possible without saying very much, Bill Richardson on Thursday pledged that his EdSec would be.... a teacher (here). Historians will note that EdSec Riley put a teacher nominally in charge of teaching-related issues during his two terms. I'm not sure it made much difference, though it probably made lots of folks feel warm inside.
Education
Opinion
Bush's No-Name Cabinet
Slate magazine recently ran this piece about how unknown most of Bush's cabinet are, even compared to other unknown cabinets (A Bush Cabinet quiz). Much of it is due to the fact that, so late into a second term, only the most desperate opportunists are clamoring to join the Administration. The other, according to the article, is that so much of Bush's domestic agenda (such as it is) came from Karl Rove, not the DPC (currently headed by Karl Zinsmeister) or the departments themselves.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
The School Is Flat
Working on an upcoming article for Edutopia I've learned some of the latest going on in the world of e-learning (aka distance education). For example, there's a great international project called The Flat Classroom Project, which takes the ideas of Thomas Friedman's World Is Flat -- appropriately enough -- asks teams of students from around the world to investigate them. As for the technology itself, podcasts and wikis are pretty much old hat for this crew. They're on to things likenings, FlashMeeting, and iEARN.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
The Lives Of Former Students
Over at Nick Kristof's NYT blog, Chicago teacher Will Okun describes attending the wedding of some former students, with beautiful pictures. "Last Saturday, I attended and photographed the Chicago wedding of Keith and Tarita Thomas. While all former students are remarkable and unique in their own individual ways, Keith is the once-in-a-career student who holds a special place in every teacher’s life. Keith is also one of the very few students I have taught in nine years who was raised in a two-parent household." It's nice stuff, and pretty amazing that they're giving him so much space. Plus 86 reader comments and counting.
Education
Opinion
Blog Roundup
Forget about Obama not wearing that lapel pin -- now he's gone completely crazy, according to Scott Elliott (Obama: Let illegals get aid for college). The AFTies, too, apparently. They poke at the President for claiming to have invented NAEP (Pres. Bush Invented NAEP) but seem to forget that taking the test was voluntary for states before NCLB. Now, we do have NAEP scores for every state. Meanwhile, Joanne Jacobs is calling for votes (The 2007 Weblog Awards). Vote for her blog, then vote for mine. That is, if I'm even nominated. Over at WakEd, they combine 'cafeteria' and 'auditorium' and get Cafetorium. Education Election introduces a new blogger and a new candidate (Fred Thompson on NCLB, and an introduction).
Federal
Opinion
Dental Programs Needed For Poor Kids
Poor and working class kids have less access to dental care than ever before, and it's showing, according to this NYT article (Boom Times for Dentists, but Not for Teeth). Sometimes the delays and lack of care are serious. Strange that I've seen vision programs at schools but never dental ones.
School & District Management
Opinion
Evil Geniuses At Top Universities Want Your Schools
There's a big article in this week's EdWeek about universities' increasing efforts at school reform, focusing on the University of Chicago which currently runs several charter schools on Chicago's South Side. I know, I know. They're evil academic geniuses out to ruin a shining example of urban education and gut teacher job protections. I get it. Still, there are some tidbits you might want to check out. In addition to Chicago, Stanford University, the
Federal
Opinion
House Republicans Blame Miller For Slow NCLB Progress
The folks from Cong. Boehner's office were kind enough to send me a copy of this Roll Call article ($) suggesting that little if anything is happening on the NCLB front, despite all efforts on their part. Boehner's specific objections include the loosened accountability provisions in the Miller-McKeon draft, and the creation of 28 new programs.Republicans are claiming that Miller is being inflexible, and won't meet with them. He says he hasn't been able to get a meeting. Fun!