The Seattle Times says public charter school networks like KIPP want to come to Washington State. Someone smarter than Edu Commentary will have to explain why it’s important (or even a good idea) for Democrats to fight this tooth and nail.
Just a thought, but if Democrats need any other incentive to recapture the school choice issue by vigorously championing public school choice and charter schools, consider the coming demographic war for public resources. As the baby boomers enter retirement placing increasing demands on the public purse, other priorities will be pressured. Shouldn’t supporters of public education be busy bolstering support for public schools instead of antagonizing minority parents who understandably are demanding something better for their children?
Update: More from WA, where the teachers’ unions plan to force a referendum on charter schools. Again, someone smarter than Edu Commentary will have to explain where the payoff in this is, for kids or politically…
It’s a hassle to register and get this Hartford Courant article but try to do it anyway. UConn is having notable successes increasing the graduation rate for minorities, something most colleges and universities are struggling with. Officials attribute their success to three factors:
Attracting better students, providing advisory and other services to help students succeed, and making minority students feel comfortable through the university’s multicultural centers.
The Education Trust has a new report by analyst Kevin Carey on this same issue and will be releasing an interactive data tool for higher education graduation rates in a few months.
A major new evaluation of Teach For America will be released tomorrow, and the cognoscenti are buzzing about it. More on that later, but useful background is this Education Week article that discusses younger teachers. The teaching profession is just beginning to wrestle with major demographic changes in terms of what younger people seek in jobs. (You have to register to get this one too.)
In The Washington Post Jay Mathews writes about MATHCOUNTS. Also in The Post, D.C. Mayor Williams is busy horse trading to bolster his effort to change governance in the D.C. Public Schools.
The Washington Times takes a look at a residency crackdown in Montgomery County Public Schools.
The Los Angeles Times reports and opines that the school system there is getting rolled by the teachers’ union.
They’re trying to fire the superintendent in New Orleans but he’s fighting back. Quite a mess and too bad, he’s pretty good.
The Kansas City Star editorializes in favor of efforts to expand access to college for undocumented immigrants. Bravo.
The New York Post describes sexual abuse allegations at Groton. Probably not a clip you’ll see in the recruiting brochure…
Important new study on kindergarten out from the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. A lot of useful information here but also a seriously buried lede. Full day kindergarten appears to produce better cognitive gains than half-day. Yet you wouldn’t know this from the bland release on the report. Why would the Education Department not highlight this? Perhaps because the administration does not have much of an early childhood agenda.
If you still haven’t read the new PPI study on charter schooling in Arizona by Bryan Hassel and Michelle Godard Terrell, you might as well do it today.
Finally, AP says look for more schools to be named after Ronald Reagan in the coming years.