Flat Lining Schools; Tinkering Won’t Work
This week the “The Nation’s Report Card” showed no progress. That’s really quite disturbing given aggressive federal policy (NCLB), a handful of cities like New York making real progress, states like Louisiana and Florida pushing hard, and national foundation efforts. It suggests that tinkering won’t come close to…
Memphis, 1951
If you’re in/near NYC this year, go see Memphis, the musical.  It’s a fantastic show and powerful story.  From the playbill: TURN UP THAT DIAL! From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee,…comes a hot new Broadway musical – inspired by actual events – with heart, soul…
Mobile Learning Maturing (Slowly)
Article worth reading in EdWeek on mobile learning. Â I particularly like what Seth Weinberger at Innovations for Learning is doing with the $100 TeacherMate, a cool primary reading and math handheld game pad. See feature in next months Fast Company. Getting close to the device and price point…
Fixing No Child Left Behind
The WSJ, published an editorial that both praises and is critical of the President’s Blueprint. Â I thought it was worth a full read: The Obama Administration wants to revise the No Child Left Behind education law, which is understandable because the law has flaws. But it’s too…
For Instructional Management See CMOs
Kalman R. Hettleman writes in EdWeek, “It’s the Classroom, Stupid.” She’s right, instructional management is a big deal and often poorly managed. Â Here’s her three reasons: First, predisposition. The personal temperament of educators and their professional culture of insularity predispose them to be weak managers.
Most RttT Finalist Have Lame Online Plans
Most of 16 Race to the Top finalist have lame online learning plans–and this is the best of the bunch.  iNACOL posted a useful review. FL is the best of a bad lot and they’re just coasting on Jeb’s leadership and still protect district enrollments by stopping the Internet at…
Elks, Immigrants, Imagination, Innovation
When I made my annual appearance at the Elks lodge to honor the top 40 students in my district, I was glad they didn’t make the superintendent try to pronounce the names–more than half were from immigrant families.  Most of the native born white kids were Mormon.  The ceremony was an…
Long Day, Long Year, More Learning
Checker Finn makes the case for a long school day and year in this WSJ piece. Â Here’s the problem statement: In the face of budget shortfalls, school districts in many parts of the United States today are moving toward four-day weeks. This is despite evidence that longer…
The Critical Need for Genuine School Reform
Over the last few years, fund manager and edu-eBlaster Whitney Tilson developed and refined the most compelling data-driven case for school reform, The Critical Need for Genuine School Reform. Warning: it’s about 170 pages plus appendices, but if you haven’t read it you really should.  At least take 15 minutes…
School Choice in Sweden
BBC‘s Liz MacKean offers great report on school choice in Sweden where “There are now more than 1,100 such schools in Sweden, funded by the state, but operated independently.” And “About 10% of all students of compulsory school age now attend the new schools, and in the upper secondary level…