How to fix failing schools
The National Journal question this morning was, “What are the best methods for school improvement?” We’ve learned a good deal about improving elementary schools in the last decade. A focused leader, data driven instruction, and improved time on task can quickly boost lagging reading and math scores. Secondary…
Paul O'Neill, Stanley Kaplan, and USED staff
1. Paul O’Neill may be the best charter school attorney in the US, certainly the best east of the Mississippi, by virtue of handling a high volume of charter contracts for more than decade. Paul’s Charter School Law Deskbook is the definitive book on the subject. He…
$3.5B for school improvement will benefit charters/services
This EdWeek blog is a good summary of the USED guidance $3.5B Title 1 school improvement fund. Each state will receive an allotment and will distribute it to districts that agree to enact one or more of the four prescribed strategies: · Turnaround: replacing at least…
Fall on Poverty Bay
Summer came early to Poverty Bay and so did fall. It was dark and drizzling when we (dog and person in tow) hit the beach at 5:15. The tide was low an hour before and sun wouldn’t be up for an hour. It wasn’t really raining, just that…
How should we prepare students for college?
The Nation Journal asked this question based on flat results in the recent ACT report. High school graduation is the most important step toward college preparation. American graduation rates remain low especially for low income and minority students. Young people should have the choice of…
Talent, money, innovation moving off shore
Newsweek has an important short on globalization featuring IBM. My friend Rob Wuebker, a recently PhD specializing in the internationalization of venture capital, pointed out the article. Think about the implications of these three quotes: The fact that IBM is headquartered in Armonk, New York, matters much…
Recovery in sight? Not for schools
With leading papers all reporting on recovery, can we assume the crisis is over? Stock portfolios may be on the mend, but folks that rely on property tax—states, counties, cities, and schools—will feel the impact of reset values and defaults for years to come.
Friday Night Lives
NPR’s All Things Considered is running a series called Friday Night Lives. I’m using it as an excuse for my one and only back to school homage and reflection on high school sports—good and bad. Two-a-days marked more than the end of summer, they…
Inglorious Board
Just five years ago, San Diego was high on the list of districts most likely to become a national model. Alan Bersin had a great Blue Print and worked aggressively to improve existing schools and open innovative new schools. After firing Bersin, driving off decent superintendents that…
RttT Handicaps: CA & NY, etc
Great to have Gov Schwarzenegger late to the EdReform party, but his RttT-incentivized proposal, outlined in the LA Times, has little chance of passing the dysfunctional CA legislature. Some observers expect “the grand-daddy of fights.” But do you recall the Gov’s sensible proposal to change tenure-granting from…