ESEA
Carl Dorvil: A Great American Story
Carl Dorvil started Group Excellence in his SMU dorm room. The son of Haitian immigrants, Carl never took his education for granted. He was the first African American president of his high school and balanced four jobs while completing a triple major and starting a business as an undergraduate.
More Better Accountability; EEP & DFER Show the Way
The Education Equality Project and Democrats For Education Reform issued a report on the accountability provisions within the current NCLB law–a topic people love to hate.  This report is a great reminder of why we need accountability to promote equity and excellence and why strong accountability must be carried…
T1 Should Support College/Career Goal
National Journal asks whether, as the president suggested, that Title 1 should be contingent upon state adoption of college/career ready standards. Â I think the answer is yes. Title 1 is an effort to promote equitable educational outcomes. The most important equity goal is that every student should graduate…
House R's Could Learn From Jeb
House Republicans launched these four focus grouped principles: local control, empowering parents, letting teachers teach, and protecting taxpayers. The ‘platform’ has no aspirations, it doesn’t solve problems, it simply seeks to avoid offense. Â It’s clear ESEA isn’t happening this year. Hill Republicans would do well to spend an…
DC Updates: Tony, Supts, Dog With Bone, Talent
Deputy Secretary Tony Miller got a rowdy but appreciative reception at the Education Industry Association last night.  Education service providers asked Tony why education is the only department that shuns private sector involvement  (e.g., Energy investments).  The answers–you can work for districts and it’s historical–didn’t satisfy the…
3 Pivot Points to a Performance-Based Education System
In education, there’s a lot up in the air right now: standards, testing, employment practices, budgets, student technology, online learning, and federal policy. It’s conceivable that if we took advantage of the uncertainty, a few places could emerge with a better and cheaper education system.  Here’s three pivot points that…
Bad Proxies for Good Teachers
Read Rotherham’s Atlantic article on Teach For America (TFA) and what it takes to be a good teacher. It’s a great summary of what the field, TFA in particular, has learned recently about the attributes of good teachers. However, it’s frustrating that we remain so unsophisticated about the predictive…
Hysteria Around Turnarounds
The NYTimes ran a story with this misleading headline and byline A Vote to Fire All Teachers at a Failing High School CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — A plan to dismiss the entire faculty and staff of the only public high school in this small city…
The Weight of Leadership
Winston Churchill took office the day the Germans invaded the low countries of Europe. Perhaps born a warrior and an idealist, Churchill in some ways relished the epic nature of conflict but never took it lightly. A recent HBO film, Into the Storm, explored Churchill’s leadership and life during…
Gentlemen, Start Your Hearings (But Let the Race Run)
Here we go. McNeil outlines House plans to begin ESEA reauthorization hearings starting with charter schools (great place to start). Miller and Kline are thoughtful and could actually put together a decent bipartisan draft. No word from the Senate where it’s harder to imagine anything thoughtful happening.