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Eduflack

  • Don't Know Much About History ...

    As Eduflack has written before, I am the son of an historian.  My father is actually an expert on the American presidency (the office itself, and the evolution of presidential leadership over the past two centuries in particular) and is the author of countless books and articles on the subject. [...]
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    Posted: December 02, 2009, 2:05pm EST
    by Eduflack

  • Cart Awaiting a Horse

    A little more this week from Eduflack guest blogger, Dr. John Jensen ...
    Several decades ago when differences between right and left brain thinking were first explored, a story was told to illustrate.

    During World War II, many harbors in Hawaii were blocked by sunken warships, one important channel in particular. After [...]

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    Posted: December 02, 2009, 1:27pm EST
    by Eduflack

  • Calling All Researchers: How Do We Use Class Time?

    In our continued effort to bring additional perspectives to Eduflack's discussion of education reform, following is a guest blog post from John Jensen, Ph.D.  We'll be seeing a few more posts from Dr. Jensen later this week ...

    There are at least two good reasons for doing research about educational methods.' [...]

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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 11:46am EST
    by Eduflack

  • Beginning of End for ESEA Reauth?

    If one talks to those on Maryland Avenue, there has been a relatively steadfast belief that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) would be coming in the first half of 2010.  Staff have been busy at work on the planning pieces.  Most have been assuming that [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 3:44pm EST
    by Eduflack

  • Raising the Gates on Teacher Effectiveness

    As most know by now, yesterday the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation officially named the four school districts that will share in the coveted "Deep DIve" prize.  Originally billed as a $500 million endeavor, we learned yesterday that the four winners are now sharing in $335 million grant money.  Hillsborough [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 1:32pm EST
    by Eduflack

  • Just the Race Facts

    For now, Eduflack is generally done opining about Race and what we should infer by the the final Race to the Top docs released by the U.S. Department of Education.  But there are some additional facts now out there that are worth consideration and thought.
    First up, the final RttT docs [...]
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    Posted: November 12, 2009, 8:08pm EST
    by Eduflack

  • The Race Officially Begins ... Now

    At 9 p.m. this evening, the starting gun for the Race to the Top officially started.  While many states are already laps into their applications (and many may even be running in the right direction), the U.S. Department of Education officially released the RFP, along with some interesting insights as [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 9:57pm EST
    by Eduflack

  • Race-ing to Teacher Quality

    Last week, Eduflack opined over at Education Week on the need to differentiate between incentivizing good teachers and incentivizing good teaching.  Essentially, we need to make sure that any incentives are not just given as a thank you to teachers, but are used to identify, catalog, and share the best [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 8:00am EST
    by Eduflack

  • Tale of the Tape -- Anna, Fall 2009

    A couple of times a year, I ask for Eduflack readers to provide me a personal indulgence as I report on the progress two of the greatest joys in my life -- my son and daughter.  Many of you have read multiple reports on Miggy, my three and a half [...]
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    Posted: November 06, 2009, 4:20pm EST
    by Eduflack

  • Reading Gaining Speed as Fed Priority?

    With all of the talk about RttT, school turnarounds, and the like, we haven't spent much time at all talking about core instructional issues.  As many schools continue to struggle reaching AYP and demonstrating the sort of student achievement we all expect (and that the federal law still demands), we' [...]
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    Posted: November 06, 2009, 8:11am EST
    by Eduflack

  • Teacher or Teaching Quality?

    Over at Education Week this week, dear ole Eduflack has a commentary on current teacher quality efforts, asking the question if teacher quality (as primarily reflected in teacher incentive efforts) or teaching quality (such as the current push for improving teacher education) is the strongest path toward real, lasting school [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 4:16pm EST
    by Eduflack

  • New Governors in the Race

    Undoubtedly, much of the next few days will be spent dissecting yesterday's off-year elections and their greater meaning for healthcare reform, the 2010 congressional races, and the 2012 presidential campaigns.  What does it mean for Republicans to take back the Virginia governor's seat?  How painful will the Democrats' gubernatorial loss' [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 7:38am EST
    by Eduflack

  • In Search of 21st Century Joe Clarks

    When I'm flipping through the cable stations late at night, unable to sleep because something or another has my mind going a thousand miles an hour, there are a number of movies for which I will always stop and watch.  Braveheart, Thank You For Smoking, the original All the King's [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 11:26am EST
    by Eduflack

  • "Disrupting" High School Failure

    Can you legislate graduation rates?  Today, the Washington Post editorial board called on the state of Maryland to raise the compulsory age for school attendance, essentially using state law to require students to stay in Maryland high schools until the age of 18 (it is 16 now).  The move, following [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2009, 12:53pm EST
    by Eduflack

  • There's Gambling in Our Ed Assessment Casablanca?

    Yesterday's release of the National Center for Education Statistics' report Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto National Assessment of Education Progress Scales: 2005-2007 seemed like it was almost lifted from the movie Casablanca.  We are shocked, shocked to learn that many states' "standards" are hardly standards at all.  For years, we've' [...]
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    Posted: October 30, 2009, 2:51am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Millions and Millions of Minutes

    It's been used by education reformers and praised by the folks like Newt Gingrich.  Business leaders point to it as a sign of the looming "crisis" our education system may be facing.  It's been screened at policy events and cited in opinion pieces.  The "it," of course, is the movie [...]
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    Posted: October 29, 2009, 10:20am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • The Great White Whale of Teacher Quality

    At the heart of EdSec Arne Duncan's remarks at Teachers College last week has his new never-ending pursuit of the illusive "teacher quality."  Clearly, the search means more than the "highly qualified teacher" definition currently found in NCLB.  More than the qualities that currently win one additional monies through the' [...]
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    Posted: October 28, 2009, 4:04am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Playing Games with LA's Future

    For more than a year now, we have been hearing about the dire financial state of public education in California.  We're ridden a roller coaster of threats of massive teacher layoffs and a two-year ban on the purchase of any textbooks or instructional materials.  We've viewed district after district struggle [...]
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    Posted: October 23, 2009, 7:06am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Retraining Teacher Training

    Big to-dos this afternoon up at Columbia University, Teachers College.  Speaking before a packed house of students, teacher educators, and reps from the education policy community, EdSec Arne Duncan continued his push for improving teacher preparation in the United States.  Duncan challenged education schools to "make better outcomes for students" [...]
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    Posted: October 22, 2009, 4:08pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • From the Mouths of TFAers

    When Eduflack was a very green Capitol Hill staffer, a wise veteran imparted some basic advice that I have not forgotten now going on almost two decades.  Never talk in an elevator.  Capitol Hill is one of those places where people (the unelected, of course) like to make themselves seem [...]
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    Posted: October 21, 2009, 11:02am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Public Schools and "Philanthropy"

    What role should philanthropy and fundraising play in the operations of our public schools?  We like to believe that, through local taxes and state taxes and a little help from our friends in Washington, we have more than enough to fund a high-quality public education.  Yet in an era of [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2009, 8:35am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Calculating Meaning in the Latest NAEP

    Yesterday, the National Assessment Governing Board released the latest numbers with regard to student math proficiency (at least proficiency as measured by NAEP).  The headlines seem simple, yet troublesome, enough.  Fourth grade math scores were stagnant.  Eighth grade score saw a slight uptick.  The math achievement gaps between white and [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 5:14am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • It Still Takes a Village

    A decade ago, the notion that "it took a village to raise a child" quickly became a political punchline, used by critics to demonstrate that the big bad government was somehow deflecting its responsibility for the education, healthcare, and general social services it takes to help prepare a young person [...]
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    Posted: October 09, 2009, 9:42am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • How Does Education Really Rank?

    For as long as Eduflack can remember, we have always cited that "education" is a top three issue in the eyes of the American people.  While we may debate whether it is a subject on which we cast our votes (and there is little to show that education policy has [...]
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    Posted: October 06, 2009, 11:31am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Hold On, ESEA Reauth is Coming

    Likely one of the worst-kept secrets in Washington, DC, the U.S. Department of Education is now hard at work on draft language for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.  EdSec Arne Duncan started the ball bouncing last week, bringing together the education blob to talk about his reauth [...]
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    Posted: October 01, 2009, 1:22pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Digging Deeper into Deep Dive

    While it has taken a back seat to Race to the Top talk (and is shouldn't since it is worth far more to the winning school districts than any RttT or i3 innovation), folks are still waiting to see who the Gates Foundation will award their Deep Dive teacher improvement' [...]
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    Posted: September 29, 2009, 9:35am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • NCLB 2: This Time We Mean It

    With all of the focus and gossip on Races to the Top, Investing in Innovation, and state education budget shortfalls, we've almost forgotten that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is past due for renewal.  Currently operating under the brand of No Child Left Behind, ESEA has governed K-12 federal' [...]
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    Posted: September 24, 2009, 1:58pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Changes to the "Race" Track?

    Are there changes underfoot for the Race to the Top?  When the $4.35 billion grant program was first conceived, some senior personnel at the U.S. Department of Education hypothesized that awards may only go to a handful of states, maybe only four or five.  Since then, those "in the know" [...]
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    Posted: September 22, 2009, 8:21pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Data Use in Our Nation's Capital

    Last evening, Eduflack had the honor of testifying before the District of Columbia State Board of Education on DC's student assessment scores and how they can be used in state-level policy development.  For those unawares, DC is an interesting case study in education system structure.  DC is both a State [...]
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    Posted: September 17, 2009, 8:05am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • "A Time to Act"

    This morning, the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy releases its much-anticipated "Time to Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy for College and Career Success."  For those who have been playing in the literacy game for the past decade or two, we know it has [...]
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    Posted: September 15, 2009, 10:11am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Additional Thoughts for Rethink Learning Now

    Yesterday, Eduflack opined on the launch of the Rethinking Learning Now initiative, a new campaign from the Forum for Education and Democracy (among others) that focuses on the need change the direction of education reform from a focus on testing toward a focus on learning.  My post can be found [...]
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    Posted: September 09, 2009, 8:29pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Second Leg of the Race

    It can be almost a full-time job to follow the musings and presumptions regarding Race to the Top.  During the summer, most believes that the public comment period was pro forma, and we would see a final RttT RFP (bearing remarkable resemblance to the draft) would be released as quickly [...]
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    Posted: September 09, 2009, 12:30pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Rethinking Learning ... Then What?

    While it may be the hip and hot thing to do, Eduflack is not going to spend the majority of today's blog talking about this afternoon's Presidential address to students.  After reviewing the text of the speech, one lesson learned from my K-12 education comes to mind -- Shakespeare's Much [...]
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    Posted: September 08, 2009, 9:41am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Setting a Start Time for the Race

    While the public comment period is now closed on Race to the Top and we await finalization of the RttT RFP and guidance that will direct states' applications (as if those aren't fully underway, as evidenced by the 15 Gates-funded states that have been hard at work on their apps [...]
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    Posted: September 03, 2009, 8:58am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Equity in Teacher Distribution

    The wonkiest of the education policy wonks are currently poring over the more than 1,500 comments, critiques, and outrages submitted as part of the open comment period for the draft Race to the Top criteria.  As Eduflack has written before, much of what has been submitted has been put forward [...]
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    Posted: September 01, 2009, 2:47pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Filling the Gaps on Innovation

    For much of the summer, we've been handicapping the future of Race to the Top and which states are going to be the beneficiaries of the $4.35 billion honeypot.  As of this morning, more than 1,500 comments and suggestions have officially be submitted with regard to the draft regs.  To' [...]
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    Posted: August 31, 2009, 9:59am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Speaking Collaboratively on RttT

    For months now, Eduflack has been asked the same question from a growing group of education policy observers and a great many of those who are looking to get out of the stands and into the game.  The question focuses on why a number of groups have been relatively silent [...]
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    Posted: August 28, 2009, 4:16pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Godspeed to a Legislative Legend

    The news broke overnight.  U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy passed away last night, after a courageous battle against brain cancer.  A fighter to the very end, the senior senator from Massachusetts spent his final week focused on the people of the Bay State and of the entire United States, lobbying [...]
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    Posted: August 26, 2009, 7:12am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • School Enrollment Math in DC

    According to The Washington Post, 37,000 students are expected to start in DC Public Schools today.  That number is down 17 percent from those who ended the year back in June, and it falls about 17 percent short of the 44,681 DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee has been targeting for the [...]
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    Posted: August 24, 2009, 2:43pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Diving Off the Gates High Board

    In our zeal to find out which states have the inside track with regard to Race to the Top (and the good folks over at EdWeek's Politics K-12 blog have given us the list of the 15 states getting a quarter million from Gates to "help" with their applications, providing [...]
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    Posted: August 20, 2009, 8:52am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Teacher Pay in Gotham City

    Over the weekend, Eduflack was fortunate enough to break from the mugginess of our nation's capital to enjoy the mugginess of the capital of the world -- New York City.  After a busy and tough summer, I was fortunate enough to take in my fourth Mets game at Citi Field, [...]
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    Posted: August 19, 2009, 10:44am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Tear Down that (Fire)Wall!

    In recent weeks, there has been a great deal of attention with regard to firewalls and the linkages between the evaluation of teachers and the achievement of students.  The current draft criteria for Race to the Top proclaims that states must be able to use student performance data from their [...]
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    Posted: August 17, 2009, 8:13am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Hittin' the Road with Rev. Al and Newt

    Politics, and education reform, do indeed make strange bedfellows.  When the Education Equality Project launched last year, many were left scratching their heads with regard to the Rev. Al Sharpton and NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein teaming up to improve the quality and results of our nation's public schools.  Since [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 1:19pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Where Is the "Loyal Opposition" in Ed Reform?

    The drumbeat toward reform continues.  Wisconsin's Democratic governor is now calling for changes to the state law to tear down the firewall preventing the tie between teachers and student achievement.  Indiana continues its push to "reform" teacher certification, with the state superintendent looking to more fully embrace the alternative certification [...]
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    Posted: August 12, 2009, 11:15am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Is Ed Reform "Un-American?"

    In recent weeks, we've seen some start to reflect on the impact healthcare reform could have on education reforms, at least at the national level.  If healthcare stalls, will they bring ESEA forward?  If healthcare fails, will the Obama Administration have the support to push more education reforms?  If we' [...]
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    Posted: August 10, 2009, 12:05pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Is Stimulus Stimulating Our Schools?

    Back in March, we heard how our public schools were in desperate need of the quick injection of cash made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  We heard how the $55 billion in new education spending would be quickly distributed to the districts, with the majority of State [...]
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    Posted: August 06, 2009, 6:32am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Grad Rates in the City of Angels

    Yesterday's Los Angeles Times included the boastful headline, "Dropout Rate Declines Almost 17% in L.A. Schools."  Officials at Los Angeles Unified School District crowed that the latest data demonstrated "the results of three years of work."  Part of the credit goes to duplicate student records which accounted for extra enrollees [...]
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    Posted: August 05, 2009, 1:51pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Some Go-To Resources on that Internet Thingy

    Yes, new media and social media are some of the hottest buzzwords these days.  But more and more, Eduflack is finding individuals and organizations who are struggling to find the "best in class" or those who have come before them (and done a good job) to model behaviors.  We all [...]
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    Posted: August 04, 2009, 9:55am EDT
    by Eduflack

  • 40 Under 40

    Several times each week, I take to this blog to opine on the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to education, ed reform, and school improvement.  In trying to look at the state of public education through a communications lens, I often try to separate the message [...]
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    Posted: August 02, 2009, 7:44pm EDT
    by Eduflack

  • Racing Toward Long-Term Change?

    It should come as no surprise that we are seeing a great number of states and school districts instituting new reforms so they appear to align with the goals and ambitions of Race to the Top and the overall Duncan reform agenda.  Just this week, Indiana's state superintendent announced major [...]
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    Posted: July 31, 2009, 2:36pm EDT
    by Eduflack
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