The Implementation of SB 191: A Reason for Little Me to Get Old and Skeptical?
When (or should I say if) I get older, maybe I’ll acquire a healthy dose of that battle-worn cynicism about highly-lauded education reform initiatives like Colorado’s Senate Bill 191 — also known as the “Great Teachers and Leaders” law. Sometimes I think I’m too young to adjust my expectations appropriately. But if someone as smart […]
American Prospect Boosting Mike Miles’ Reform Cred? & Other Twitter Questions
The must-read, full-length education story of the week is a piece by Dana Goldstein at the American Prospect, titled “The Test Generation.” Before you think this little guy has gone completely loony tunes, you have to know a couple things:
The article is all about Colorado, and mainly about the implementation of Senate Bill 191, but […]
Have Colo. Springs Union Leaders Given Up Safeguarding “the Future of Children”?
About six weeks ago CSEA president Kevin Marshall said the Colorado Springs teachers union wanted bargaining negotiations closed to “safeguard the future of children.” According to a new Gazette story, it appears that the union reluctantly has agreed to jeopardize “the future of children” — well, maybe just a little bit — by agreeing to opening only one of many sessions (Friday, 4/15, 8 am – 8 pm, Jefferson Education Center, Colorado Springs). Whether transparency also comes to other sessions has yet to be decided.
Colorado and Michigan Taxpayers Both Still Underwriting Teachers Union Release Time
A year ago this time Colorado teachers unions were taking numerous taxpayer-funded leave days to lobby against Senate Bill 191 at the State Capitol. My Education Policy Center friend Ben DeGrow has written about the topic many times — first with a 2004 issue paper that found nearly $800,000 in taxpayer subsidies underwriting the practice.
The […]
4/12/11
Newsletter April 12 2011
I.I. Report Covers Colorado Teacher Pay Innovations, Harrison Program; U.S. Dept. of Education, NCTQ Challenge Nashville Study
Last fall a story about a report on teacher pay reform made the front page of the Denver Post: “Offering teachers bonuses for student growth didn’t raise scores, study finds.” Yes, the front page. Back then I shared a fresh reaction with insights from national experts like Rick Hess concerning what the study actually did […]
D.C. Voucher Program Renewed: Rounding Up Reactions, Controlling My Exuberance
So I hear the federal government came really close to shutting down this past weekend. Bigger people than me can tell you whether the last-minute deal to avert a shutdown was in total a good deal or not. But I do know one aspect of the deal that is definitely praiseworthy: namely, that the SOAR […]
Big Week for School Choice in Arizona: Education Savings Accounts for Colorado?
Matthew Ladner is right when he says: “This has been quite the week for parental choice in Arizona.” Of course, as my GoBash blogging friend noted, on Monday a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling upheld the state’s private school tax credit program — an important precedent. But Ladner’s statement comes from a posting primarily about […]
Denver Post Highlights Growing Trend of Parents Exercising Public School Choice
Update, 4/8: Denise at Colorado Charters offers more specific reasons why so many Denver families are exercising public school choice.
Interesting news today from the Denver Post today under the headline “53 percent of DPS students opt out of assigned campuses.” Colorado has one of the nation’s very best, parent-friendly open enrollment laws — in effect […]
As Digital Learning Opportunities Expand, Program Quality Should Follow, Too
Digital learning. It’s a big educational wave of the future… and of the present. The use of online technology in formal learning can take on so many forms that it’s difficult to imagine all the possibilities of what it could look like. As digital learning opportunities began to expand, we want to keep the focus […]
Jeffco Expands Student Online Learning Opportunities
Judy Bauernschmidt, director of student online learning for Jefferson County Public Schools, discusses the various programs offered by Colorado’s largest school district to expand access to online education. Jeffco students can take anywhere from one to all of their courses online, while more teachers are becoming equipped to provide classes in a hybrid or blended learning format that helps to meet student needs and save the district money by allocating taxpayer funds more effectively.
Education Next’s One-Two Punch for Effective Teaching, Productive Spending
The good experts at Education Next have come forward with a potent one-two punch on teacher quality with a relevant message for Colorado policy makers, particularly in a time when tightened budgets weigh heavy on some minds. Are they listening? ….
Part of the short-term solution to the K-12 budget situation is cutting unproductive spending in […]
