Is There a Third Way in the Debate over Teacher Pensions?
Over at Education Next (one of my favorite stops these days), professors Robert Costrell and Michael Podgursky say there may be a way to make a positive move beyond the traditional debate over teacher pensions:
The critics of DB [defined benefit plans] are correct that current plans are seriously underfunded in part because benefits are not […]
Follow the Important Decision on Colorado’s Social Studies Standards
Update: I’m still hanging out over at Twitter. Social studies standards were slated for 10:40 (not 10:20, my bad) — but not surprisingly the State Board is already behind on its agenda. Stay tuned….
A couple months ago I told you about the new social studies standards Colorado is seeking to adopt. Well, thanks to your […]
Denver, Help This Smart Kid See What You Plan to Do with Charters
Look, I’m not going to mess around with you: I know I’m an exceptionally smart kid. I pay attention to the education reform and policy debates more closely than most big people I know. So when I see the Denver Public Schools talking about draining the choice out of charter schools, as in the Denver […]
A Tale of Three School Board Elections
From an education reform point of view, the 2009 elections in Colorado’s three largest school districts had three different results. Listen to Education Policy Center director Pam Benigno and education policy analyst Ben DeGrow discuss the fallout from school board elections in Denver, Douglas County, and Jefferson County. [Audio: https://audio.ivoices.org/mp3/iipodcast346.mp3]
Courts Should Not Mess With School Funding
Colorado’s top judges have opened the door to re-crafting our school finance system from the bench when they should have avoided the possibility altogether.
Independent Thinking: A New Strategy to Increase Student Achievement
Watch this 3-part YouTube replay of the October 23 episode of Independent Thinking, with Education Policy Center director Pamela Benigno as guest host. Special guests Dr. Paul Hill, director of the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education, and Jim Weigel, a former school board member and consultant for the Colorado Association of School Boards, discuss portfolio management — a new strategy to increase student achievement that has gained traction in several urban school districts.
10/20/09
Newsletter October 20 2009
Colorado's Charter School Legal Victory
The Colorado Supreme Court has refused to hear Boulder Valley School District’s legal challenge against Colorado’s Charter School Institute. Alex Medler, Chairman of the Charter School Institute, joins Pam Benigno in a discussion about the legal challenge and other recent current events surrounding the chartering authority.
Boulder Teachers Union Files Strike Notice… What’s Next?
The teachers union in Boulder this week filed an official strike notice with the state. Does it mean teachers will be walking picket lines soon? What will happen next? And have any lessons been learned from the last teachers strike in Colorado, the October 1994 Denver walkout? Listen to education policy analyst Ben DeGrow discuss these issues and more.
Getting a Picture of Online Education in the Early Grades
Many parents may have considered enrolling a younger child in a cyberschool, but weren’t sure what it was all about. Colorado’s Online Elementary Teacher of the Year Christina Narayan explains how she delivers instruction and promotes interaction among her Branson School Online kindergarteners and 1st-graders throughout the state, and discusses how online education is growing and changing to meet the needs of younger children.
9/21/09
Newsletter September 21 2009
The Problem with Courts Making Education Policy
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs professor Joshua Dunn talks about the tremendous impact the judicial branch has had on education policymaking in recent years, and about court-ordered education spending in particular. Dunn is the author of the new book Complex Justice, and recently co-edited the volume From Schoolhouse to Courthouse: The Judiciary’s Role in American Education.
